april 2015 - Crime Stoppers Association Of Washington

APRIL 2015
1
Chairman’s Message
2-3
Crime Stoppers USA Financial Corner
4-7
Sidebar with the Judge
8
CSUSA Training Conference Topics & Special Notice
9-12
Texas Crime Stoppers News
13
Las Vegas Violent Crimes Conference
14-17
Georgia Crime Stoppers News
18
Florida News
19
Indiana Web Tips
20
Indiana Wish TV
21-22
Sustaining and Surviving in a Digital Age
23
Tennessee Golf Tournament
24
It Is, Indeed, a Small World
25-26
Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers
27
Mugshot Mixer to Help Corpus Christi, Texas Crime Stoppers
28
Hawaii Crime Stoppers News
28-29
Thank You Letters Initiative
30
Press Release for CSUSA
31
CSUSA Editor’s Note
32-33
Officer Down Memorial Page
Chairman
John Lamb
Crime Stoppers of
Bartlesville/Washing
ton County
Bartlesville, OK
jlamb@crimestoppers
usa.com
Past Chairman
Secretary
Chris Cameron
Kent County Silent
Observer
Grand Rapids, MI
ccameron@crimestopp
ersusa.com
Published By:
K. Scott Abrams
Crime Stoppers of
Racine County
Racine, WI
sabrams@crimestopper
susa.com
Crime Stoppers USA
207 N. 2nd St.
Muskogee, OK 74401
800-245-0009
Fax (918) 683-3355
www.crimestoppersus
a.com
Treasurer
Editors:
James Chambers
Roseville Community
Crime Stoppers, Inc.
Roseville, CA
jchambers@crimestopp
ersusa.com
Charlie Taraboletti,
Chair
Estela Quintanilla
Committee:
K. Scott Abrams
Chris Cameron
Laura Wickizer
The informer is the official publication of Crime stoppers
USA (CSUSA). It is published as a service to Crime
Stoppers programs, law enforcement, valued partners and
sponsors as well as other interested and/or involved
entities. Reproduction for profit in whole or in part is
strictly prohibited without the express permission in
writing to CSUSA beforehand. Unless otherwise indicated,
the content of columnists and contributors reflect the
opinions of the respective writers and not necessarily the
opinions of CSUSA, or its officers or board of directors. All
rights are reserved-CSUSA. Known breaches must be
reported to the Newsletter Editor immediately
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Message from the Chairman
This year
is lining
up to
great
one
for Crime
Stoppers
and our
Spring
has finally
arrived
andbe
in a
2015
Crime
Stoppers
USA has
much toUSA
celebrate
as our
training
conference
in Atlanta
is lining
to be better
than ever.
programs
members.
We have
several
newupprograms
starting
andThere
the are
Comanche
rejoining
CSUSA that
have not
beenStoppers
members program
for several in
years
haveWe
commented
Nation became
a new
Crime
latewhich
2014.
are also on
the excellent training. Each year, the number of people attending the conference grows and
getting the word out about Crime Stoppers USA nationally.
the conference this year is looking to be even better with training for both civilian and law
enforcement. Make plans to attend. Registration is on the front page of the website, www.
Last year we entered into an agreement with the television show Cold
crimestoppersusa.com.
Justice, and we received an increase in name recognition. We have
Online education classes are being produced for the membership and we are progressing with
entered
an agreement
with the
new
Network,
ThePoint
Justice
the
Crime into
Stoppers
Educational Institute
with
our Television
corporate partner,
Cardinal
Strategies.
Network, which went live on January 20th. In the initial areas their
CSUSA’s first attempt at getting legislation passed in Washington DC to benefit our member programs is going well with support
network is aired, it is making available to Crime Stopper USA programs free thirty second public
increasing from members of Congress. We had over 1800 letters in support of our initiative sent to different Congressmen and
service announcements
airing wanted
andcitizens
unsolved
cases
sent to the
Senators.
The letters were sentevery
in from hour
those involved
with Crimefugitives
Stoppers and
who are
not members.
network by area programs. When the network comes to your area, programs will receive an
We are still working with the US Treasury Department and the DOJ to allow our member programs to request asset
email from us advising you to please contact them. So, please make sure your email addresses
forfeiture money when a tip leads to a cash recovery. So far, everyone we have spoken to in Washington is in favor of
are up
date
in the
this.
But,tothe
details
havedatabase.
to be worked out. Special thanks are given to Troy Daniels and K. Scott Abrams for their hard
work on this endeavor. Also, I am truly grateful that CSUSA was fortunate to be able to work with Richard Menzi, our
Legislative
Washington
He has helped
doors and helped get
As you know we have been working
with Liaison,
severalinagencies
in DC.
Washington
DC open
to facilitate
the
word
out
about
your
programs
in
Washington!
communication between Crime Stoppers and those agencies in matters of national security.
Every Crime Stoppers USA program
has theendeavor
possibility
of member
a tip coming
in that
havewith
an the Justice
Our newest
for our
programs
is ourcould
agreement
Network.
Member
programs
have been
signingtimes.
up nationwide
(in the
broadcast
impact on the rest of the country.
This has
already
happened
multiple
We hope
to have
areas)
with
the
Justice
Network
for
free
30
second
spots
on
wanted
fugitives
MOU’s in place in the next few months with several of the agencies.
and unsolved crimes in their areas. This program started three months ago and
has resulted in the arrest of several who were wanted by law enforcement. The
We have also been meeting withJustice
members
of will
Congress
the Senate
on funding
Network
be at ourand
conference
in Atlanta.
You willmechanisms
all have a chance to
with them
about
your
program.be an email coming from me in
for Crime Stoppers USA and our speak
programs.
There
will
probably
At
thenear
US Treasury
¬Press
the
futureDepartment
asking you
to contact your Congressman/Congresswoman about this funding.
Room, Pictured L-R –Troy Daniels, John Crime Stoppers USA is also working on MOU’s with the Department of Homeland
Please
keep
your eyes
open for my
email.
willand
need
yourexcellent
assistance.
Security
and We
the FBI
we have
relations with the United States
Lamb,
Kevin
Anderson
(Andersoft),
Marshals
Service.
We
are
currently
waiting
to see who will replace Jim Schield
Richard Menzi and K. Scott Abrams.
(USMS Retired) as our liaison to the CSUSA Board. Part of the discussions with
the FBI and DHS has been to make sure that you, CSUSA Programs, receive feedback from federal law enforcement when
John D. Lamb
your tip leads to an arrest or has been deemed useful in an ongoing investigation. Both the FBI and DHS have been very
Chairman
helpful
in working this out.
Crime Stoppers of the United States of America, Inc.
Crime Stoppers USA has recently approved an agreement with ADT to benefit our member programs in fundraising.
There will soon be information coming out to your programs and on the CSUSA website. This will be a voluntary
program, but our goal is to look for ways for your programs to raise money.
On a different note, I and the others on the board have heard and have had to deal with the issues regarding Tipsoft
software. Because of the critical nature of the tip taking software to our Crime Stoppers programs, on behalf of our
programs, we have spoken with Public Engines about the periodic outages that still happen. I have been told by the
President of Public Engines that it has been fixed. But, outages are still occurring. Recently, Public Engines (Tipsoft) was
sold to Motorola Solutions. I have had a short discussion with some people at Motorola Solutions and sent an email
with questions on April 8th but have received no reply as of this time. In my phone conversations, I have been told that
there was to be no price increase, but at the same time, I have been hearing from programs that prices have increased.
