Put simply it is a three part approach to solving the crime problem. Crime Stoppers relies on cooperation between the police, the media, and the general community to provide a flow of information about crime and criminals.

The Phone Call

Calls are received at the local Crime Stoppers tips line phone. Your call is forwarded to a professional call center company that handles only Crime Stopper calls. They will not ask your name or location. The phone number your call is made from is not identified. They will get from you your tip information and they forward that information to the crimestopper coordinator to coordinate needed police attention to the crime
By guaranteeing a caller`s anonymity Crime Stoppers allows the caller to give information in a positive atmosphere without the prospect of retribution. By offering cash rewards for information leading to indictment or arrests, the program encourages otherwise reluctant callers to provide information.

*NOTE*: Starting June 27, 2011 each tip will have a case number listed with the tip that will look similar to this 11-00001. For tracking purposes, and quicker processing time, please refrence this case number when making a tip.

THE INTERNET TIP

You can file your tip using any computer connected to the internet. You type in your tip and hit send. The tip going to a professional tip line company who eliminates your internet address. They forward the tip to the Crime Stoppers Coordinator who sends the tip on to law enforcement. If there is a response from the coordinator to you it will also go through the tip center for processing.

 THE TEXTING TIP

You text your tip to "eldorado-your tip," to CRIMES (274637). It goes through the same process as does the internet tip. Many ways to send tips.

Structure and Funding of Crime Stoppers

Crime Stopper Programs are organized as a not for profit organization (Charity). A civilian community board of directors provides direction as to the financial and promotional activities of the program. The board of directors enhances the community involvement aspect, and its function is vital to the programs success.

The Crime Stoppers program is funded by private donations and fund raising.The reward money paid out by the program is from the fund raising and donations from concerned citizens and businesses.

A community board of directors, made up of persons from throughout the area, meets on a monthly basis to evaluate arrests and to decide on the size of rewards to be paid, up to $1,000. Rewards are then distributed in a private manner to the callers. Callers are eligible for rewards up to $1,000, but, despite this, many callers choose not to collect their rewards.

Does Crime Stoppers Work?

The answer is quite simply yes. Since the start of Crime Stoppers, many calls have been received resulting in thousands of arrests and recovery of substantial amounts of property. Calls have included information about murder, robbery, rape, assaults, drug and firearm offenses.

The success of a Crime Stoppers program cannot be purely judged on statistics, however, other benefits have come to notice:

• A greater awareness in the community that there is a crime problem.
• A willingness by the community to fight back against crime if it is given the opportunity and motivation.
• Improved relationships between police, media, and the community.

Crime Stoppers is definitely here to stay. It has been accepted by police as a valid and effective investigative tool and the public, through its overwhelming response, appears to have accepted it as a more palatable alternative to traditional methods of giving information.