Sunday, June 21, 1998

Abilene Crime Stoppers has proved its value as a crime-fighting tool

By Verle Englerth

You may have read Tanya Eiserer's recent Abilene Reporter-News story, "Property crime increase sparks jump in '97 crime rate."

During 1997, property crimes -- burglary, auto theft and theft -- fueled a 7.2 percent jump in our city's overall crime rate. Many of you may have thought, as I did, that this was a significant increase, and it is.

I then wondered how many citizens know an organization exists that provides them with an opportunity to participate in more effective local law enforcement and, in doing so, make a meaningful contribution toward lowering the crime rate in Abilene.

This means is through Abilene Crime Stoppers, a nonprofit organization that involves citizens in the community, the media (newspaper, radio and TV) and law enforcement. These three components, working together, have made Crime Stoppers a successful crime-fighting tool for law enforcement since 1981, when the local chapter was established.

The three components that make Crime Stoppers work may be compared to a three-legged stool. When one of the legs is missing, the stool will not function as intended. The first component, the community, is essential in providing 1) an active citizen Board of Directors to oversee the program, 2) valuable tips over the 24-hour Crime Stopper hot line and 3) funding from individuals and businesses needed to pay rewards for information. Often such information results in the arrest and conviction of individuals who have committed felony crimes, and in such cases, the citizen is paid a cash reward of up to $1,000.

The second component, the media, 1) publicize criminal activity in the community and 2) run the Crime Stoppers Crime of the Week re-enactments to encourage citizens to come forward with any information they may have on a particular crime. Maybe they saw something and didn't realize at the time a crime was being committed until they read about it, saw it on TV or heard it on the radio.

Law enforcement, the third component, 1) uses the tip information to investigate a crime and make arrests, 2) provides a police officer coordinator for the program and 3) coordinates with state and national law enforcement agencies. The role of law enforcement is undoubtedly made easier when a citizen comes forward with information about a crime. There have been incidents where unsolved cases closed for years have been solved as a result of a Crime Stopper tip. Crime Stoppers is working, and it works without spending a lot of our tax dollars.

Let me explain how Crime Stoppers works. When calls are received, the caller is assigned a secret code used in subsequent transactions. Sometimes individuals are reluctant to call Crime Stoppers for fear of being found out. You do not give your name, and you can be assured you remain anonymous. If the information provided results in the arrest and conviction of a person who has committed a felony crime, the caller calls back and is given information that will allow him or her to receive the reward, while still preserving anonymity. Anonymity is essential to the success of Crime Stopers, and it will be preserved at all cost.

Since Crime Stoppers began operating in Abilene in 1981, $1,691,609 in stolen property has been recovered, and $1,243,435 in narcotics have been seized. For these results, only $214,595 has been paid in reward for tips -- a pretty good return on the investment, I would say. Also, 1,918 felony arrests have been made, 2,663 offenses cleared and 105 vehicles recovered. Crime Stoppers wants to do more, and with your help it can.

What can an individual do? Adopt a Crime Stopper mentality, reassure yourself that any information you may have could be of help to law enforcement officers, and call the Crime Stoppers Hot Line, 676-TIPS. If you are calling from outside Abilene, you may call 1-800-868-8477.

Crime prevention and the solving of crimes should be a concern not only of law enforcement but also of every law-abiding citizen. We all can contribute toward making our community and our country a better place to live. Go that extra mile, give Crime Stoppers a call, 676-TIPS.

Crime doesn't pay, Crime Stoppers does.

Verle Englerth is president of Abilene Crime Stoppers, Inc.