The Crime Stoppers Program started in Albuquerque, New Mexico in September of 1976. At that time, a police detective became frustrated due to a lack of clues in an investigation. Having few leads, the detective thought that a reenactment of the crime on local television could lead a citizen to provide the information needed for an arrest. The detective also offered a cash reward out of his own pocket. After seeing the re-enactment, a citizen contacted police the next day, and the information given by the citizen was enough to lead the police to the two men who were responsible. This was the beginning of the International Crime Stoppers program.
Crime stoppers is based on the principal that:
Someone other than the criminal has information that can solve a crime.
It was created to combat three major problems faced by law enforcement in generating information:
- fear of reprisal
- an attitude of empathy
- a reluctance to get involved
Crime Stoppers resolves these problems by offering anonymity to people who provide information about crimes and paying cash rewards when the information supplied led to an arrest.
Today there are more than 1000 Crime Stopper programs worldwide. More than ½ million crimes have been solved since its inception and over $3 billion worth of stolen property and narcotics have been seized.
DeKalb County Crime Stoppers:
Locally, DeKalb County Crime Stoppers is very successful. Since its inception in 1982, over 1,100 calls have been received leading to the recovery of nearly $1 million worth of stolen property and drugs with rewards totaling slightly over $100,000.