HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 955 Commending Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 2009Agreed to by the Senate, February 25, 2009
WHEREAS, in 2009 Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc., celebrates 25 years of fighting crime; and
WHEREAS, Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc., is an alliance of local Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs; and
WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs provide an anonymous means for callers to provide information regarding crimes to police, and rewards of up to $1,000 are paid for useful information; and
WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers, Crime Line, and Crime Solvers programs are nonprofit organizations, relying solely on private donations to pay rewards; no government funds are used to pay rewards; and
WHEREAS, Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc., offers annual training conferences to assist in the formation of new local programs and to provide mutual assistance to existing programs; and
WHEREAS, Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc., has grown from six programs in the greater Richmond area to over 56 programs throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, of the 95 counties in Virginia, 57 are involved with a Crime Stoppers program and 12 independent cities have a Crime Stoppers program; Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs now cover 85 percent of Virginia’s population; and
WHEREAS, civilian board members, police/sheriff coordinators, and the media help Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs provide a vital service and an opportunity for members of the public to be actively involved in helping stop crime in their own communities; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc., on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for the Association’s commitment to public safety.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 955 Offered February 19, 2009 Commending Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc.
----------Patrons-- Cox, Janis, Jones, Massie and Rust ----------WHEREAS, Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc. celebrates 25 years of fighting crime in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc. is an alliance of local Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs; and
WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs provide an anonymous means for callers to provide information regarding crimes to police, and rewards are paid up to $1,000 for information that is useful to the police; and
WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers, Crime Line, and Crime Solvers programs are nonprofit organizations, relying solely on private donations to pay rewards; no government funds are used to pay rewards; and
WHEREAS, Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc. offers annual training conferences to assist in the formation of new local programs and to provide mutual assistance to existing programs; and
WHEREAS, Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc. has grown from six programs in the greater Richmond area to over 56 programs throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, of the 95 counties in Virginia, 57 are involved with a Crime Stoppers program and 12 independent cities have a Crime Stoppers program; Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs now cover 85 percent of Virginia’s population; and
WHEREAS, the civilian board members, police/sheriff coordinators, and the media all help Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers, and Crime Line programs to provide a vital service and opportunity for members of the public to be actively involved in helping stop crime in their own communities; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend the Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc. on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Crime Stoppers Association, Inc. as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for the Association’s commitment to public safety.
The 25th annual Virginia Crime Stoppers Association Conference was in Natural Bridge, Virginia over the weekend. Representatives from Crime Stoppers, Crime Solvers and Crime Line organizations all across the Commonwealth attended the three day event to share ideas and discuss concerns.
Three members of the Winchester Frederick Clarke Crime Solvers board were there. Chairman Jim Pearce says he brought back a lot of information that will help in local crime-fighting efforts.
"There have been some very good speakers. We can use some of the stuff about leveraging the media and using the media to get the word out about Crime Solvers and the Crime of the Week. We have a great relationship with the media in Winchester, we have the Crime of the Week going once a week in the newspapers, TV and radios," Pearce said.
Other seminar topics included how to efficiently take calls on the Crime Solvers Hotline, budget issues, and creating and maintaining successful Crime Solvers and Crime Line organizations in area high schools.
"They (students) hear rumors, they see things, they know what is going on and then when they bring that knowledge to school with them and they hear over the announcements or see a poster for Crime Solvers in their school, they realize they have the right to use the Crime Solvers program just like anybody else," said Detective Kevin Bacon of the Chesterfield County Police Department.
Video
Garrett honored by Virginia Crime Stoppers Association
Contributed Report
Published: September 22, 2009
Nancy Garrett, a resident of Culpeper and a member of the Culpeper Crime Solvers Board of Directors, was recently honored by the Virginia Crime Stoppers Association.
She received the prestigious award as the Civilian Crime Solvers Board member of the Year for the State of Virginia. The award was given to Garrett at the Virginia Crime Stoppers Association annual conference on Sept. 19 at Natural Bridge.
This is the second time Garrett has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to Crime Solvers activities throughout Virginia — she also received this award in 2000, the first year of Culpeper Crime Solvers.
Garrett was also elected Treasurer for the state-wide Association.
Crime Solvers turns 25
WESLEY P. HESTER TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Published: April 26, 2009
Since 1984, catching crooks in Chesterfield County and Colonial Heights has been a little easier, thanks to Crime Solvers.
This month, the program celebrates its 25th birthday.
What is it? The community-involvement program helps gather clues for law-enforcement agencies, offering rewards to residents who help solve crimes.
Each week, details about local crimes are publicized on television, radio and in newspapers with information on how to contact the program anonymously. Rewards of as much as $1,000 are paid for information leading to successful resolutions.
"We average approximately 95 calls per month and resolve approximately 23 crimes per month," said Chesterfield County police Detective Kevin Bacon, who helps run the program. "Fugitive detectives with Chesterfield police often plan their days based on Crime Solvers tips."
Of the 10 reward requests presented to the Crime Solvers board in January, nine were rewards for captured fugitives.
Over the years, the program has:
- recovered $1,756,320 worth of property;
- recovered $723,558 worth of drugs; and
- paid $427,621 in rewards.
Where did it come from? The idea for Crime Solvers was born in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1976 when a young college student, Michael Carmen, was shot to death during a gas-station robbery, Bacon said.
Detective Greg MacAleese produced a video re-enactment and aired it on television, guaranteeing anonymity for anyone with tips and offering a reward from his pocket. It worked, and two men were arrested for the slaying.
Chesterfield jumped on board in 1984 when Sgt. Jim Bourque recruited a small citizen-based board of directors to administer the program. Board members pooled their money to pay rewards, and it worked.
The Metro Richmond Crime Stoppers Program began later the same year based on the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights model.
What's new? Now run by a 30-member civilian board, the program is funded by donations from residents, businesses and civic groups. A Crime Solvers Scholastic Program gets youths involved in getting the word out and learning about civic engagement and police work.
"The Crime Solvers program has been a vital component of our efforts toward the resolution of crimes," said Chesterfield Police Chief Thierry G. Dupuis, who said many crimes might go unsolved without the anonymity the program offers.
To make a donation, or for more information, contact Crime Solvers at (804) 748-1278.