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News & Events
| 10/10/2006 - Crime Stoppers.....A Global Success Story |
Crime Stoppers programs around the world have been responsible for recovering property and seizing drugs totaling more than $7 billion.
Accumulative figures from the more than 1,200 programs around the world show tips to Crime Stoppers have been responsible for the seizure of $5,491,835,498 in illicit drugs and the recovery of $1,529,614,961 in stolen property.
“In total that’s $7,023,258,959,” said Steve Walrath of Beloit, Wisconsin, president of Crime Stoppers International. “This is an astronomical figure and demonstrates the impact of Crime Stoppers.”
In the past month Crime Stoppers programs have seized $36,137,477 in illicit drugs and recovered $3,449,790 in stolen property. The accumulative figures date from 1976 when the first Crime Stoppers program was established in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Walrath said Crime Stoppers, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is now the largest crime fighting organization in the world with programs operating in some 20 countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
“Crime Stoppers has had a tremendous impact through the years combating crime and keeping our streets safe, but we are facing even greater challenges in the future,” he said. “A number of Crime Stoppers programs are working with intelligence agencies and are capable of taking tips related to potential terrorist activity.”
Walrath said up to now Crime Stoppers has solicited tips to help solve crimes, but has now evolved into taking information from people to prevent criminal acts by terrorists as well.
“We have to consider all threats that society is facing today from criminals, including terrorists, and allow Crime Stoppers to continue as the global leader in anonymous information gathering,” Walrath said. “Working in partnership with law enforcement and the community at large is not only our best defense, but will be the proactive solution to a safe society.” | | | 9/12/2007 - Robberies in the Hispanic Community | The Oklahoma City Police Department has received several reports of Robberies and Home Invasions targeting Hispanic victims.
Commonalities are that the majority of these crimes have occurred at apartment complexes, usually as the victims are either coming or going to their apartments, late at night or early in the morning and the suspects are usually 2 to 3 (4 in some cases) Black males, in their late teens or early twenties.
The locations of these robberies are on both the north and south sides of Oklahoma City. The targeted areas are between Portland to Rockwell, Reno to NW 23rd on the north side and Santa Fe to Pennsylvania, SW 36th to I-240 on the south side. Oklahoma City Police has taken a combined 63 Robbery and Home Invasion reports since June within these two areas.
Detectives believe the suspects may be affiliated with gangs and are targeting Hispanics because the suspects believe they tend to carry cash instead of depositing the money in a bank and are less likely to report the crime to police. Detectives also believe there may be several more victims who have failed to report additional robberies.
Police encourage anyone who has been a victim of any crime to call 911 and file a police report. In addition, if anyone has any information in reference to these crimes, police ask that they contact Crime Stoppers at 235-7300. | | | 9/29/2007 - Crime Stoppers looks to text messaging | OKLAHOMA CITY -- One of the nations first Crime Stoppers programs likely needs more money if it is to become able to better utilize modern technology such as text-messaging, according to program officials.
Oklahoma City police started the local Crime Stoppers program in 1979, becoming the third city in the U.S. to do so, Police Master Sgt. Charles Phillips said. Police say the program has resulted in more than 152,000 tips leading to more than 5,660 arrests.
But Phillips, who became the program`s coordinator in March 2006, said the program`s success rate could be improved through the use of text messaging.
He said that soon after Boston police " who had seen phone calls to their tip line dwindle" added the option of text messaging, they were able to arrest two murder suspects and received hundreds of text messages.
To duplicate the Boston program, Oklahoma City`s program would need to be able to afford a remote answering service and would have to be marketed in a way to successfully reach its target audience. Both those would require money.
"What I would really like to have is a business or corporate sponsor to underwrite the text message program," Phillips said. "The rate that things are changing is incredible.
And that`s not a bad thing. It`s a good thing. But in order to change with the needs of the people, you have to have support from the people."
The Oklahoma City program`s current success is a reason for the financial issues, Phillips said.
"In the last year and a half, we have seen a big increase in tips," Phillips said. "That translates into an increase in the number of arrests, which means we pay more rewards."
Phillips said that in the past 18 months, the number of tips received through the Internet at OKCCrimeTips.com has quadrupled and now account for half of the total tips received.
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