January 27, 2005

Crime Stoppers program reaches new heights

Billboard campaign underway

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

You’ve heard the popular pitch on radio stations—encouraging the public to help fight crime by offering cash rewards for tips that help put criminals behind bars. Now, Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers has stepped its efforts “up” a notch.

Thanks in part to generous discounts from Clear Channel Outdoor and sponsorships from the Santa Clara County Regional Auto theft task force, Rotten Robbie, and 21st Century Insurance, 17 billboards have been scattered throughout Santa Clara County in an effort to launch their 2005 public awareness campaign.

The unique program is comprised of a group of citizen volunteers who work in cooperation with police agencies, local media, and the community to publicize serious crimes through weekly highlights of unsolved cases in TV, radio, and newspaper briefs.

The tip line offers an added incentive by allowing residents to be the eyes and ears on the streets and receive up to $1,000 in reward money for tips that result in the arrest and prosecution of a suspect—all with complete anonymity. Instead of giving his or her name, the caller receives a code number to use in the event a reward is to be issued.

For the Santa Clara County Regional Auto theft task force, sponsoring five of the outdoor displays is a sound investment, especially when it comes to staying on top of the nearly 500 cars stolen each month in Santa Clara County.

The grandest payoff came two years ago, when a Crime Stoppers tip yielded information on an auto insurance fraud ring in Santa Clara that resulted in 42 arrests and 42 convictions—the single largest successful bust of its kind in U.S. history.

It’s the kind of result that drives the all-volunteer team, including Almaden’s Ben Angeleri to work harder and make it even better.

“They’ve done a fantastic job of indenturing with this,” he exclaimed.

For nearly 30 years, the Crime Stoppers program has continued to evolve from its birth in Albuquerque, N.M. Today, it is so successful that branches of the nonprofit program can now be found in more than 1,000 U.S. cities and 13 countries.

Since its inception in 1982, nearly 600 Silicon Valley Crime Stopper tips have been credited with solving cases that have enabled authorities to prosecute over 750 criminals, recover more than $5.1 million in property, and seize $4.9 million in illegal narcotics.

If you have any information about criminal activity, or if you think you know a person who is responsible for a crime, call Crime Stoppers at (408) 947 S-T-O-P. You do not need to give your name, and all calls are confidential. For more information about the Crime Stoppers program, or if you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the reward program, call the San Jose Police Department’s Community Services Division at (408) 277-4133