Waco Crime Stoppers

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Crime Stoppers logo

Crime Stoppers Hotline:
(254) 753-HELP (4357)

Waco Crime Stoppers received the “Innovative Publicity” award for 2008 for the Tippin’ Ain’t Snitchin’ campaign at the 21st Annual Texas Crime Stoppers Conference in El Paso on May 27-29 sponsored by the Office of the Governor.

Common Questions and Answers

What is Crime Stoppers?

Crime Stoppers involves the public in the fight against crime. Cash rewards are offered to citizens who furnish information leading to the arrest of felony crime offenders or to the capture of felony fugitives. Your identity is protected.

How does it work?

Most of the information received by Waco Crime Stoppers is by telephone. You may call Waco Crime Stoppers at 753-HELP (753-4357) or Texas Crime Stoppers at (800) 252-8477 any time with information about a crime.

When Crime Stoppers receives a call, it is logged with the date and time, and a brief summary of the caller's information. Callers are furnished with a secret code number, which is used in subsequent transactions. Callers may remain anonymous, with no pressure to reveal their identity, and still collect their awards. Information received by Texas Crime Stoppers is immediately forwarded to Waco Crime Stoppers.

If a caller's information results in the arrest of an offender or the apprehension of a fugitive, the caller will be eligible for a cash reward. The caller must maintain contact with Crime Stoppers so arrangement may be made for the caller to receive their reward in cash and preserve his anonymity.

How are the rewards paid?

A board of citizens oversees the Crime Stoppers program and approves the rewards to be paid, based on information presented by the Police Coordinators. The board does not know who called in the information. The Board is presented the facts and the code number is the only identifier used.

How does the program get additional information?

In order to publicize the Crime Stoppers program and maintain a high profile in the community, a specific unsolved felony crime is selected each week and a re-enactment is video taped.

The re-enactment is filmed at the actual scene of the offense and the actors are chosen to fit the description of the real offenders as closely as possible. The re-enactment keeps the public interest in Crime Stoppers at a high level and helps locate an occasional "casual witness" to the crime who did not realize he was actually witnessing a crime. Crime Stoppers does not pay TV or Radio Time. All the production expenses and airtime costs are donated by the cooperating stations.

Does it work?

From March of 1981 through March 2009 information received through the special Waco Crime Stoppers phone line has led to:

  • 2,120 arrests
  • 2,716 cases cleared
  • Recovery of $1,885,929.00 in stolen property
  • Confiscation of over $3,962,540.00 worth of Narcotics
  • $1,705,959.00 in reward money paid out
  • Total Recovered - $5,848,469.00

Yes! Crime Stoppers is working and without spending any tax dollars! Waco Crime Stoppers is a nonprofit organization and is funded entirely through donations from the public and fees paid by individuals convicted of crimes. Contributions are tax-deductible. It pays to talk. Help us clean up our community. Call Crime Stoppers today. Remember you do not have to give your name and you could earn a cash reward.

Crime Stoppers: The Concept

Greg MacAleese, who was a Police Detective, developed Crime Stoppers in 1976 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. MacAleese was working on a murder case and had run out of leads; however, he felt that someone in the community knew details of the murder. MacAleese arranged to film a re-enactment of the crime and have it shown on the local television station. At the same time, they advertised a reward that was being offered by a local civic organization. Within a week, MacAleese had received a tip from an informant that led to the arrest of the individual responsible and the reward was paid.

Crime Stoppers Programs

Crime Stopper programs are currently organized in 1200 communities worldwide, with 300 of those in Texas. Each Crime Stopper program is completely autonomous, though there is a membership organization that a program may join called Crime Stoppers International (CSI).

Crime Stoppers International provides legal and networking support to its members and has an annual conference, which is used as a training opportunity and for Crime Stoppers to share ideas. Texas leads the way in the development and advancement of the Crime Stoppers concept. Texas has a State Crime Stoppers Unit that offers an (800) number for someone to call with tips on criminal activity in communities that do not have a local Crime Stoppers Program. Texas also has a five member Governor's Crime Stoppers Advisory Council that oversees the State Program, sponsors quarterly educational sessions and an annual conference that individual programs can send Officers and Board Members to for training.

The Advisory Council has also set up a certification process, which consist of guidelines and procedures that a Crime Stoppers Program can follow to become State Certified. Certification adds credibility to a Crime Stoppers Program, as well as, making the Program eligible for State Grants under the Crime Stoppers Assistance Act: the ability to request that Judges order restitution to be paid by criminal defendants placed on probation, these monies are earmarked for payment of rewards; to receive support from the State Office and be able to participate in State sponsored Crime Stoppers training. There are currently 138 State Certified Programs in Texas.Waco Crime Stoppers was the 12th program to receive State Certification.

Waco Crime Stoppers

Waco Crime Stoppers serves the Waco/McLennan County Area. It was organized in March of 1981. A civilian Board was organized, chartered, and incorporated as a non-profit organization. Currently, the Waco Crime Stoppers Board of Directors is made up of eighteen citizen members serving the Waco/McLennan County area.

The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors are responsible for the fiscal matters for the organization: raising money through donations to Crime Stoppers for the day-to-day operations of the Program and for paying rewards; review & authorization of reward payment in each case solved by a tip to Crime Stoppers; and paying the operating expenses.

The Board meets once a month. Board members are elected by the Board and serve three-year terms; members can serve subsequent terms upon review and approval of the Board. The Board of Directors have used a direct mail solicitation for sponsors of Crime Stoppers in which they request $25, $100, $250, $400, or $1000 sponsorships from citizens and businesses. A Board Member may also be asked to serve on one or more of the six Standing Committees, which serves different functions of operating & promoting Crime Stoppers in the community.

Anonymity is Important

Anonymity is important to the Crime Stopper caller. They call Crime Stoppers so they don't have to reveal their identity, which provides protection from retaliation to themselves and their families by the suspect and to avoid having to appear in Court to testify.

How does Crime Stoppers Work?

When a person calls Crime Stoppers they are assigned a code number, then the telephone interviewers ask questions of the person and fills out a questionnaire with the information of the criminal activity that they called to report. Since Crime Stoppers does not want to know the identity of the person, the person is instructed that it is their responsibility to call Crime Stoppers with any additional information that may come up in the case and to call Crime Stoppers back to check up on their case.

After the questionnaire is complete, the coordinator reviews the information and decides which law enforcement agency to send the information for follow-up investigation. The information on the handwritten tip sheet questionnaires. The Investigators are asked to investigate the information and send information back to Crime Stoppers within 7 to 10 days with details of their investigation or arrests and cases cleared. When the person calls Crime Stoppers to check the status of their cases, the person can be told what has happened in their case. If their tip resulted in arrest(s) and/or cases cleared, the person is instructed on how they will receive their rewards.