Enterprise Area Command Capt. Jim Dixon presents new posters Thursday showing the Crimestoppers cash reward program. The posters will be distributed at businesses throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 | 1:23 p.m.
Metro Police today unveiled new Crimestoppers posters that illustrate the cash reward program, which has been used in Las Vegas for nearly three decades.
Police Capt. Jim Dixon presented the new posters, which will be distributed to businesses throughout the valley in an effort to quell crime. The posters read, ‘Turn in a burglar, earn a cash reward,” and “Turn in a robber, earn a cash reward.”
“Last year, Metro as a jurisdiction had 4,525 robberies. This year so far we have 3,965 robberies. We are down 12.38 percent -- that’s quite a few, that’s 560 robberies we’re actually down this year,” Dixon said.
Metro said it received 15,620 reports of burglaries last year and 15,044 so far this year.
“We know times are hard, we know people need money and we believe that the thug type will turn his partner in for that $1,000 for that robbery,” Dixon said.
Like all Crimestoppers programs, tips are anonymous and when a suspected robber is arrested the tipster can earn a $1,000 cash reward. Turning in a burglar can net a tipster $500.
Crimestoppers is a nonprofit organization and the reward money is donated. If someone is arrested using an anonymous tip to Crimestoppers, the reward can be redeemed at a specific location, such as a bank, with a personal tip number.
“The thing that makes Crimestoppers effective is the involvement of media, citizens and law enforcement,” Crimestoppers director Mike Hope said. “Crimestoppers has been around in Las Vegas for 29 years and we’ve always paid on a felony arrest. This is just a public awareness thing.”
Crimestoppers gets about 1,200 to 1,400 calls a month, which have led to about 11,000 arrests in Clark County. Last month, calls resulted in eight arrests; however, only three people redeemed their cash reward. The tip number for Crimestoppers is 385-5555.
The Crimestoppers posters were unveiled at the Metro Police Enterprise Area Command. Dixon said 1,000 posters cost about $700 to produce.
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