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CRIME STOPPERS YEAR END REVIEW 2013



About Lancaster City-County Crime Stoppers

Lancaster City-County Crime Stoppers is located in southeast Pennsylvania and is a non-profit organization of citizens against crime.  Originally an arm of the Lancaster Kiwana's Club, Crime Stoppers established a seperate organization and is comprised of a volunteer board of directors. Lancaster City-County Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards of up to $1000 to anyone furnishing information that leads to the arrest of criminals, including those committing serious felony crimes, and fugitives. Information received through Crime Stoppers is secure and may be provided anonymously. Tips may be provided by calling our toll-free 800 number, through texting, or through a secure web tip page. Information explaining how to provide a tip is located on the home page.  Each caller is assigned a code number for the purpose of insuring anonymity and that code number is later used to provide a reward.

WHAT IS LANCASTER COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS?

It is a volunteer organization of local citizens and business people dedicated to the reduction of crime, to the prompt solution of crimes, and to rewarding persons who provide information that leads to the arrest of criminals.  Boiled down into simpler terms, Crime Stoppers is a group of concerned people who gather funds to reward individuals who provide information anonymously to our police agencies so that they can solve unsolved crimes.

WHAT TYPE OF ORGANIZATION IS LANCASTER CITY-COUNTY CRIME STOPPERS?
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit, tax exempt corporation which was founded in 1987 through the efforts of the Kiwanis Club of Lancaster, Pennsylvania State Police, Lancaster City Police and the Lancaster County Chiefs of Police Association, as well as citizens of the State.  The By-Laws for the organization were adopted in May 1987. Crime Stoppers is currently partnered with Lancaster Newspapers.

HOW DOES CRIME STOPPERS WORK?
Crime Stoppers utilizes a multimedia approach, for solving crime, designed to gather evidence and information on unsolved crimes through the cooperation of all the local media.  Each week a fugitive or unsolved crime is selected by the Crime Stoppers Police Coordinator, who distributes the information as supplied by the investigating agency, to the media publication.  This is known as the Crime of the Week and will result in a reward of up to $1,000 to the individual who supplied the information needed to solve the crime.




WHY IS CRIME STOPPERS DIFFERENT?
Crime Stoppers is different from all other programs designed to gather criminal information because in this program the informant can remain completely anonymous and still receive the reward money.  This is accomplished by the use of the Crime Stoppers telephone hotline, text a tip and web tip.

TELEPHONE HOTLINE
After the Media provides  the details of the crime of the week,they will also provide a telephone number for the informant to call.  When and individual has information about the Crime of the Week or other unsovled crimes, they simply have to pick up the telephone and call the Crime Stoppers Hotline.  The caller is assigned a number with no names given.  If the information qualifies the individual for a reward, it is publicized through the media with instructions for the individual to call the hotline for further details When texting a tip see here.  When using web tip see here.

HOW IS THE PROGRAM ADMINISTERED
Crime Stoppers is administerd by a civilian Board of Directors who have complete control of the operations of the organization.  The Board, with advice from all Lancaster City-County law enforcement agencies and primarily the Crime Stoppers Police Coordinator, will determine the amount of the reward and which informant(s) merit reward money.  (In some cases more than one informant can contribute to solving a crime.)

HOW IS THE PROGRAM FUNDED?
Contributions are being solicited from service organizations, social clubs, business me-women, corporations, and interested residents.  Crime Stoppers is a non-profit, tax exempt organization under Section 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code, so all contributions wil be tax exempt.  Mail contributions to :  
Lancaster City-County Crime Stoppers P.O. Box 7475
Lancaster PA,  17604

Three Essential Elements That  Make Up a Crime Stoppers Program 
COMMUNITY- MEDIA- LAW ENFORCEMENT

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 law enforcement and the media and generally oversee the program. The directors are also responsible for fund raising, and all volunteer service. The program is supported by the public through tax deductible donations from businesses, corporations, individuals, and service organizations.

Media 
    Crime Stoppers is publicized on a regular basis by all media outlets including print, broadcast and web-based partners.

Law Enforcement     
Local law enforcement agencies receive and process the anonymous tips received through Crime Stoppers.  If the information leads to an arrest, the caller will be paid up to $1,000.00 for their information.


Why Do We Need Crime Stoppers? 
    Crime Stoppers is based on the principal that "Someone other than the criminal has information that can solve a crime" and was created to combat the three major problems faced by law enforcement in generating that information:
• Fear of REPRISAL
• An attitude of APATHY
• Reluctance to get INVOLVED
    Crime Stoppers resolves these problems by offering anonymity to people who provide information about crimes and paying rewards when the information supplied leads to an arrest.


2011 Crime Stoppers stats

During 2011 Crime Stoppers featured 42 wanted posters which resulted in 124 phone and text tips from citizens. As a result of those tips, 16 wanted persons were arrested, and in one case, a second person on federal parole was arrested after he was found to be in possession of a handgun.

8 tips either led to the identification of a subject involved in a crime or provided additional information about a crime. In some of these cases a subject was charged and later arrested or the investigation is continuing.

Crime Stoppers paid out 21 rewards during 2011. Not every tip led to a reward, and of those tips that did lead to an arrest, not every tipster wanted a reward.

In 2011 Crime Stoppers increased the number of people viewing wanted posters by sending weekly notifications to all Lancaster City and Lancaster County government employees, County Magisterial District Justices and their staff, all Lancaster County Police employees, several neighborhood organizers, church contacts, state and county probation/parole, public transportation, public shopping malls and private citizens. The number of posters that are forwarded to others by the aforementioned recipients is countless.

In addition, Turkey Hill continues to distribute posters to all of their Lancaster County stores. In cooperation with Lancaster Newspapers, the weekly poster is published in daily newspapers and on the third Thursday of each month a half-page color ad features several wanted subjects as well as four requests for information. Earlier this month Crime Stoppers launched Text Tips and Crime Stoppers is currently working on developing a web site for 2012. We are working with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office in developing a top ten wanted list. The Lancaster Police features Crime Stoppers information on their Facebook site.

Crime Stoppers continues to grow and without your support it isn’t possible.

On behalf of the Crime Stoppers-Thank you for a great year