How Crime Stoppers works to save lives and make arrests

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Champaign County Crime Stoppers has the ability to solve crime and also stop it, right in your backyard, and it works when the community is engaged and ready to have a safer community.

 

With the recent rise in crime in central Illinois, notably Macon and Champaign County, the rise in tips the last year is thankfully proportional.

 

"If we have good people that come forward to counteract what's going on, it's gonna win out," said Champaign County Crime Stoppers President John Hecker. "We don't also want to people live in constant fear as they're traveling through the community, day or night."

 

Crime Stoppers in Champaign County works similarly, if not almost identical, to programs across the nation.

 

"Crime Stoppers takes information in an anonymous fashion, so we have no way of finding out who the tipster is," Hecker said. "We then convey that information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. And if it does lead to arrest or recovery of stolen property, the tipster becomes a candidate for cash reward of up to $1,000." 

 

Basically Crime Stoppers is the middle man between the community and police. For residents who are hesitant of turning in any information, from vandalism to homicide, Crime Stoppers works to anonymously convey it to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Hecker said residents in the community may be afraid for different reasons, he mentioned, "fear of retaliation, maybe they didn't want to have to testify, they didn't want their name in the media, whatever the case may be."

 

But just how anonymous is Crime Stoppers? Well, it routes to Canada to ensure any and all information is swept clean from any database. Hecker said officials have gone through "great financial and technological lengths" to ensure peace of mind for any tipster. 

 

"The information that comes is transferred goes up to Canada. It is swept clean. As far as the whoever was conveying the information and the information itself and then is rerouted back to us. I can say without any equivocation we have no way of finding out who is providing information to us, and we have no desire to know that either," Hecker told WAND News.

 

To submit a tip, there are three simple ways. 

 

 

If and when the tip helps make an arrest or recover stolen property, a monetary reward of up to $1,000 is available. If the tip involves an illegal weapon, you're eligible automatically for a $1,000 reward through their new Illegal Gun Bounty Reward Program. 

 

The transferring of the money is also handled anonymously, Hecker said, "the conveyance of the money is made in a fashion that we do not record anything, no audio tapes, anything of that nature. And it's worked extremely well."

 

Crime Stoppers is entirely volunteer-based and completely separate from police. Hecker said the entire program is governed by civilians and a total volunteer board. Through Crime Stoppers, the community has a simple way to help solve today's crime and stop tomorrow's crimes.