There are three essential elements:
The Media: Crime Stoppers methods, objectives,
and phone numbers are publicized on a regular
basis by the media. An unsolved crime is given
special treatment with details published in
newspapers and aired on radio/television.
The Community:
Citizens are responsible
for forming a Crime Stoppers non-profit
corporation, whose Directors establish policy,
determine amount and method of reward payments,
work closely with the media and police, and
oversee the program. The Directors are
responsible for fund raising and all volunteer
services. No tax money is sought.
The Police:
A special Crime Stoppers
phone with a well-publicized number is manned by
detectives. The callers are given a special code
number and do not give their names. If, after
investigation the information leads to an arrest,
the caller is entitled to a reward of up to
$1,000.
Hancock County Sheriff
http://www.hancocksheriff.org/home.htm
Findlay Police Department
http://www.ci.findlay.oh.us/police/police.htm
National History of
Crime Stoppers:
Crime Stoppers got its
start in 1976 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since
then it has expanded to over 850 local Crime
Stoppers organizations in the U.S. and led to
similar programs in other countries.
History Crime Stoppers of Findlay/Hancock
County, Inc.:
In Findlay,
a local businesswoman, Jane Burson, is credited
with getting the program off the ground. In 1987,
Burson volunteered to serve on the Chamber of
Commerce’s Crime and Vandalism Committee.
During one of the group’s meetings she
suggested that Findlay explore the Crime Stopper
program which she heard about in Toledo.
Burson arranged for Helen
Hawley, the president of Toledo Crime Stoppers
and a personal friend, to come to Findlay and
discuss the program with the committee.
Eventually Findlay Police
Chief David Clark (now retired) and former
Hancock County Sheriff, Byron Boutwell became
involved and a decision was made to start a Crime
Stopper program in Findlay.
Startup money was provided
from an L. Dale Dorney Foundation grant with
matching funds raised by business and private
individuals.
The first call to Crime
Stoppers - in November 1987 - led to the arrest
of a man in connection with an armed robbery of a
Findlay carryout. The man was located in Yuma,
Arizona, and returned to Ohio. He was sentenced
to prison in early 1988 after being convicted of
robbery and felonious assault.
The largest Crime Stopper
reward, $1,000, was paid out in 1989 when a rural
Findlay man located the body of a baby who had
been killed and thrown into Eagle Creek.
Crime Stoppers of
Findlay/Hancock County, Inc., is governed by a
board of directors made up of local law
enforcement and fire officials along with a
number of private citizens. The board of
directors meets monthly to evaluate the program,
promote the program and decide on the amounts of
rewards to be paid.
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