Crimestoppers an effective tool for law enforcement

A catch criminal program that started 40 years ago in New Mexico and has spread worldwide continues to be an effective tool for the Oconee Sheriff’s Office. “Crimestoppers of Oconee County, Inc. came into existence on May 10th, 1995 with the purpose of bringing the county together as one to help law enforcement in Oconee County to solve cases and make arrests and in turn, to hold criminals accountable,” says Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jimmy Watt, who is the Sheriff’s Office coordinator for Crimestoppers. Individuals who have information about a crime and/or info on individuals who are wanted by law enforcement can call (1-888-CRIME-SC or 864-638-STOP), text (text TIPSC plus your message to 274637) or go online (https://www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=585) to supply information confidentially.  If an individual provides a tip to Crimestoppers, that person does not have to give their name, but is assigned a tip number and is given a callback date.  If an arrest is made and the specific information given in the tip leads to an arrest, the Crimestoppers coordinator will inform the caller that he or she is eligible for a cash reward if they provided the correct information first, with the amount of the case reward being decided upon by the Board of Directors here in Oconee.  Also, the person calling in the tip will be informed on how, where and when to get their cash reward.  “The amount of the reward is typically based upon the seriousness of the crime,” continues P.I.O. Watt.  “We have a points system based upon the seriousness of the crime that helps the board in its determination on the amount of the reward.  We encourage anyone with any information about any crimes in Oconee County to contact Crimestoppers, with the assurances that their information and their names will remain confidential and anonymous.” Crimestoppers is a non-profit, 501-C-3 organization that raises money for its operations through a yearly golf tournament held in the spring and a car show held in Westminster in late summer during the Apple Festival.  However, citizens, business, industry, civic groups and organizations can and have donated to Crimestoppers and since Crimestoppers is non-profit, those individuals and entities can receive a tax deduction. Between April of 2013 and August of 2016, Crimestoppers tips have led to 32 arrests and one case cleared.  In that time, Crimestoppers of Oconee County, Inc. has paid out approximately $5075.00 in reward money.