I have also advised Motorola Solutions that the data in the system belongs to each program, and I have asked who
programs should contact in order to get a copy of your data. Again, I have not received a reply as of this time. Because
of these outage issues and the lack of communication to our member programs, CSUSA has been exploring alternative
methods to stabilize the situation. Please be assured that we are watching this situation and will keep you informed.
Many thanks go to Barb Bergin with the Central Florida Crimeline in Orlando for constantly monitoring the software.
Again, the Crime Stoppers USA Training Conference in Atlanta is going to be fantastic, and I look forward to seeing you all
there.
John D. Lamb
Chairman
1
Crime Stoppers USA $Financial$ Corner
By K. Scott Abrams, CPA, CGMA, FHFMA
Telling the Crime Stoppers Story
Everyone loves to hear a good story. As for me, I love listening to National Public
Radio on a Saturday evening with Garrison Keillor on the Prairie Home Companion
spin a yarn on just about any topic. However, my favorite Garrison Keillor stories
are his tales about Lake Wobegon, the little town that time forgot. With that in
mind, how do we best formulate a story for Crime Stoppers?
Crime Stoppers has a story to tell whether it be with your local program, your
state association or through Crime Stoppers USA. First, people want to know
what Crime Stoppers is, what it does for the community and how it has
performed. It continues to amaze us that we can go into our communities where
Crime Stoppers programs have existed for years and yet many members of the
community don’t realize a Crime Stoppers program exists or how it works. This is
a continuing public relations dilemma that local Crime Stoppers programs need to
address in getting out in front of their community as much as possible through
the print media, radio, television and now more than ever, social media. There’s
an old axiom or saying: there are three things we can do to improve our
community awareness - Communicate, Communicate, and Communicate!
This can also come through different venues as well within the community,
perhaps presenting at a local service organization. In some cases, this is a great
way also to invite and recruit new board members as well. The point is to take
every opportunity your organization can to promote itself throughout the
community. It might be at a law enforcement fair or it might be at a fundraising
event. Whatever it is, make sure you take the opportunity to share the Crime
Stoppers mission and how we improve our community!
However, one of the most important aspects we need to convey to the media, to
our communities and even to ourselves is how effective our local Crime Stoppers
programs have been. The primary element of our success is our statistics. Think of
this as sort of the punch line of a joke; without it, there is no conclusion. It is sort
of like starting a sentence, but not completing it. The Crime Stoppers punchline
and the end of our sentence are amazing! For example, solving close to 1 million
2
cases since 1976 is a huge a statement as to the accomplishments of Crime
Stoppers! Paying out over $100 million in rewards is astounding!
In order to share a success, we need all the local Crime Stoppers programs to
share their statistics on a regular basis. As you may recall, it is the responsibility
of each local Crime Stoppers program to ensure their program is up-to-date and
that the statistics are entered on at least a quarterly basis in the Crime Stoppers
USA database. How do you do this? Quite simply, go to the Crime Stoppers USA
website at www.crimestoppersusa.com, go to the upper right-hand corner on the
homepage and click on the blue box, ‘Member Login.’ This will take you to the
login page where you enter your username and password. (Hint, your username is
your program number). If you don’t remember your program number and/or
program password, please send us an email at 4info@crimestoppersusa.com and
we will send it to you.
You may be asking, what does this have to do with finance? Well, everybody likes
a success story. Everyone wants to be with a winner. Crime Stoppers is a huge
success story and a proven winner in communities throughout the United States.
When we are able to tell our successful and winning story, people will be willing
to fund the charitable organization. Remember, you can’t accomplish your
mission if you don’t have funding. One way to assist is to keep your local Crime
Stoppers programs statistics up-to-date so whenever anyone asks how we are
doing, we have the information at hand to tell our success story. And, as Garrison
Keillor says at the end of each week’s segment of Lake Wobegon, ‘that’s the latest
news from the little town where all the women are strong, all the men are goodlooking and all the children are above average!’ Well, Crime Stoppers is way
above average!
3
SIDEBAR with the Judge
by Judge Richard W. Carter, Retired
CSUSA Director of Legal Services
Federal Regulation of Cash Transactions Effect Upon Rewards
Crime Stoppers USA is taking a closer look at how federal banking
regulations (such as IRS Form 8300) are being applied to cash rewards paid by
Crime Stoppers organizations whether for Crime Stoppers rewards or for private
rewards being managed and paid for with funds from third parties. Increased
scrutiny and application has been seen in recent months as Homeland Security
activities and review of the Patriot Act by Congress transpires.
If your Crime Stoppers organization has received any notices from its bank,
bank regulators, or other governmental authorities regarding larger cash rewards,
your taking the time to share such with CSUSA’s Director of Legal Services will be
very much appreciated. CSUSA can use the information to assist us in advising
our member programs, and possibly seeking remedial federal legislation or
amendments to current regulations to exempt Crime Stoppers from any type of
reporting which thwarts Crime Stoppers operations or puts Crime Stoppers
tipsters at risk.
Update on the Tip that Was Eaten at the Courthouse
In the case of Richard Masten vs. The State of Florida, et al, the Third
District Court of Appeals for the State of Florida, in its opinion Filed March 20,
2015, ruled that the judge who found Dick Masten in contempt of court for eating
a sheet of paper containing the name of a Crime Stoppers tipster is now
disqualified from involvement in the contempt matter. The appellate court found
Masten’s petition for a Writ of Prohibition sufficient to require the trial judge’s
recusal because the trial judge engaged in unethical emails which were ex parte
4
communications in her efforts to impose contempt on Masten. The trial judge
did everything possible to deny Masten a stay of his sentence, and to furthermore
charge him with a violation of his probation which he was appealing.
So what does this mean? Another judge will take the place of Circuit Court Judge
Victoria R. Brennan. In the meantime, our dear friend Richard Masten who was
referred to in the opinion as a “misbehaving litigant” who “acts in open and
obvious contempt of the court” by appellate justices Salter, Fernandez and Logue,
will be planning his next move. Don’t count him out. He is a formidable
opponent as Circuit Judge Brennan has learned the hard way.
Discoverability of Crime Stoppers Communications Under Brady Decision
Most, if not all states, have enacted legislation to implement the
fundamental fairness required by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brady decision. In the
State of Texas, the Legislature has enacted the Michael Morton Act to give effect
to the decision. Below is an example of the on-going discussion as to how
prosecuting attorneys are looking at Crime Stoppers communications as possible
evidence that must be given to a criminal defendant.
“Dear Diana,
Thank you for sending me the question regarding the applicability of the Michael Morton Act (SB 1611,
amending C.C.P. article 39.14) to communications/information sent to Crime Stoppers pursuant to
Chapter 414 of the Texas Government Code. I have also voluntarily completed the on-line training on the
Michael Morton Act through the Texas District & County Attorneys Association.
While I could, and probably should conduct training on this for those working with Crime Stoppers, in a
nutshell my comments are:
1. The Act not only applies to "evidence", but to "information", which is or could be of an exculpatory
nature.
2. Information provided to Crime Stoppers is considered to be "confidential" and "privileged" under
Chapter 414 of the Texas Government Code, unless a person follows the statutory procedures outlined in
Chapter 414 to obtain such information.
