By Emily Robertson
South Central Kentucky Crime Stoppers wants you to know that crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Stoppers does and the organization offers a time-tested approach in order to help local law enforcement make our town safer.
“Put simply, it is a three part approach to solving the crime problem,” Jennifer Oaks, 2019 Chair of Crime Stoppers says. “Crime Stoppers relies on cooperation between the police, the media and the general community to provide a flow of information about crime and criminals.”
Individuals who believe they have information about local crime can call an answering service, in order to have complete and total confidentiality. The tipster than provides an operator with their information, who then passes on the information to a Law Enforcement Coordinator for follow up. If an arrest is made, the tip is then eligible for a reward and even rewards are done in a manner that ensures a tipster’s identity is never known.
“For a reward, the Law Enforcement Coordinator provides a fake name to the bank,” Oaks says. “The tipster then goes to the bank drive thru and provides the bank teller with the fake name so that they can pick up their cash reward. By guaranteeing a caller’s anonymity, Crime Stoppers allows the caller to give information in a positive atmosphere, without the prospect of retribution. By offering cash rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to indictment or arrests, the program encourages otherwise reluctant callers to provide information.”
Another way that Crime Stoppers creates public interest and involvement is through the use of dramatic reenactments of an unsolved “Crime of the Week” on television, radio and print.
In these two approaches, Crime Stoppers hopes to help law enforcement agencies receive assistance on local criminal activities, promote public cooperation with law enforcement efforts, and create a stronger police-community relationship at both the local, statewide and international level.
The program has a proven track record after first starting Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1976. To date, the organization has grown to 800 programs in more than 13 countries and has solved more than 730,000 crimes. The organization also has helped recover $1,174,000 in stolen property and seized more than $3 million in narcotics.
And all of this work is done without the help of any tax dollars.
“The Crime Stoppers program is funded by private donations and fundraising,” Oaks says. “The reward money is paid out by the program is from the fundraising and donations from concerned citizens and businesses and all donations to South Central Kentucky Crime Stoppers are tax deductible.”
The organization is also run completely by volunteers and governed by a board of directors.
“We are a not-for-profit organization,” Oaks said. “A civilian community board of directors provides direction as to the financial and promotional activities of the program. The board of directors enhances the community involvement aspect and its function is vital to the program’s success.”
One of the organizations largest fundraising events, the Eye Opener Breakfast, takes place every March. This year’s event featured Detective Lieutenant, television personality and author Joe Kenda.
For more information about the South Central Kentucky Crime Stopper program, go to 781clue.com, email [email protected] or search for South Central Kentucky Crime Stoppers on Facebook.