Crime Stoppers in dire financial straits
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

"We're making a desperate plea to businesses, civic clubs and individuals to donate to the Crime Stoppers fund." - Sheriff Bill Blanton

Cherokee County's Crime Stoppers program will never replace good old-fashioned police work but investigators say the reward program has been an invaluable tool to have at their disposal.

Four arrests over the weekend in the shotgun slaying of a 23-yearold Cowpens man on Friday came about, in part, because of a tip called in to the Crime Stoppers line.

But now the program, which is one of about 1,200 Crime Stopper programs worldwide, finds itself at a crossroads.

The initial $2,000 donation that served as seed money for the reward fund never really grew due to a lack of other donations and now the fund has just $500 left, said Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton.

Technically, he said, the remaining $500 is not enough to cover a reward should another tip come in that helps solve a major case.

That's why Blanton is looking for help.

"We're making a desperate plea to businesses, civic clubs and individuals to donate to the Crime Stoppers fund," Blanton said.

Founded about eight years ago, the Cherokee County Crime Stoppers program was modeled after a national program, as well as Crime Stopper programs in other regions like Spartanburg.

Its difficulty in raising funds isn't necessarily unique.

Spartanburg County's Crime Stoppers has repeatedly tried to come up with new ideas for fundraising and has considered mailings and neighborhood events. But it continues to rely on one major fundraising event each year to stay operational. It gets about $7,000 each year from a charity golf tournament.

"Every now and then we will get a donation from a local business or individual," said Capt. Neal Urch of the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, "but those are few and far between."

Urch and other law enforcement officials say the program has proven its worth many times.

"The one thing Crime Stoppers offers is complete anonymity (to the tipster)," Urch said.

In a perfect world, Urch agreed, police wouldn't have to offer monetary rewards for people to come forward with information about a crime. "But in a perfect world, we wouldn't have crime," he added.

The idea behind Crime Stoppers grew from a 1976 incident in Albuquerque, NM, in which a police officer put up a reward out of his own pocket, and guaranteed anonymity, for tipsters who called with information about a brutal killing, according to a historical account from Crime Stoppers International. After a recreation of the murder was aired on television, a tip came in that led to two arrests in the killing, as well as tips on other cases as well.

The first community-organized and funded Crime Stoppers program was founded shortly thereafter.

As of October 2007, Crime Stopper programs worldwide have resulted in 698,793 arrests, $6.7 billion in seized drugs, 1.1 million cleared cases and $1.7 billion in recovered property, according to Crime Stoppers International statistics. During the same time period, Crime Stoppers programs worldwide paid out $88 million in reward money.

A board of directors that oversee the local program is comprised of representatives from the Blacksburg Police Department, the Gaffney Police Department, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the S.C. Highway Patrol and the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce.

"We desperately need some help getting money back into the Crime Stoppers," Blanton said. "It's a good program."

As a nonpartisan organization, the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce holds the checkbook for the program. When Crime Stopper board members deem tip information sufficient for a monetary award, they call the Chamber and request a release of funds, explained Gene Moorhead, executive director of the Chamber.

Donations to Crime Stoppers can be made through the sheriff's office or the Chamber of Commerce.