3. Most, if not all, Crime Stoppers programs are owned and operated by Texas non-profit corporations
which are also classified as 501(c)(3) charitable organizations by the Internal Revenue Service. They are
private legal entities and are not governmental bodies.
4. Crime Stoppers is not subject to the control of governmental agencies other than the general statutory
regulation by the Secretary of State and possibly the Comptroller of Public Accounts.
5. Neither a prosecuting attorney, nor a law enforcement officer, has the statutory authority, without a
court order, to demand or to take Crime Stoppers privileged communications and information and give it
to a court, a criminal defendant, or a third party.
6. Crime Stoppers information which has already been shared with law enforcement agencies/officers
may or may not be considered to be within the possession and control of the agency/officer. If it is still
5
subject to the control of the Crime Stoppers Corporation, it arguably should not be disclosed to other
parties without the consent of the Crime Stoppers Corporation which owns the communication or
information. Any existing contracts, Memoranda of Understanding, Standing Operating Procedures, etc.
may be dispositive of such questions.
7. With the exception of Crime Stoppers information which may show that someone other than the
criminal defendant committed a certain crime, the vast majority of the information received, possessed
and controlled by Crime Stoppers is inculpatory rather than exculpatory.
Sincerely,
Judge Richard W. Carter (Ret.)
Director of Legal Services
Crime Stoppers USA
P O Box 171448
Arlington, TX 76003
CrimeStoppersLaw@aol.com
Former Crime Stoppers International: Director, Secretary, General Counsel & Executive Director
Former Chair of Texas Crime Stoppers Advisory Council (now "Texas Crime Stoppers Council")
Current President of MCA Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) charity supporting Crime Stoppers training
-----Original Message----From: Diana Dukes
To: Judge Carter
Sent: Mon, Apr 6, 2015 1:48 pm
Subject: Fwd: Crime Stoppers Law Question
Hi Judge - could you address the attached question for some of our officers
Thanks!
-Diana Dukes
Executive Director
Capital Area Crime Stoppers
Attached Message
From
To
Chavez, Paul
Subject
Date
Crime Stoppers Law Question
Mon, 06 Apr 2015 15:54:10 +0000
Diana Dukes
Diana,
The Texas Legislature passed a law in 2013 (The Michael Morton Act) that requires police officers and
detectives to include all documents, video sources, etc. in case files that will be presented to the court at
the conclusion of an investigation. Our violent crime supervisors were wondering if these documents
should include Crime Stoppers tips in their entirety. In the past, our department complied with State
Law by not including information provided in the tips in order to prevent the defendant from identifying the
tipster. The information would be saved in our secured databases and would potentially be given to the
court if the judge asked to see the documents during the discovery process.
Do you have a contact with a Texas-based Crime Stoppers legislative specialist (or attorney) that could
clarify what the law requires the police department to do in regards to providing information within the
tips?
6
SPO Paul Chavez #5158
Austin Police Department
Tactical Intelligence Unit
USMS Lone Star Fugitive Task Force
The Michael Morton Act: Texas Senate Bill 1611[edit]
On May 16, 2013, Governor of Texas Rick Perry signed Texas Senate Bill 1611, also called the Michael
Morton Act, into law. The Act is designed to ensure a more open discovery process. The bill's open file
policy removes barriers for accessing evidence. Morton was present for the signing of the bill, which
became law on January 1, 2014. [20]
Micahel Morton Act APD Requirements:
The Michael Morton Act has greatly increased the amount of reports and evidence subject to automatic
discovery as well as sped up the time we have to turn over evidence and reports to the prosecutor. APD
formed a committee to identify how the Michael Morton Act will impact department operations and met
with prosecutors from the Travis, Williamson, and Hayes County DA and county attorney’s offices. The
recommendations from the committee are as follows:
 All case jackets should be in electronic form the Versadex report should have all forms,
letters, audio files, and other appropriate material scanned and attached to the report
 All evidence must be turned in as evidence. This includes items such as pictures not uploaded to
DCSMS, video from sources other than DMAV, letters, statements, and any other item that
could be considered evidence in the guilt OR innocence of the suspect that APD collects.
 All direct files cases must have the appropriate unit check and make sure all of the above is done
Note: Additional items such as 911 calls, video from other sources, Victim Compensation Forms etc. if
they exist are considered evidence. Also, evidence that comes in at a later date must be appropriately
handled and turned over to the prosecutor.
Example: A Domestic Violence Detective finishes a case, arrests a suspect and sends the information to
a prosecutor. Sometime before trial, a letter from the suspect to the victim is turned in by the victim. This
letter will need to be scanned into Versadex, turned in as evidence, and this information must be
communicated to the prosecutor.
st
The Michael Morton Act went into effect January 1 and the department must comply. Also, I wanted to
thank Cmdr. Cochran and Colleen Waters for the leadership they provided to the focus group in coming
up with the above recommendations.”
The End
7
Preview of 2015 CSUSA Training Conference Topics
Join us in Atlanta for the exciting 2015 CSUSA Training Conference. Attendees
will be offered the opportunity to choose between a number of courses including:









Basic Crime Stoppers
Board Building
Finding Vetting and Recognizing Volunteers
Small and Large Program Operations
Best Practices for Student Crime Stoppers
Finding a Successful Fund Raiser for Your Program
Legal Updates
Branding and Marketing
Many more courses
There will be specific training offered for Law Enforcement and Civilian
Coordinators again this year.
During the conference, you will also have a chance for ”one on one” training in the
latest social media tools. Again this year, there will be a special two hour session
covering Enhanced or Large Rewards. CSUSA will also make available plenty of
time for networking with Crime Stopper programs from across the country. Make
plans to attend to learn and share in Atlanta!
Check our website for registration details and more at www.crimestoppersusa.com
Important Announcement
Attention all programs, the Awards Applications, as well as the
Odd Number Regional Director Applications, have been sent
to all known program email addresses. If any program has not
received these application forms, members can access them as
of today at www.crimestoppersusa.com.
8
Register for the Basic Course in April
Texas Crime Stoppers will host a 16-hour Basic Crime Stoppers Course April 2324, 2015, at the Charles V. England Public Safety Training Complex on 310 College
Street in Grand Prairie. This two day course is for Crime Stoppers board
members, sponsors, administrators and coordinators, and will cover topics such as
Operational Guidelines, Board Responsibilities, Recordkeeping, Campus Programs,
TipSoft, Financial Reporting, Fundraising and Marketing. Training is from 8:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. each day and includes a one hour lunch break. A room block has been reserved at the Hyatt Place
Dallas/North Arlington/Grand Prairie. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-serve basis for $85 per night plus tax. To
make reservations call (972) 988-6800 and let them know you are with Crime Stoppers.
For more information and to register for this course, click here.
Crime Stoppers Legislative Day
Crime Stoppers Legislative Day was a huge success thanks to the many dedicated volunteers
from 16 different programs who participated. Representative Joe Pickett of El Paso, a former
board member of the El Paso Crime Stoppers, and Senator Joan Huffman of Houston, Vice
Chair of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, each sponsored a resolution on behalf of
Crime Stoppers. Attendees heard from various speakers, including Representative Pickett, and
visited their legislator offices to spread awareness of the impact Crime Stoppers has on local
communities. See the House Resolution here and the Senate Resolution here.
Annual Texas' Best Campus Awards
This year’s Texas’ Best Campus Awards were announced at the 20th Annual Campus
Conference in McAllen. We received many talented entries this year and the judges were
very impressed. Check out the winning videos on the Texas Crime Stoppers YouTube
channel.
