The first publicly recorded use of the term “Crime Stoppers” was in 1947 when it appeared in a Dick Tracy comic strip in syndicated newspapers around the world. You might ask your parents or grandparents if they remember Dick Tracy comics when they were growing up.
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The official Crime Stoppers story began in Albuquerque, New Mexico in July 1976 with the brutal murder of young gas station attendant Michael Carmen. The detective in charge of investigating this terrible crime was born and raised in Canada. His name is Greg MacAleese and he soon learned that there were no witnesses to the crime and very little evidence to go on and he feared the crime would go unsolved as a result.
Michael Carmen was getting married in a few weeks and had taken an extra shift at the gas station as a favor to give one of the other workers a night off. When police arrived at the crime scene, they found Carmen seriously injured after being shot in the abdomen with a 12-gauge shotgun.
Carmen survived for four hours and attempted to tell authorities about the crime, but was too weak to speak and died the same night.
At that time Albuquerque had one of the highest crime rates in the United States and people were afraid to talk to the police. MacAleese was inventive and came up with the idea of re-enacting the crime on local television stations and asking anyone with information to anonymously submit information that might help them solve the crime.
A few hours after the re-enactment aired, MacAleese received a phone call from a witness who had been in the crime area and reported hearing a loud bang and then seeing a car drive away. The caller was able to identify the vehicle and knew who owned it. The information was relayed to MacAleese and he and his team were able to arrest the suspects shortly thereafter. Interestingly, callers were able to provide information that helped solve other violent crimes as well.
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Crime Stoppers is a community-based charity that incorporates community, media and police partnerships. It is important to note that we are governed by an independent civilian volunteer board of directors and are not part of the police service.
Community members call Crime Stoppers criminal activity tips anonymously on our 24-hour toll-free number 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or can enter a tip through our webpage at address www.hpcrimestoppers.com or through tip management software called P3 which can be found at www.p3tips.com Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call viewing, you never have to tip your name and you are guaranteed to remain anonymous and never have to appear in court or be a witness.
Tips received are checked first to ensure that nothing in the tip can identify the person who submitted it. Advice may relate to a crime that has occurred or is about to occur and may relate to any law that is being broken. Usually we think of crimes like break and enter, murder, assault, etc., but Crime Stoppers has many partners and we gladly accept advice on things like trafficking.
in endangered animals, poaching or out of season hunting, illegal sale of tobacco, laser attacks on aircraft, illegal dumping on Crown land.
Tipsters are guaranteed to remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000 depending on the severity of the crime and the extent to which the tip led to the crime being solved.
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Remember that Crime Stoppers is a registered charity. It started in 1976, but spread across North America and then around the world. Crime Stoppers in Huron and Perth Counties began in April 1988 as separate organizations. We merged in November 2019 to form Huron and Perth Counties Crime Stoppers and have been helping keep both counties safer places to live for nearly 34 years.
All the money needed to run our program comes from the fundraising programs we run. WE DO NOT RECEIVE ANY MONEY FROM THE POLICE OR ANY BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT. If you feel charitable and want to help, please visit our webpage and make a small donation. You will also find a form there if you would like to volunteer to help us with fundraising events or if you would like to join our Board of Directors. You can also email me directly at [email protected]. Remember that tips can only be submitted by phone or through the websites listed above. Do not send advice by e-mail. Please visit our website www.hpcrimestoppers.com or our Facebook page at Huron Perth Crime Stoppers
Each year during Crime Stoppers Month, we focus on a crime that significantly affects or endangers the community. This year we are focusing on the crime of human trafficking. It happens when a person is lured or coerced into becoming a slave to someone or a gang and forced into prostitution or other criminal activities. Unfortunately, this crime often victimizes young women. If you think you know someone who is being victimized in this way, please call your local police or Crime Stoppers.
Remember: If you see something, say something
