What is Crime Stoppers?
When a criminal case is not solved within a reasonable length of time the leads diminish, the trail becomes cold, evidence becomes unobtainable, and the
crime becomes increasingly more difficult to solve. For these reasons most police departments' files contain many unsolved cases.
When this occurs, a method is needed that will re-awaken public interest in the case and also call upon citizens for help in providing the needed information that could lead to the solution of the crime. Citizens may witness all or part of a crime without being aware of what they have seen. Consequently, they may unknowingly possess key information that could aid the police in solving the crime.
In some instances, citizens do not contact police with information out of fear that if they reveal their identity they will expose themselves or their families to acts of retaliation by the criminal. In most instances these citizens will not come forward with information unless they can be assured that they will be provided with complete anonymity by the police. Finally, they are uncertain who they should contact in the police organization and what procedures to follow in providing their information.
The Crime Stoppers program provides a method of overcoming these obstacles by involving citizens in solving felony crimes. Through the Crime Stoppers program, citizens who have knowledge of a specific crime are encouraged, either for civic or monetary reasons, to come forward and give police this information. The program
allows any citizen providing information to remain COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS if they so desire. In this way the citizen is assured that his/her identity will be protected. Crime Stopper programs need the support of various representatives of the news media such as television, newspaper, and radio to assure that the message reaches the public.
The South Bend Area Crime Stoppers program was incorporated in 1983 in South Bend, Indiana. South Bend was chosen because of its being the media center for Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan. The program covers a total of 13 counties in Indiana and Michigan. Those counties in Indiana are: St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall, Starke, Porter, Pulaski, Lagrange, and LaPorte. In Michigan they are: St. Joseph, Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren. All of these counties have an active Crime Stoppers program which is considered an affiliate of the South Bend Area Crime Stoppers.
Q.) I have some information about a crime/fugitive. What do I need to do?
Informants can call information to the South Bend Area Crime Stoppers program about any felony crime which has occurred anywhere in our 13 county area, or for that fact, anywhere in the world. We will take that information and relay it by Telephone, Fax, Mail, and E-Mail. The caller to Crime Stoppers will receive a caller code number which will allow us to track the tip in our files. The caller code number also allows the caller to contact Crime Stoppers at a later date, and we can let them know if a case has been solved, and if a reward is waiting for them. Call (574) 288-STOP Or Toll Free: (800) 342-STOP Or Centennial Wireless: Dial *50
Since the South Bend Area Crime Stoppers is a Not-For-Profit 501 (c) Corporation, all donations to the Crime Stoppers program are tax deductible. All funds donated to the Crime Stoppers program go into a central reward fund which is used to pay the rewards in our Crime Stoppers Area. A donation can not be marked for a specific case by a donor. The maximum reward that the South Bend Area Crime Stoppers program will pay is $1000. This amount is regulated by our By-Laws. It has been determined that if an informant will come forward for money, they will come forward for $1000.
A larger reward often times will delay the police receiving information, because the person with the information becomes greedy and will wait for a "better" price. When a family or business puts up a $50,000 reward they usually say upon arrest and conviction. Crime Stoppers pays its reward upon arrest or indictment of the suspect
involved. Our Board of Directors meets twice monthly to review cases and award rewards to callers who have led investigators to the solving of a felony case with an arrest, or who have given information to police which leads to the arrest of felony fugitives.
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