To see the full list of winners, visit our website here.
9
I've Applied for a Crime Stoppers Grant...Now What?
Texas Crime Stoppers administers grants to local organizations from the Crime
Stoppers Assistance Fund to help offset administrative costs. The 2016 grant period
opened March 13, 2015, and will close May 22, 2015. Since there are multiple
steps in the grant process, Texas Crime Stoppers will host a webinar titled, eGrants
Application: Post Application Timeline, on Wednesday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m. to
discuss the process to finalize your grant application and the next steps to receiving
a grant. To register for this webinar, click here. After registering you will receive a
confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Quarterly Stats Due: April 30
All certified organizations are required to submit quarterly statistical reports
to the Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) by Thursday, April 30,
2015. To submit your reports, click here. For questions, contact Megan
McIntire with PPRI at (979) 845-1041 or mmcintire@ppri.tamu.edu.
Due dates for quarterly stats are:
Quarter One (Jan, Feb, March) due April 30, 2015
Quarter Two (April, May, June) due July 31, 2015
Quarter Three (July, Aug, Sept) due October 31, 2015
Quarter Four (Oct, Nov, Dec) due January 31, 2016
Two Captures in Two Days!
The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested two fugitives from its
Texas 10 Most Wanted List last week because of anonymous tipsters.
James Lee Matley, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Texas
Chicano Brotherhood gang member, was a violent fugitive with ties to El
Paso, Victoria, Edna and South Texas areas. He had been wanted for
Parole Violation (Original Offenses: Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and
Burglary of a Habitation). For more information on Matley, please view
his bulletin here.
Mack Brady Meadows, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender
and April's featured fugitive, is a high-risk sex offender wanted for parole violation and failure to register as a sex
offender. He has ties to Beaumont and Port Arthur and criminal history of indecency with a child, enticing a child and
receiving stolen property. For more information on Meadows, please view his bulletin here.
10
Exempt Organization Filing Requirements: Form 990 Due Date
Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF must be filed by the 15th day of the 5th month after
the end of your organization's accounting period. Thus, for a calendar year
taxpayer, Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF is due May 15 of the following year.
Use Form 8868 to request an automatic 3-month extension of time to file Form
990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF and also to apply for an additional (not automatic) 3month extension if needed. Do not apply for both the automatic 3-month
extension and the additional 3-month extension at the same time.
For more information, visit the IRS website here.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month
According to a 2014 study conducted by the Texas Transportation
Institute, 45 percent of Texas drivers admitted to using their
mobile phones while driving. Distracted driving accidents are the
highest among 16- to 24-year-old drivers. For this reason, the
Texas Department of Transportation kicked off its “Talk, Text,
Crash” campaign to educate young drivers about the dangers of
distracted driving which coincides with the national Distracted
Driving Awareness Month in April.
Join the National Safety Council and others around the nation in
spreading awareness of the consequences of distracted driving to
your community and schools. Involve your Campus Crime
Stoppers organizations and help share facts and resources
available here.
Social Media Survey
Please help Texas Crime Stoppers understand how we can help with your local
organization's social media needs by filling out this brief survey. This survey will help
us implement webinars on specific social media platforms that your program would
like to be a part of. To complete the survey, click here.
11
National Crime Victims' Rights Week
Crime Victims’ Rights Week will be observed April 19-25, 2015, throughout the nation.
This year’s theme – Engaging Communities. Empowering Victims. – emphasizes the
role the community plays in supporting victims and empowering them to guide their own
recovery.
Local Crime Stoppers programs can participate in this national awareness week by
advocating for and promoting awareness of crime victim issues. Download the Resource
Guide, which includes FAQ’s, Media Tips & Tools, and Educational Resources, to plan events
in your community.
Dates to Remember
April 19-25 - National Crime Victims' Rights Week
April 23-24 - Basic Course, Grand Prairie
May 18 - Council Meeting
Questions regarding IRS tax-exempt
Most Wanted Fugitives
Most Wanted Sex Offenders
Stash House Rewards
Program
status?
Visit the IRS charities and nonprofit webpage.
Online courses are available to assist nonprofit
organizations stay exempt.
Questions regarding nonprofit status?
Visit the Secretary of State's website. Contact the
Secretary of State's Office at (512) 463-5555 or
corpinfor@sos.texas.gov.
Next Council Meeting:
May 18, 2015
Conroe
Contact your council
members here.
Texas Crime Stoppers Program Directory
Click here to update your program contact
information.
Follow Us!
Have Questions?
Contact the Texas Crime Stoppers Team at (512)
463-1919 or send us an email here.
12
Violent Crime Conference
This year’s conference will be held in Las Vegas and all Crime Stoppers USA members will receive a $50.00 discount on registration. The code is CS-50. Upon registration, members will also receive a discount on their hotel
room at New York, New York Hotel and Casino.
13
CSGA NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER —F EBRUARY 2015
30 ARRESTS MADE
65 CHARGES FILED
604 TIPS WERE RECEIV ED
19 FUGITIVES APPREHENDED
14
WWW.CRIMESTOPPERSATLANTA.ORG
The CSGA website is in the process of being upgraded! Here is a sneak peak of the home page!
15
Donta Willis arrest, January 2015, federal weapons charges
Donta Willis was arrested in January 2015 on federal weapons charges,
after being on the run for several months. Willis was originally arrested in
October 2014. At that time, Willis was in possession of two stolen guns, an
APD police badge, a Taser, a ballistic police vest, gloves, and a mask. He
was released on bond and federal charges were later filed. When United
States Marshals went to arrest him after charges were filed, Willis was no
longer living at his previously listed address. Thanks to a Crime Stoppers tip, U.S. Marshals and Atlanta Police were able to locate Willis and arrest him. Because of Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta,
one more dangerous criminal is off the streets.
Daniel Johnson arrest, December 2014, two Wells Fargo robberies
Thanks to a Crime Stoppers tip, the Atlanta Police Department was able to identify and arrest Daniel Johnson, who
is charged with committing two robberies at the same
downtown Atlanta bank over the past three years.
In the afternoon of August 25, 2014, a downtown Atlanta
Wells Fargo bank was robbed. The suspect handed the
teller a note and demanded money, then fled on foot with
the stolen money. The same male suspect is believed to
have robbed the same Wells Fargo approximately three
years prior, on April 15, 2011. During that incident, he also handed the teller a note, then fled on foot with the cash. That case had since gone cold. An anonymous tip about the August 2014 robbery led investigators to Daniel Johnson, and also helped them
connect him to the 2011 robbery.
16
The Justice Network launched in
Atlanta on January 20th, 2015.
The Network can be seen on
11Alive’s digital sub channel 11.3.
It features more than 500 hours
of crime-related television and
has begun to highlight some of
CSGA’s most wanted fugitives.
17
Florida News
P.O. Box 36235
Panama City, FL 32412
785-TIPS
Text “pctips” CRIMES (27437)
2015 - Issue 002
SCAM ALERTS
Beware IRS Phone Call and Email Scams
The IRS recently issued another strong
warning for consumers to guard against
sophisticated and aggressive phone and
email scams targeting taxpayers.
Remember that the IRS
does not communicate via
phone or email and always issues a written
notification of taxes due via U.S. mail.
