Crimestoppers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crimestoppers or Crime Stoppers, a part of Crime Stoppers International, is the telephone hotline, separate from the emergency telephone number system, which allows a member of the community to provide anonymous information about criminal activity. It thereby allows the person to provide crime solving assistance to the authorities without being directly involved in the investigation process. That person could also be eligible for a reward if the reported information results in an arrest and/or prosecution. Crimestopper programs are operated in many communities worldwide. It is supported by the Crimestoppers International Foundation.
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[edit] Rationale
The authorities, to include the police, can not always solve every crime on their own. Forensic science and investigative skills are vital tools in solving crimes. However, information from the public can often be the vital key allowing the public to be the eyes and ears of the law. Crimestoppers is based on the principle that "someone other than the criminal may have information which can solve a crime" and was created to combat the three major problems faced by law enforcement agencies:
- fear of reprisals;
- apathy on the part of the public;
- reluctance to get involved.
Crimestoppers thus provides:
- anonymity to those who call as callers do not give their names nor are calls traced or recorded; callers are only known by a unique code number.
- the paying of rewards when the information provided leads to an arrest.
[edit] History
Crimestoppers first began in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the USA during July 1976 which saw the fatal shooting of a university co-ed working one night at a local filling station. After two weeks the police had no information when out of desperation a Detective MacAleese approaches the local television station requesting a reconstruction of the crime. The re-enactment offered US$ 1,000.00 for information leading to the arrest of the killers. Within 72 hours a person called in identifying a car leaving the scene at high speed and he had noted its registration. The person calling said that he did not want to get involved so he had not called earlier. Detective MacAleese then realized that fear and apathy were the primary reasons why the public tended to not get involved. So he helped design a system where the public could anonymously provide details of the events. To overcome these he targeted three areas of need:
- Stimulating community involvement and participation in Crimestoppers
- Taking advantage of every possible media opportunity, especially electronic media, to publicise unsolved crimes, and
- Offering cash rewards for information leading to an arrest and/or conviction.
[edit] Ethical issues
Crimestoppers could possibly be abused as it would seem to allow for the anonymous filing of false reports on allegedly innocent individuals. Its secrecy could allow for law enforcement officials to secretly investigate individuals, although there are no recorded allegations of Crimestoppers abuse.
[edit] Results
- 1200 programs in 17 plus countries
- over one million solved cases
- over 500,000 arrests
- US$1.3 billion in recovered property
- US$4.3 billion in seized drugs
