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Crime
Stoppers of Sangamon & Menard Counties - History
How CrimeStoppers Began
CrimeStoppers
was the idea of Greg MacAleese, a police officer in Albuquerque,
NM
who became
frustrated
with his town's rising
crime rate and the public's fear of the grip of crime was
having on his community. Knowing that something had to be
done to change people's attitudes, he brought together a
team of civic leaders, concerned citizens, the police department
and media representatives to come up with a solution.
The
answer targeted in on citizen involvement - motivating citizens
by offering cash rewards for information while protecting
their anonymity; and publicizing the program through a"Crime
of the Week" aired on local radio and television
stations and featured on the front page of newspapers each
Monday.
Initially,
the idea of a reward program met with some skepticism; but
eventually, it was agreed to set up a reward fund with money
raised from the general public instead of through tax dollars.
After a shaky but steady start in 1976, CrimeStoppers
in Albuquerque became a very successful program with many
arrests and cases solved.
But
it didn't stop there. Today, CrimeStoppers
is an international network of thousands of citizens in
more than 900 cities throughout the world who took it upon
themselves to do something about crime in their community.
The
results are even more astounding...
| Cases
Solved |
735,673
|
| Arrests |
215,188
|
| Property
Recovered |
$1,177,931,879.00
|
| Narcotics
Recovered |
$3,421,215,932.00
|
| Total
Dollars Recovered |
$4,599,147,811.00
|
| Rewards
Paid |
$50,299,790.00
|
CrimeStoppers
has proven that a community - police, the media and citizens
- can do something to crack down on crime...and it pays.
How
CrimeStoppers Began In Sangamon and Menard Counties
There
was an organization called Anti Illicit Drugs in Society
in Sangamon and Menard Counties (A.I.D.S.) that dealt
with only drug problems. Several concerned citizens and
the members of the A.I.D.S. decided to reorganize so they
could deal with all kinds of crime This was done and CrimeStoppers
of Sangamon and Menard Counties was born in September
of 1983.
Officers were elected, by-laws were written and two loans
were accepted for $500 each from the Springfield Chamber
of Commerce and the Springfield
Jaycees to go along with the $838.11 that was in the
A.I.D.S. account. We were off and running.
Officer Alice Pickford was the first Coordinator.
In October 1984, Officer Neil Williamson became the Coordinator.
He remained the Coordinator when
he left to become Sheriff
of Sangamon County. Officer Brenda Thompson took over
in July 1994 for five years.
The program has grown tremendously from those early days.
The first year we took in 326 tips and paid 8 rewards
totaling $2,550. Last year, 1999, we took in 1,481 tips
that resulted in 250 arrests, clearing 388 cases and paid
$42,200.
We have
developed many partnerships in the communities over the years
and enjoy working relationships with The
State Journal Register, Fox
55-TV, TV-20 News,
AT&T Cable, WTAX, WDBR,
WYMG, WMAY,
WNNS, WCVS,
WFMB, WQQL,
WYXY and WQLZ.
We are
also supported by the newspapers in the small communities
in Sangamon and Menard Counties. This is the key to involving
citizens. We couldn't be successful without this support.
Over the years we have developed three fund raisers that the
citizens look forward to each year. In March there is Community
Unity and Silent Auction, in June our Take a
Swing Out of Crime Golf Outing and in October our TV
Telethon. Thanks to everyone who participates in these
events.
We have many programs in place, such as Stop Gun Violence
Program, Scholastic CrimeStoppers in the High Schools,
We Nail Thieves, and SAD (Stop Abuse of Dogs
and other pets).
We have a 30 member Board of Directors who donate their time
and talents to keep CrimeStoppers successful.
The names and faces have changed over the years but we seem
to always have a waiting list of people who want to be part
of this successful program. More information
on the Crime Stoppers President can be found
here.
We have
become one of law enforcement's best tools for solving crimes.
We look forward to many more challenges and success stories.
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