Bill Kinsaul
Clerk of the Court
The Black Box - BUSTED
Feb 2015
Tip Calls
55
Arrests
5
ANDERSON, RONALD
Jan - Dec
Tip Calls
127
Arrests
8
HOW MANY
CRIMES
DO WE NEED TO
KEEP SOMEONE
IN?
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office issued a
Scam Alert today. Several complaints have
been received on a new scam involving
text messages supposedly sent by the
Department of Motor Vehicles
(DMV).Scammers are sending text
messages informing intended victims their
driver’s license has expired and offering to
assist in obtaining a new license. Further
instructions request the victim to send their
social security number, address, and date
of birth in a return text. Additional requests
have been made for payment for this
service.Never send personal information
over a text or email or phone call. The
DMV will not contact anyone by text, email,
or phone call.
Dennis Kiah, Lynn Havens Assistant
Chief, is retiring as of 3/31. Dennis has
been very active in Crime Stoppers for
many years. A celebration of Dennis’
career will be held on the 17th of
March from 11am-2pm at the Lynn
Haven Police Department. 108 E. 9th St.
behind City Hall .
Crime Stoppers appreciates his many
years of support. Come out and help
celebrate his service & retirement.
FDLE Special Agent Fred Harden (Tampa)
has asked for our help in getting the word
out on Inmate Harry Dana Braswell, Jr. who
escaped from Sumter Correctional in 1983.
Braswell had served 8 years of a life term
for murder when he escaped. He remains at
large
18
How Do You Handle This?
Panama City Beach is gearing
up for the annual onslaught of spring
breakers.
The Bay County Sheriff's Office and the
Panama City Beach Police Department
have extra money in their budgets to cover
anticipated over-time costs of additional
spring break patrols.
The sheriff's office says it expends about
7,600 man-hours on a normal week at the
beach. That number of man-hours triples
during spring break.
Major Tommy Ford says that law
enforcement resources are stretched every
year during spring break. Along with
allotting overtime for officers during spring
break, the agencies are enlisting officers
from nearby areas and using a mobile
booking facility to save time required to
transport those arrested to the county's
central booking center.
The Sheriff's office will also have from
eight to twelve additional officers on the
beach at all times. "We are going to do
everything we can do. We are going to
certainly accommodate folks that are
here on vacation to have a good time,
but we are also made arrangements
to accommodate those that don't want
to behave in our house as though they
were in their house,” said Sheriff
Mckeithen. The sheriff said their
officers will be cracking down on
vehicles parked overnight in retail
parking lots, and those cars could be
towed. The portable jail will save
officers hours of time by booking
prisoners at the beach instead for
the county jail.
Crime Stoppers Legislation
Advances
The 63 counties, which Crime Stoppers
programs serve throughout the state of
Florida, rely heavily on the use of
promotional items to increase public
awareness regarding unsolved crimes,
wanted fugitives, and information as to
how to submit tips anonymously. Without
these changes, programs will lose the
ability to use trust fund dollars for this
purpose was the original intent of the trust
fund’s creation. These changes will have
no fiscal impact on the state as the funds
are not tax-based revenue, but rather
court costs on criminal cases assessed in
local courts.
HB193, filed by Representative Broxson,
and a companion bill, SB 164, filed by
Senator Evers, are both passing through
the committee process.
SB164 recently passed the Criminal
Justice Subcommittee with 4 yea votes
and o nay votesThis was final action for
this committee. Strong support has been
received for these bills.
The purpose of Panhandle Crime Stoppers, Inc. shall
be to assist Law Enforcement Agencies with
information on Unsolved Crimes, Wanted Persons,
and other Criminal Activity that has been unavailable
through normal investigative methods; to assist
students through Campus Crime Stopper Programs;
to promote Community involvement in ALL aspects of
Law Enforcement; to promote Community Offensive
against Crime; to motivate the Public to cooperate
with Law Enforcement Agencies; and to reward such
cooperation.
Panhandle Crime Stoppers, Inc. makes available to
Law Enforcement support in the form of Program
Flyers, Crime Scene Tape, Wanted Fugitive Ads,
Posters, Billboards, etc.
SNEAK PREVIEW
We are proud to
present a sneak
preview of the
video that will be
shown in schools
Crime Stoppers Seeks Federal Funds
John Lamb, Crime Stoppers USA
president, has requested, on behalf of
Crime Stoppers USA, that this language
be included in the Commerce, Justice
and Science Appropriations Bill:
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS
STATE AND LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE
$5,000,000 to support or reimburse
program costs of Crime Stoppers
programs and initiatives, of which at least
$200,000 is for providing training, legal
advice, and assistance forming local
public-private partnership organizations: Provided, That to distribute these funds
the Department of Justice partner only
with domestic corporations with national
scope including US territories, and
governed by Section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code.
Crime Stoppers Overwhelmed with Web Tips after Park Attack
By Laura Kennedy Published:
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana website has been able to
take tips for about a year, but this is the first time the organization has seen the majority of tips
on one case come through online. “We’ve never had that many web tips at one time. Literally I
had to stay up all last night just to keep up,” Director of Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana Steve
Dubois said. Dubois said he rarely ever sees the number of tips for one case that he’s seen this
weekend, after a beating in an Indianapolis Park was taped and posted online. “We’re at 200 and
counting on the tips and usually you might get four or five,” he said. And this is the first time in
the program’s history that most of the tips came through a “non-voice” channel, like their
website and Face Book
“I would guess 95 percent of our traffic on this incident was through the web,” Dubois said.
Dubois believes more tipsters chose the web in this case because the tips included data that made
sense to share in an online format. “A lot of the tipsters went to great lengths to find out who
had posted this video on their own,” he said. “Most of the tips included URLs, pictures, sites to
go to see the video.”But he said this could also be an indicator that computer based tips are the
future of crime reporting. “That’s why the web tip site came about because we realized there
was this untapped resource out there and this case obviously proves it,” he said. Days after the
incident in the park, Dubois is still sifting through incoming tips.
So many tips have been submitted that Crime Stoppers has asked the public to stop sending
them, unless there is new information. Crime Stoppers has sent most of their tips to the IMPD’s
computer and digital forensic unit because they included links to Face Book pages, YouTube
accounts and other forms of digital information. Dubois said he hasn’t received any information
from IMPD about which, if any, of the tips have been used. No one has been arrested yet for this
particular case.
19
Wishtv.com in Indy Park
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A video showing a female brutally attacking another female in
Indianapolis has surfaced online. The video shows not only the attacker hitting a female, but a
young child after the victims tried to walk away. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
officials confirm they are aware of the video and that a detective who works on cases involving
juveniles has been assigned to the case. The Cyber Crimes Unit does have a copy of the video,
according to police. Police report that the attack occurred at Brookside Park on Saturday. When
IMPD responded to a delayed battery report later on Saturday, the female victim told police she
knew the attacker from school. It was not clear what caused the altercation. However, the female
victim can be heard in the video asking her attacker what they had done to deserve the attack.
IMPD officials said the suspect in the video has been arrested in connection with an unrelated
incident and is now in custody.
Indiana Victim’s Father Speaks Out
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Perry Bailey carried a look of frustration as he stood outside his
home. Less than 48 hours ago, Bailey’s 14-year-old daughter and his 5-year-old son were
viciously attacked by a teenage girl. A spectator caught the brutal beating on camera at
Brookside Park and posted the attack online. Police used the images as part of the investigation.
