A very important volunteer-driven organization celebrated a big milestone last week as Crime Stoppers of central Alberta celebrated 25 years in existence and over that time have been instrumental in solving many acts of crime while leading to hundreds of arrests and the recovery and/or seizure of millions of dollars worth of stolen goods or drugs.
On Friday, Jan. 9, the Central Alberta Crime Stoppers Association celebrated a quarter-century of assisting in crime prevention in the area. A civilian, non-profit, charitable organization, Crime Stoppers works as a liaison between the public, the RCMP and other police services through the media by recreating crimes and/or offering information that may trigger someone’s memory.
“If a person calls with a bit of information, that information might be vital to solving the case, or at least give the officers somewhere to start an investigation. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2,000 to any person whose information leads to an arrest, the seizure of stolen property or the seizure of illegal drugs,” said Chair Sheri Nelson. “No matter how small or insignificant you may think your information is, we would like to hear from you. We are more than a local program. Crime Stoppers is an international program that allows many people to give information about crime, without fear of repercussions.”
In terms of statistical information, the past 25 years have been very productive for Crime Stoppers. In addition to receiving more than 8,700 calls of tips from the public, the organization has been instrumental in making 973 arrests, clearing over 1,000 cases, locating 12 wanted persons and have recovered over $2.3 million worth of stolen property and the seizing of over $3.1 million worth of illegal drugs. During that time the organization has also paid out more than $180,000 in reward money.
According to Rimbey RCMP Constable Bill Coulthard however, it isn’t always about the money.
“It’s very beneficial and a lot of our officers are using it. The tips are coming in and we do an investigation. Sometimes they result in an arrest and sometimes they go nowhere,” he said. “But I’m sure there are a lot of people who phone Crime Stoppers and don’t want any money. They do it out of the good of their hearts. They definitely make our jobs a lot easier. Rural Crime Watch, Citizens on Patrol – all these people are our eyes and ears in the community and they’re phoning us when they get these tips. People like to see crimes get solves whether they’re big or small crimes.”
Coulthard said while both they and Crime Stoppers receive their fair-share of crank calls, the number of legitimate calls received more than makes up for it especially when police have no leads and no suspects.
“They offer a cash reward and it’s offered totally anonymous. For example, they send a request from Crime Stoppers out here, but we don’t know who the tipster is and it’s all set up so that a member in plain clothes pays off the tipster at an agreed location. But it helps us immensely,” he said.
In many cases, Crime Stoppers will use police officers to reenact an unsolved crime and film the segment for broadcasting on television stations throughout the area in the hopes that a member of the public may be able to offer some much needed information that could break a case.
In addition to crediting the organization in assisting in the solving of many crimes over the past 25 years, Coulthard also had high praise for the RCMP’s officer in charge of the local effort.
“I know Constable (Sabrina) Grunow just took over as the media coordinator and she does an excellent job. Basically, if we have an unsolved crime any Detachment member can contact her and send in a request to do a re-enactment or give information pertaining to a crime. She doesn’t just deal with major crimes, she deals with all crime including small, petty stuff like break and enters and thefts,” he said.
“She’s got a tough job because she’s got to go through all the stuff and decide what’s the crime of the week and what are we going to send to the media, and it’s pretty hard to pick and choose,” Coulthard added. “But they deal with everything from frauds to people who commit major and minor thefts.”
The organization has seen a lot of changes since their beginning – most notably the advancements in technology, which has allowed Crime Stoppers to go beyond the telephone in communicating with those who call in tips.
Central Albertans can now contact Crime Stoppers via the Internet at www.tipsubmit.com. Special encryption technology allows the tipster to remain anonymous while being able to give police vital information on criminal activity they may have seen or are aware of. A two-way messaging function allows the caller and Crime Stoppers to communicate directly.