HELP CRIME PAY

Tips To Crime Stoppers Leaving Reward Coffers Near Empty

For the Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers, it's the best of times. And it's the
worst of times.

The past few years have witnessed a more visible and effective presence for
the organization that makes crime pay -- and for the tipsters who receive
financial rewards for helping law enforcement officers do their jobs.

Crime Stoppers rewards tipsters rather handsomely for their information, as
much as $1,000 for each narcotics tip, and thus keeps a watchful eye on
possible wrongdoing in the Wichita Falls community.

The organization's cup runneth over with drug tips, with narcotics case
after case being solved with the information fed to Crime Stoppers. But the
coffers are being bled dry, in part, because of the recent surge in meth
amphetamine production, as investigated in the Times Record News series,
"Recipe for Ruin," earlier this summer.

Unfortunately, as the series highlighted, the tipsters have far too much
information out there to feed Crime Stoppers.

A recent tip uncovered $96,000 in drugs and cash, and the tipster walked
away with a substantial reward. The reward, however, wasn't skimmed off the
top of the drugs and cash retrieved.

"We didn't see any of it, but we still gave out a $1,000 reward," program
coordinator Melvin Joyner told the Times Record News earlier this month.

Crimes Stoppers, reported Staff Writer Christina Vance, has given nearly
$17,000 to tipsters since January, a rate that could exceed the number of
rewards handed out in 2000. Ironically, Crime Stoppers puts its financial
stability in jeopardy each time another crime aided by a tip is solved.

"The fact we're paying out rewards is proof the program works. A lot of our
rewards over the last couple of years has been these meth labs," said Paul
Cooke, Crime Stoppers treasurer. "Nobody gets anything for it. When
somebody is arrested and they have the cash on them, the police can seize
that cash. It goes into law enforcement budgets, not into ours."

Because that's the way the process works, in Joyner's opinion, Crime
Stoppers depends on the generosity of donors to carry out its mission.

Whenever we're asked what we're worried about the most in our communities,
crime appears near the top of the list. Crime Stoppers would be an
organization to help us attack that fear.

Consider helping Crime Stoppers replenish its coffers. For more
information, call (940) 761-7777.