About Crime Stoppers
Crime Stoppers began in Albuquerque, New Mexico in September
1976. Members of the local community, in partnership with the media
and law enforcement, began an effort to provide crime-solving assistance
to law enforcement. A cash reward was offered to anonymous persons who
telephoned the Crime Stoppers hot line with information, which led to
the arrest and indictment of the person(s) responsible for felony offenses.
The Crime Stoppers program has enjoyed great success boasting an average
conviction rate of 95% on cases solved by Crime Stoppers tips. The Crime
Stoppers programs nationwide have solved over a half million crimes
and recovered over 3 billion dollars worth of stolen property and narcotics.
Today there are over 1,000 Crime Stoppers programs in
the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa,
Bahamas, British West Indies, Micronesia and other nations. Visit
the Crime Stoppers International Web Site and the Crime
Stoppers USA web site.
Polk County Crime Stoppers originated
in 1985 in West Des Moines. As the years went by and the organization
started to grow, it became clear that it should represent all of Polk
County Iowa, and not just the city of West Des Moines.
The Polk County Crime Stoppers Board of Directors is derived
of concerned citizens from around the county. We try to have representation
from all of the communities in the county on the Board. We meet monthly
to discuss rewards and approve payouts.
In December 1999, Polk County Crime Stoppers began sponsoring
Metro’s
Most Wanted. Metro's Most Wanted publicizes wanted persons in exchange
for a reward of up to $500. At its inception, it was hoped that the
program would capture one wanted person per month. This program has
far exceeded all expectations.
Polk County Crime Stoppers has paid rewards for many different
crimes including illegal narcotics, homicides, burglaries, bank robberies,
and assaults. Rewards are paid in cash and all of our callers can remain
anonymous. We achieve anonymity through assigning numbers to callers;
from the time of their initial call they are known as a number. That
number cannot be traced to an individual. Calls are fielded at the Polk
County Sheriff’s Office on a private line and passed on to the
law enforcement official responsible for working the case. Upon the
arrest and indictment of an individual, the investigating officer makes
a recommendation for a reward. The reward request is then brought to
the Board for approval.
