Charlotte, NC
2009 Director’s Community Leadership Awards
| Charlotte | Julia Styers Greensboro Crime Stoppers Program |
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The Greensboro Crime Stoppers Program began in January 1981 as a partnership between the Greensboro Police Department, the community, and local media. Since its inception, Crime Stoppers has boasted a 100 percent conviction rate. The program has cleared more than 8,238 cases with 9,559 arrests and recovered more than $16 million in stolen property and drugs. These numbers are very impressive, considering the program serves a population of 310,000, and they have made the Greensboro Crime Stoppers Program a leader in the state and the nation. Crime Stoppers is a community-oriented program that provides a phone number for citizens to call to give anonymous information on any criminal activity. If an arrest is made or drugs or property are recovered as a result of the caller's information, the caller becomes eligible for a cash reward. Reward money is generated by tax-deductible donations from businesses and citizens and by court-ordered restitution paid by suspects arrested through the program. Rewards are not based on a conviction, since many times a tip about one suspect sets off a chain reaction that leads to arrests of other suspects. The Greensboro Crime Stoppers Program has earned national recognition and is credited with helping police make thousands of arrests. The program recently won the productivity award for the most arrests and the largest amount of drugs and property recovered in the southeastern United States. |