Before police could make an arrest, the teenage suspect got in a fight downtown on Saturday
night. Police arrested her and charged her with disorderly conduct for the Saturday night fight.
Prosecutors are trying to determine what to charge the girl with in the Brookside attack.
According to Bailey, his daughter has been a victim of bullying. Bailey has reported the issues to
school administrators in the past. Last year, the victim and suspect both attended George
Washington Community High School. According to an IPS spokesperson, the suspect hasn’t
been enrolled in IPS for about a year. Police have not determined if others that were at the
Brookside Park attack should face charges in this case. Until charges are formally filed, Bailey
will continue to seek justice. “I don’t feel like it is over,” said Bailey. “We won’t have closure
until we have justice.”
20
Crime Stoppers, Sustaining and Surviving in a Digital Age
Steve DuBois
On June 24, 2014, I was standing in our program’s parking lot looking at a tornado that was headed right at our building, I
only had one thought on my mind; no we are not ready for this yet! Just before it would have struck our office the
tornado lifted into the sky, minutes later touching down again and adding to its damage total. This was the last of a long
line of “incidents” that had spurned my board of directors to consider how to bullet proof our program.
Historically many programs have been housed inside police/sheriff agencies but our program made a decision over eight
years ago to move to private offices in a local Target Distribution Center. The office space is donated by Target. With the
move came the need to create our own computer network and email system. Due to the lack of internet providers in the
area, Target allowed us access their internet feed. They also donated computers and money to help us create our own
computer network to help run the program.
Fast-forward eight years and the network that had been established in our office was in desperate need of replacement.
Our web site, which was controlled by our own server, had been hacked and hijacked to sell “Dr Dey Beats Headphones”.
Our website had been custom built by a director who had gone on to a larger assignment within our hosting police
department. With his leaving, the “routine maintenance” of the website was neglected. The first hard decision of our
“Survive and Sustain” initiative was to move our web site to Anderson Software. We now had a technical staff we can call
if we have web site issues.
Months before our networks final meltdown, we had taken some steps to stay in business if our network failed
completely. Law enforcement officers assigned to the program had their department issued laptops which had air cards
that allowed them access to our tips by using Tipsoft. They used their department emails to help receive and deliver
documents, pictures, and videos. This was not the best case scenario but it allowed us to continue to work. We also
purchased a laptop and obtained a Verizon hotspot for our office to use as a failsafe.
After our website was fixed, our next issue was our email. Our email system had been compromised by viruses to the
point our email domain had been placed on a spam list. Our ability to send and receive email had been hampered by our
server’s out of date software. We used an email provider but our server still controlled the incoming and outgoing email.
As we continued to have issues with our network we created a series of Gmail accounts. These accounts allowed us access
to the outside world once our network became nearly unusable. We slowly moved over email addresses to our g-mail
accounts to allow us to continue to send out profiles to our media partners and citizens. It also allowed us to conduct the
normal everyday business of our program.
Our network/computer situation did not happen overnight, and it was not going to be fixed overnight. Our program’s
board of directors was not blind to the program’s problems. They had allocated money (over $5,000) toward the purchase
of new equipment and recruited a volunteer team to install and maintain a new network. Our network was just failing
faster than our volunteer team could install and transfer data to a new server. A decision was made to bring in an outside
firm to repair our network and install new equipment.
A small but excellent IT company was hired; within 2 hours they had repaired our old network to allow us to access our
files and data. After a long search of internet providers it was decided to use our hot spot as our internet source for our
office. (There are no small business internet providers in the area of our office) This allowed faster internet speeds by not
using the internet feed Target supplied. The hotspot was wired into a new server and a data transfer was completed from
the old server to the new server.
Very quickly we were almost aback up to speed. Three new work stations were ordered and installed. Three older
workstations were updated and all work stations were given state of the art virus protection. We decided to stop hosting
21
our own email system and to go with Microsoft Office 356. This allowed us to not worry about the purchase of any
Microsoft software for the new and old workstations.
These moves forward only took us so far in our effort to protect our program. Our program’s entire history including bank
records and taxes are stored in our new server. If Mother Nature had seen fit to slam that tornado into our offices, we
would have lost untold data and information. Our program’s history and records would have been lost forever. We are
now in the process of backing up our program’s server off site with a nationally known company. We plan on moving our
accounting to an online product which will allow more oversight and security for our program.
Our board of director’s goal is to have our program fully operational within 24 to 48 hours after a major incident at our
offices. We hope to never have a fire,a chemical spill, or another tornado, but if it happens, we can now survive the
incident. Even if your program is housed in a law enforcement building, Mother Nature or other elements can interfere
with your resources and the ability to have the program perform its mission statement. Prepare and invest in your
program now, or your program might be selling Dr. Dre Headphones from your website one day!
Goals to Consider for Crime Stoppers Offices.








Create a stable and safe computer network for the program and staff. Invest in the best virus software on the
market; our program is using Malewarebytes.
Protect the program’s history and records off site. Our program went with Carbonite.
Continue to reinforce the fact that the program is a standalone nonprofit and not a division of any law
enforcement agency, by having the non-profit own the computers and servers your program keeps its records
on.
Give greater oversight to the Board of Directors by moving accounting to an online product that gives them 24
hour access. Our program is currently transitioning to QuickBooks Online.
Develop back-up email system in case your programs is compromised. Our program has a complete backup
email system on Gmail.
Obtain equipment to create at least one off site “virtual office” to help bring your program back on line after
major incident. Our program is in the process of buying additional laptops and tablets to create virtual offices in
at least 3 of our staff’s homes.
A secondary list of passwords should be kept in a safe place away from the main office and the location should
be known to at least one other person. If your primary staffer leaves or quits suddenly can you access all your
needed accounts?
If you accept in-kind services (web site construction) consider what will happen when the board member or
volunteer moves on….can you maintain the web-site without the person who created it? What kind of response
time can the board member or volunteer give when there is an issue?
Your program is a community asset; your board must invest to keep your program up and running to help keep your
community safe, one anonymous tip at a time.
Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana is a regional program serving 2.1 million citizens in 17 counties with over 50
law enforcement agencies.
22
Jackson and Madison County Tennessee
Tennessee Crime Stoppers announces their golf tourney to be held June 8th, 2015.
Our golf tournament brings in approximately $30,000 per year. Our platinum sponsor
is Modern Woodmen of America and our Gold Sponsor is West Tennessee Healthcare.
23
IT IS INDEED A SMALL WORLD
Montrose Regional Crime Stoppers has only been operational for just over half a
year, but it is making a difference. Last week, a Montrose Police officer informed me that
a recent Crime Stoppers tip may have solved at least 4 felonies, several misdemeanors
and will produce multiple arrests. Not bad for a fledgling operation!
A board member told me about a book, “Beware of the Cable Guy“ by Jeff Kaye,
a retired Reno Police Officer. It is dedicated to a young woman who was brutalized and
murdered right here in my community of Montrose, Colorado. As a newly arrived,
retired deputy and judge (both part time only), I searched for evidence in that case for
Bill Masters, Sheriff of adjoining San Miguel County. As investigation later showed the
suspect, David Middleton, had eluded authorities in Dade County Florida and Montrose,
primarily due to his having been a former police officer himself. This serial rapist and
killer then continued his reign of terror in Reno, Nevada, killing several women there as
well.
