Crime Stoppers
The Crime Stoppers program has experienced tremendous growth
in the past year. In 1999, the board authorized approximately
$ 2,000.00 in reward money. Last year in 2000, this figure
grew to an astronomical $ 25,000.00. An increase in advertising
efforts has accounted for this growth. Currently the Crime
Stoppers program has agreements with local media to help catch
criminals. WLOS and the local government channel currently
run clips on the "Mountains Most Wanted," which
show pictures and give a physical description of suspects.
The Asheville Citizen-Times regularly does pieces on crime
suspects and crime arrests.
- The first step begins when a concerned citizen makes an
anonymous telephone call to Crime Stoppers. The coordinator
or Communications takes the information offered, and gets
the individual's date of birth.
- Information obtained by the Crime Stoppers coordinator
will be forwarded to the appropriate agency and division.
- The board will vote on the dollar amount to be awarded
to the anonymous person when an arrest has been made based
on the caller's tips.
- When the caller contacts Crime Stoppers to check on the
status of his/her file, the coordinator will inform him/her
of the arrest and the reward money. The coordinator will
get a physical description of the caller and will give him/her
a receipt number to use to receive the cash money. A time
and place to meet a board member will be set up.
- The caller and board member will meet in the designated
place, and the caller will have to write their receipt number
on the paper, and will receive his/her cash reward.
Crime Stoppers is an important way for Buncombe County to
get involved with keeping the community safe and crime free.
Tips from anonymous callers are invaluable for law enforcement
officials to find and apprehend suspects. Since January of
2001, approximately 230 felons have been arrested. Approximately
100 arrests are made yearly.
For more information regarding current offenders, please visit our Mountain's Most Wanted page. If you have information that would assist with the apprehension of any known offenders please contact:
Contact: Lt. Ross Dillingham
Law Enforcement Coordinator
Asheville-Buncombe Crime Stoppers
(828) 255-5050
Email: tips@abcrimestoppers.org |
