Members of the local community, media and law enforcement, came together in partnership to begin the effort to provide crime-solving assistance to law enforcement, and the first Crime Stoppers program was born on September 8, 1976.
A cash reward was offered to individuals that provided anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers with information which would lead to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for the crime. The local media publicized the first “Crime of the Week” and the phone number to call with the information. A call received the program resulted in the arrest of three men, within 72 hours, who had been involved in the homicide of the young college student that had occurred 4 months earlier.
Today, community and student Crime Stoppers programs reach around the world and are represented the Nation/Regions of the United States, Canada, Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, Australia, and the South/Western Pacific.
The Crime Stoppers program has enjoyed great success with the information received which has led to the arrest and indictment of those responsible for committing felony offenses, boasting an average conviction rate of approximately 95% on cases solved a tip to the program.
Crime Stoppers is a partnership between the Community, the Media and Law Enforcement.