Crime Stoppers USA is the umbrella organization for

Crime Stoppers Crime Stoppers or Crimestoppers is a community program that helps people to provide anonymous information about criminal activity. Often managed by non-profit groups or the police, it operates separately from the emergency telephone number sys ...

programs in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is a non-profit, non-governmental, IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that advises its member programs and sets operational standards for Crime Stoppers organizations across the United States and its territories. Conferences are held each year to educate local program boards of issues affecting their programs. Crime Stoppers USA is not a legal or law enforcement organization; at this time it receives no government funding and is funded solely on dues, grants and donations.

History

Crime Stoppers began in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

in July 1975, which saw the fatal shooting of Michael Carmen while he was working one night at a local

filling station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoli ...

. After two weeks the police had no information about the murder. Out of desperation, Detective Greg MacAleese approached the local television station requesting a reconstruction of the crime. The re-enactment offered $1,000 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 primary reasons that people were not sharing information about crimes. MacAleese helped design a system where the public could anonymously provide details of the events. It focused on stimulating community involvement and participation, taking advantage of every possible media opportunity, especially electronic media, to publicize unsolved crimes; and offering cash rewards for information leading to an arrest and/or conviction. Since its first chapter was officially formed in Albuquerque in 1976, Crime Stoppers USA programs have been responsible for more than six hundred thousand arrests, more than $4 billion in recovered property and drugs and over one hundred million in rewards paid out. Crime Stoppers USA is a member of

Crime Stoppers International Crime Stoppers International Foundation or CSI Foundation (CSI) is an umbrella organization that aims to spread the Crime Stoppers program in countries around the world. Crime Stoppers is a program designed to utilize the media and other resources ...

. On the 19th of March 2013 an agreement was signed forming the International Affiliation of Crime Stoppers between Crime Stoppers of the United States of America and Crime Stoppers of the United Kingdom. This organization will seek to spread Crime Stoppers into other nations while keeping the principle of anonymity.{{Cn, date=April 2014

References

External links

Crime Stoppers USA

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Civic and political organizations of the United States