Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
All across America, crimes occur at an alarming rate. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Crime Clock, every 26.3 seconds, a violent crime is committed. Every 32.1 seconds, a murder occurs. A rape takes place every 3.8 minutes, a robbery transpires every 2 minutes and an aggravated assault occurs every 38.5 seconds. This doesn't include property crimes, such as burglary, larceny-theft or motor vehicle crimes. Needless to say, law enforcement has its hands full across the nation preventing crime and investigating crimes as they happen.
Many crimes are not straightforward, and require investigation to bring the truth of the situation to light and bring a perpetrator to justice. Sometimes, even the best and brightest of our law enforcement teams come to a stalemate when it comes to solving crimes and catching the “bad guys,” as information surrounding an incident may be limited. That's where you can come in.
The average citizen observes countless things throughout their day. These things could be interactions between strangers you pass in town, an argument between the neighbors, or an unusual vehicle parked in the street. Most of the things we see throughout our day are insignificant, and we forget about them almost as quickly as we see them, but sometimes, the things we witness and remember can provide local law enforcement with crucial information that might help them solve a crime.
Big Bend Crime Stoppers is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization that is run by a board of volunteers and serves the Big Bend area (counties Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Taylor and Wakulla). Their mission is to increase the safety of communities in the Big Bend area by assisting law enforcement agencies in solving crimes. Crime Stoppers is founded on the belief that “someone other than the criminal has information that can solve a crime.”
According to the Big Bend Crime Stoppers website, there are three main reasons why individuals who witness a crime choose not to come forward with information to law enforcement. These problems are fear of reprisal, an attitude of apathy, and reluctance to get involved. Crime Stoppers was created to directly combat these three problems, and entice witnesses of a crime to come forward with important information.
Fear of Reprisal: Many people are reluctant to come forward with information out of fear for their own safety and wellbeing. Before a crime is solved, a criminal is on the loose, and many criminals don't take kindly to being ratted out. This fear can keep direct witnesses who know important details of a crime from speaking out, and is the number one reason why people stay silent. Crime Stoppers combats this fear by offering complete anonymity to anyone who calls in with information.
“The caller or tipster is the most important partner in our program,” says Crime Stoppers. “He or she is a member of the community who sees, hears or knows of criminal activity. When a caller contacts Big Bend crime Stoppers, he or she is GUARANTEED ANONYMITY... The anonymity allows members of the community to offer information to law enforcement without the fear of reprisals.”
Attitude of Apathy: Some individuals choose not to get involved in a situation that doesn't directly affect them, despite the risk of the criminal remaining free to continue committing crimes within the community. To combat this, Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward to individuals who provide accurate information that can lead to an arrest and criminal charges. According to their website, they offer cash rewards between $500 and $5,000 for a tip that leads to a felony arrest.
Reluctance to get involved: Many times, getting involved in a criminal investigation can be time consuming, dangerous and tiring. Speaking to investigators, filing official statements, and going to the courthouse as a witness are all things that come to mind when an individual considers getting involved, and not everyone has the time or ability to dedicate to a lengthy case trial. The Crime Stoppers tip line is not a police line. When a witness calls in to provide information, they do not have to speak to law enforcement, do not have to provide their name or personal information, and do not have to follow up with the case. Local law enforcement agencies are given the information by the Law Enforcement Coordinator that works with the tip-line.
At the time a person calls in, they are given a control number. If, as a result of their information, an arrest and filing of criminal charges are made, the caller is eligible for a monetary reward. Once a reward amount is determined by the Board of Directors, the caller chooses a branch office of the bank that Crime Stoppers works with, and can show their control number to the bank teller to pick up their reward. The identity of the caller is never known throughout the entire process.
Tip lines are an excellent way to provide law enforcement with the important information they need to solve crimes that have transpired, and prevent crimes before they happen. Crime Stoppers strives to promote public cooperation and involvement with law enforcement and to reward that participation.
If you have witnessed a crime, or believe that you have important information involving a criminal or person of interest, call Big Bend Crime Stoppers at 574-TIPS or 1-888-876-TIPS. If you wish to work directly with an investigator, Crime Stoppers will note this in your tip.