The book is fascinating, eye-opening, and a true crime drama. Ultimately, the
Reno Police Department was able to obtain a death sentence conviction but the
remarkable aspect was how it came about. Good police work had come to the end of the
road when a Crime Stoppers’ (known in Reno as Secret Witness) call led them to a
storage shed containing a chamber of horrors where Middleton had tortured one victim
and stored gruesome trophies of others. Ultimately, the caller refused the reward but the
money was used to start a scholarship fund. It is yet another true success story for Crime
Stoppers.
The founder of that Secret Witness program, Don Richter, posted a review of
Kaye’s book that is worth quoting in part: “Police need the eyes and ears of responsible,
motivated, caring citizens. Police departments are understaffed and fighting more
cutbacks because of our economy. But we can help. A 5 % increase of citizen
involvement in the war on crime does more than a 100% increase of hiring more police
officers. Police fight crime with guns and tear gas, but all we need is a telephone. As
Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do
nothing.”
Richter went on to describe Reno’s Secret Witness program as: “Just a lean,
mean, crime fighting machine made up of a handful of ordinary citizens producing
extraordinary results.” Time spent reading this unique book and Richter’s review was
well worth it. While Middleton was never charged with the Rice murder or possibly
another as well, he is on Death Row, thanks to yet another Crime Stoppers program.
24
John W. Nelson, President
Montrose Regional Crime Stoppers, Inc.
Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers
March Stats:
337 TIPS Taken
21 Arrests
25 Cases Cleared (robbery, narcotic and fugitives)
5 Arrests from our KC Most Wanted Paper bringing total to 424
$7,021.50 in narcotics recovered (heroin and marijuana)
$1,302.00 in US Currency recovered
1 Stolen 4dr Mitsubishi Gallant, black, used in a robbery recovered
(value - $5,000.00)
Police Foundation: On February 10, The Kansas City Police Foundation hosted its 1st
annual “Call for Backup” fund raiser with keynote speaker John Walsh. Hoping to have
about 200 attendees, the event attracted over 500 attendees and raised approximately
$300,000.00 for the foundation. Thanks to the generosity of Atronic Alarms, one of our
Crime Stoppers board members which sponsored a table, several Crime Stoppers
members were able to attend.
John Walsh, keynote speaker
25
Sprint Grant:
We were awarded a one-time $5,000.00 grant from the Sprint Foundation for our
scholastic Text-A-Tip program. Thank you to Sprint for the support! We are continuing
to seek out additional funding for the program, as we attempt to expand into additional
school districts; current members total 29 schools. Results include intervention in 4
suicides, recovery of a hand gun and recovery of marijuana laced gummy bears.
One of our school banners at Kearney High School:
2015 Golf Tournament
Our annual Bill Grigsby Memorial/Crime Stoppers Golf Classic is once
again set at the exclusive Oakwood Country Club on August 10, 2015.
This year’s participants will hav a team of three golfers partnered
with a law enforcement VIP, a goodie bag including golf balls, a
custom fit golf glove, shirt and new this year a premium Tervis
tumbler pictured right.
Another Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Success Story
Kevin Boehm reports their program received two separate text TIPS from a local high school in
regard to a female student cutting herself inside the restroom. We replied to both TIPSTERS
inquiring about the specific location of the restroom. Both TIPSTERS replied, SRO’s were
contacted and able to locate the female who is safely in the nurse’s office receiving treatment.
The entire case was taken care of in 21 minutes!
26
Mugshot Mixer to help Corpus Christi, Texas Crime Stoppers
By Mike Gillaspia
CORPUS CHRISTI Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers is hosting a “Mugshot Mixer” at House of Rock (511 Starr St.) on
Thursday evening, April 9th, from 5:30 – 7:30 PM.
The event will feature Corpus Christi Police Chief Floyd Simpson, Nueces County Sheriff Jim
Kaelin and Corpus Christi Fire Chief Robert Rocha. Each speaker will brief the audience on the
current state of their department.
For a $10 donation, guests will be "booked” at the door and given a complimentary mugshot.
Appetizers and beverages included.
Operated by a local volunteer board, Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers (CCCS) acts as an avenue
for the citizens of Corpus Christi to report crimes anonymously, and pays cash rewards for tips
that lead to the arrest of suspects and/or the recovery of stolen property or drugs.
In 2014, CCCS received a total of 2,157 tips and paid $17,580 in rewards to anonymous tipsters.
Since the program's establishment in 1981, CCCS has paid over $550,500 in rewards and
recovered $3,949,621 worth of stolen property, proving the program works.
Even though Crime Stoppers is not part of Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD), it works
closely with designated CCPD officers who act as liaisons between the board, the police
department, other law enforcement agencies and the media. Additionally, the board advises and
financially supports local high school and middle school Campus Crime Stoppers.
To submit a tip, call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS(8477) or log on to www.tipsubmit.com.
27
Hawaii Crime Stoppers News
On March 27, 2015, Crime Stoppers Honolulu held its ninth annual fundraiser “Win with Crime Stoppers”
which was a Las Vegas themed night. We had an attendance of 350 people and a fun night of gambling and silent
auctions.
Student Crime Stoppers has partnered with the local Attorney General’s Office and are doing two school presentations a week called “Keeping it Safe in Cyberspace” the focus is on the dangers of cyberbullying and sexting.
Coordinator, Kim Feigenspan, of Honolulu has travelled to the outer islands, Hawaii and Kauai, and has revamped the Crime Stoppers programs. She is in the process of getting them back on track and helping them
become members of Crime Stoppers USA.
Crime Stoppers of Greater New Orleans Initiative
By Darlene Cusanza, President and CEO
Crime Stoppers of Greater New Orleans recently issued a challenge to the private and public schools in the nine
parishes it covers to join them in writing letters to local law enforcement to thank them for all they do for the
community. This challenge was issued by Crime Stoppers GNO President and CEO, Darlene Cusanza, at a press
conference covered by all the major local television stations and newspapers. “We saw a story on the national
news about a young girl in Tyler, TX, Savannah Solis, who had sent over 1,000 thank you cards to officers from
Texas to New York and was challenging other young people to follow in her footsteps and do the same in their
community. “We thought this was such a great idea and decided to join the “challenge” by organizing our own
letter writing campaign for area schools to thank police officers.” Our Crime Stoppers program has its own Safe
School hotline program and regularly makes presentations at many schools, but we do not focus on the Elementary schools. This gave us the perfect
opportunity to reach this audience.
Crime Stoppers GNO contacted school
superintendents to ask them to participate in the challenge and within one
week, had over seven school districts
signing on to take the “challenge”. The
initiative was mentioned at the Crime
Stoppers Annual Awards Luncheon, with
over 800 individuals present. Of the
800, at least 350 guests were representatives of law enforcement across the nine
28
parish area. Crime Stoppers printed thank you cards for each school that were delivered to for students to write
their message. Crime Stoppers and law enforcement then plans to pick up the cards and deliver them to the law
enforcement office located close to each school which will be asked to post some of the cards for the public and
their officers to see. Each participating school will be given a certificate signed by both the head law enforcement official and Darlene, as well as stick on badges and pencils stating that “Crime Stoppers and Law Enforcement Matter” . Within each parish, the school which turns in the highest number of thank you cards will also
win a “pizza party” compliments of Domino’s Pizza. To date, close to 200 schools have accepted the “Savannah
Challenge” and Crime Stoppers GNO has delivered approximately 75,000 cards to students in the third through
seventh grade who attend public, private, catholic and charter schools.
