December 29, 2005

Taxis enlisted to fight crime

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Santa Clara County police departments and Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers have a new ally in fighting crime: taxi cab companies!

Yellow Cab/Checker Cab Company Operations Manager Dave Logan sees this partnership as a win-win situation.

Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers is a cooperative effort among the local media, police departments and a citizen board of directors. The organization provides assistance to local police departments by urging citizens to report on criminal activities through an anonymous tip hotline at (408) 947-STOP (7867).

Pete Constant, who worked with Crime Stoppers as a San Jose Police officer for 14 years, was so impressed with the organization that he joined the board after retirement. He believes the program to be extremely effective in San Jose. “The partnership that exists between the different law enforcement agencies, the Crime Stoppers board and the liaison officer has become very strong,” he says. “We also have great media partners.”

Constant appreciates the value Crime Stoppers provides through its anonymous tip line. “There are citizens who want to get involved, but are afraid to, due to possible repercussions,” he says. “This way, they can make a
difference.”

As an officer on patrol investigating violent crimes, he often dealt with people who feared getting involved. “Giving them this level of anonymity is reassuring,” he says, “and allows them to do the right thing without risk.”

Crime Stoppers believes that the key to a successful program begins and ends with the citizens in the community, so it offers a monetary reward to thank those individuals who report a crime. If the information results in an arrest, the caller is eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000. The reward is number-coded rather than name-related, further protecting the anonymity of the caller.

“The Crime Stoppers sticker really plays out when someone sees something happen, like a hit and run accident, and wonders who to call,” says SJPD Vehicular Crimes Unit Lt. John Carr. “Knowledge is power and this empowers the community. People like letter carriers and public utility workers see things everyday, and to tap into these resources is a good thing.”

In mid December, after being approached by a board member and San Jose Police Officer Jason Pierce, 13 San Jose taxi companies agreed to post Crime Stopper stickers in the windows of their cabs to increase awareness of the program throughout the city. Pierce, who acts as program coordinator and Santa Clara County Liaison, couldn’t be happier. After two weeks, he has already seen positive results of partnering with San Jose’s cab companies.
“For me, seeing the stickers and receiving such an increase in calls is incredible,” he says. In fact, although he previously received about 100 calls a month, after the start of this endeavor, Pierce received 50 calls over one weekend alone.

The program, which began in 1976 in Albuquerque, N.M., today includes more than 1,000 cities and 13 countries worldwide, including London, Fiji and Australia. In 1982, a local branch of the organization, the San Jose Crime Stoppers was formed. In 2000, they changed their name to Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers to reflect their expanded partnership with all of the law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County, as well as the District Attorney’s office, the California Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Department.

By working with law enforcement and the media, the Crime Stoppers organization strives to make communities safer. As a direct result of calls to Crime Stoppers, more than 600,000 major crimes have been solved throughout the world and 78,470 of 80,349 defendants were convicted.

In San Jose, the Crime Stoppers board of directors works directly with the San Jose Police Department from Chief Rob Davis through the ranks and has proven highly effective. In fact, about two years ago, they received a tip that involved the largest auto insurance fraud ring in the United States, located in Silicon Valley. That information resulted in 43 arrests and 43 convictions.

Since its start in 1982, Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers has assisted in 700 cases and recovered about $6 million dollars in property and $5 million dollars in narcotics. Countywide, in 2005, the program has paid out approximately $7,000.00 dollars in reward money—but some callers aren’t interested in the money—they just want to help. “One recent caller was eligible to receive $200,” says Pierce, “but asked for the money to return to the program instead.”

The San Jose Police Department is piloting this program in collaboration with cab companies throughout San Jose. Pierce is delighted that all of the companies agreed to collaborate with the Crime Stoppers program and especially appreciates the efforts of Yellow Checker Cab Company. “Owners Larry and Don Silva put the stickers on more than one hundred of their cars,” he says, “It’s awesome.”

Yellow Checker Cab Company Operations Manager Dave Logan sees this partnership as a win-win situation. “Crime Stoppers felt that we’d be a natural partner, and we were more than glad to do this,” says Logan. “They are a great organization and we like to maintain a good relationship with them, as well as with the San Jose Police Department, because they make great efforts to provide safety to the community.”

Because the cab drivers are constantly driving around the city, in addition to raising the community’s awareness of the Crime Stoppers program, they may see a crime in progress themselves. The drivers can contact police via their cell phones as well as provide assistance with their GPS tracking system.

“A couple of months ago,” says Logan, “we had an individual in one of our cabs who the police believed robbed one of the banks in the area. They called us and we followed the cab on the GPS. We have over 300 cabs out there with GPS capability. We can help.”

Being a taxi driver can be a hazardous profession, so working closely with Crime Stoppers and the SJPD may help them in return. “When we approached them about this, they were very enthusiastic,” said a Crime Stoppers board member, “and mentioned the dangers they face.”

Taxi drivers never know who their next customer will be and sometimes find their lives on the line. In Richmond, Calif., there were a series of fatal assaults upon cab drivers. In San Jose, one driver is still in a coma as a result of being beaten during a robbery.

Through their mandatory training program in the next few months, the Yellow Checker Cab Company plans to teach their drivers how to communicate information to the police. “You hate to think there’s crime out there,” says Logan, “but hopefully we’ll be able to make a difference.”

“The taxi cab companies, which include 420 taxi cabs in San Jose, will give us more exposure,” said a board member, “and that’s what we want.”

Pierce agrees. “I’d like to see more businesses supporting the program and more public awareness,” he says, “but more important, more calls and more arrests. We’re the safest big city, but to keep that reputation, we have to continue to be innovative and get the word out.”

To post reward money and continue their efforts, Crime Stoppers relies on donations and funds raised through their annual golf tournament. The next Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Annual Charity Golf Tournament will take place on May 1 at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club. If you would like information about the Golf Tournament, or the Crime Stoppers program, call Officer Jason Pierce at (408) 277-4133. If you wish to leave information concerning criminal activity, call the Crime Stoppers Anonymous Tip Line at (408) 947-STOP (7867).