“My goal is to tell as many police officers as I can that I love them, and I am thankful for all that they do for us,”
said Solis. “To my heroes, I want to tell them don’t stop, don’t give up, keep fighting crime because you matter to
all of us.”
Solis was moved to send 200 cards to police in New York after Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot
in their patrol car. She also made 300 more cards for police throughout Texas and visited officers in New York,
Texas, London, and New Orleans. She is on a campaign to challenge her generation to say thank you to law enforcement officers across the world to change negativity directed toward police officers.
Since Savannah would love to grow up to be a canine
officer, Cusanza and the New Orleans Police Department Canine Unit had a special presentation for Savannah of an official Canine Officer badge. The sheriffs
and police chiefs who attended the press conference
were all amazed by Savannah’s poise and confidence.
“Savannah’s Challenge” is a great way to teach students
the importance of etiquette, civic responsibility and the
art of letter writing. Savannah is a great role model for
other youth and adults alike.
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Press Release from Former Owners of Tipsoft for CSUSA
Motorola Solutions Advances Smart Public Safety Innovation with
PublicEngines Acquisition
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. & SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Motorola Solutions has
acquired PublicEngines, a privately held provider of cloud-based solutions that deliver crime
analysis, predictive policing and citizen engagement capabilities for law enforcement agencies,
governments and other organizations.
“PublicEngines complements Motorola Solutions’ business, and we look forward to working
together to leverage its strengths as a global industry leader in enhancing crime analysis and
citizen engagement for public safety”
“The acquisition of PublicEngines reinforces Motorola Solutions’ commitment to helping our
customers implement intelligence-led strategies that deter crime and improve outcomes,” said
Bob Schassler, executive vice president, Solutions and Services, Motorola Solutions. “As
agencies work with an increasing amount of data from videos, photos, social media, sensors and
other sources, our Smart Public Safety Solutions help harness that data to gain key intelligence
and integrate it seamlessly into their operations. This helps law enforcement anticipate and
respond to incidents with the best information available.”
This acquisition advances Motorola Solutions’ strategy to revolutionize public safety's use of
available data to gain actionable intelligence to support its mission. The combination of
CommandCentral with Motorola Solutions’ situational awareness offerings will establish an
unmatched platform for delivery of intelligence-led public safety capabilities. Additionally, the
citizen engagement products bolster the company’s ability to help agencies openly and
transparently interact with citizens to create safer and better-informed communities.
“PublicEngines complements Motorola Solutions’ business, and we look forward to working
together to leverage its strengths as a global industry leader in enhancing crime analysis and
citizen engagement for public safety,” said William Kilmer, CEO of PublicEngines.
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, PublicEngines serves more than 2,000
customers, primarily in North America. All PublicEngines capabilities are delivered as cloudbased applications, scalable to even the smallest public safety agencies. No additional hardware
is required and setup typically is completed remotely in just a day.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Public Engines now is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Motorola Solutions.
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TELL THE REST OF US WHAT YOU’RE DOING
Thanks for taking the time to read this edition of “The Informer”. The publication serves several
purposes, but one of the most important purposes is to let you know about the successes of Crime
Stoppers programs throughout the country that are members of Crime Stoppers USA.
It doesn’t matter whether the program you represent covers a major metropolitan area or if you represent
a small community or county and consider yourself fortunate to get 30 tips a year. Your board has
chosen to belong to CSUSA. Your board does the same type of things other boards do. You hold fundraisers, you provide a means for the public to give law-enforcement anonymous information on crime or
fugitives in your community, and you cultivate relationships with media outlets. Scholastic programs
often find a unique way of motivating students to do the right thing and help make their school or their
community a safer place.
Please share your good ideas. Let others know about what your board does well and what is unique to
your location. Send a copy of your “press clippings”, stories published online by area media, or just
write something about your recent fund-raiser and attach some pictures to an e-mail. Send your
information either to Charlie Taraboletti at ctaraboletti@crimestoppersusa.com or to Estella Quintanilla at
equintanilla@crimestoppersusa.com. You may just see your program in a new light.
31
Officer Down Memorial Page 2015
Sergeant Sean Renfro
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, CO
EOW: Saturday, January 3, 2015
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Patrolman Roger O'Dell
Town Creek Police Department, AL
EOW: Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Police Officer Craig Chandler
Baltimore City Police Department, MD
EOW: Friday, January 9, 2015
Cause of Death: Vehicle pursuit
Deputy Sheriff Rodney Condall
Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, LA
EOW: Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Assistant Chief Carl Borderlon
Ball Police Department, LA
EOW: Saturday, January 10, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Detective Michael Starrett
Jacksboro Police Department, TN
EOW: Friday, January 30, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Corrections Officer V Christopher Davis
Texas Department of Criminal Justice, TX
EOW: Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Trooper Nicholas Dees
Oklahoma Highway Patrol, OK
EOW: Saturday, January 31, 2015
Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle
Corrections Officer V Eligio Garcia
Texas Department of Criminal Justice, TX
EOW: Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Police Officer III Siegfred D. R. "Dove"
Mortera
Guam Police Department, GU
EOW: Saturday, February 14, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Deputy Chief Steven Bonano
New York City Police Department, NY
EOW: Saturday, January 17, 2015
Cause of Death: 9/11 related illness
Motor Officer Michael Kern
Olathe Police Department, KS
EOW: Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Detective John Scott Stevens
Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, NJ
EOW: Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Director of Investigations John Ballard
Gorman
Mississippi Gaming Commission, MS
EOW: Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Accidental)
Sergeant Charles Kerry Mitchum
Loxley Police Department, AL
EOW: Monday, January 26, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
32
Captain Neville Stanley Kealii Colburn
Honolulu Police Department, HI
EOW: Monday, February 23, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Special Agent William Sheldon
United States Department of Justice - Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives, US
EOW: Monday, March 2, 2015
Cause of Death: 9/11 related illness
Detective Terence Avery Green
Fulton County Police Department, GA
EOW: Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Police Officer Robert Wilson, III
Philadelphia Police Department, PA
EOW: Thursday, March 5, 2015
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Lieutenant C. Scott Travis
Bullitt County Detention Center, KY
EOW: Thursday, March 5, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Police Officer Brennan Rabain
Prince George's County Police Department,
MD
EOW: Saturday, March 7, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells
United States Department of Justice - United
States Marshals Service, US
EOW: Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Johnny Gatson
Warren County Sheriff's Office, MS
EOW: Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Police Officer Burke Rhoads
Nicholasville Police Department, KY
EOW: Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Patrolman George S. Nissen
Stone Park Police Department, IL
EOW: Thursday, March 12, 2015
Cause of Death: Assault
Trooper Donald R. Fredenburg, Jr.
New York State Police, NY
EOW: Friday, March 13, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Lieutenant Richard Woods
Pell City Police Department, AL
EOW: Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Patrolman Adrian "Curtis" Arellano
El Paso Police Department, TX
EOW: Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Cause of Death: Motorcycle accident
Police Officer Alex Yazzie
Navajo Division of Public Safety, TR
EOW: Thursday, March 19, 2015
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Police Officer Michael Johnson
San Jose Police Department, CA
EOW: Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Trooper Trevor Casper
Wisconsin State Patrol, WI
EOW: Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Police Officer David Lee Colley
Montgomery Police Department, AL
EOW: Saturday, April 4, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Police Officer Darryl Wallace
Clayton County Police Department, GA
EOW: Sunday, March 15, 2015
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
33