Crime Stoppers International Foundation or CSI Foundation (CSI) is an umbrella organization that aims to spread the Crime Stoppers program in countries around the world. Crime Stoppers is a program designed to utilize the media and other resources to entice information from the public that can facilitate police investigations. CSI is run by a volunteer board and its activities include hosting annual training conferences and supporting regional leadership and training programs. CSI coordinates networking resources for local Crime Stoppers' operations, such as a website and a print publication called The Caller. It is funded by dues paid by member organizations. Some of the services CSI provides to its members include an annual awards program for local Crime Stoppers operations, produces an operations manual to assist new programs and to help set up and guide new Crime Stopper programs, and providing legal services to its members.

CSI lists its mission statement as the following: "To develop Crime Stoppers as an effective crime-solving organization throughout the world, with the primary objective of the tri-partite organization, Community, Media and Law Enforcement, being, Working Together to Solve Crime".[1]

The Crime Stoppers program began in the 1970s as an innovation to solve a crime that was committed with no witnesses and few leads for police investigators. The main goal is to produce televised re-enactments, offer rewards and promises of anonymity for information leading to an arrest. Detective Greg MacAleese was investigating the murder of a gas station attendant, Michael Carmen, in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1976 when he came up with the idea.[2][3] At the time, Albuquerque had one of the highest per capita crime rates in the US. Its crime rate has since improved.[4]

Crime Stoppers Canada

In Canada, a Supreme Court of Canada decision R. v . Leipert, [1997] 1 S.C.R. 281 ruled unanimously that police do not have to disclose any information they receive from this internationally recognized crime prevention program.

The rule of informer privilege is of such fundamental importance to the workings of a criminal justice system it cannot be balanced against other interest relating to the administration of justice...Once the privilege has been established, neither the police nor the court possesses discretion to abridge it.[5]

Thus a phone number was developed, 705-497-5555

Crime Stoppers Barbados

In 2009, it was revealed that information from Crime Stoppers had resulted in 18 arrests, 34 charges and 23 cases cleared for the year.[6] One of Barbados' leading newspapers additionally reported that Crime Stoppers Barbados Inc.[7][8] was to-date the fastest growing of the worldwide organisations belonging to the group. Tony Phillips, as chairman of the local unit stated that "Over 90 per cent of the tips have been useful . . . [and] the success ratio is well documented by the police force." Regarding the local unit, Philips further maintained, "They [Crime Stoppers] have never seen one of the organisations develop as quickly as we have, and I think that it is a significant achievement. Tips have been on or above average for a Crimestoppers International, exceeding 50 per month, which is the average for international organisations," he stated.[9]

Crime Stoppers Guatemala

In Guatemala Crime Stoppers signed an agreement with the Ministry of the Interior (Governance) and operates tupista.gt, a website collecting anonymous tips.[10] Crime Stoppers Guatemala, with the support of INL launched the 1561 call center in late 2021. During 2022 the1561 call center generated over 37,000 calls from citizen. In addition, Crime Stoppers Guatemala has been awarded by Crime Stoppers International with CSI Award Crime Stopper, Digital Media Award and Print Media Award.

Leadership

The president of Crime Stoppers in Guatemala is a member of a well known family of business owners in that country. In 2018, together with other business leaders, he admitted to illegally financing a political party.[11] Charges were only dropped after the investigating body was cancelled by the president of the political party he funded in part.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Crime Stoppers International - Our Vision Archived January 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  2. ↑ MacAleese, Greg (2016-07-12). Crime Stoppers: The Inside Story. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781533259721.
  3. ↑ Millar, Cal (2014-08-07). What Is Crime Stoppers. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781500645939.
  4. ↑ Crime Stoppers International - Our History Archived December 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  5. ↑ Greater Vancouver Crime Stoppers (2007-11-12). "Crime Stoppers Anonymity Guaranteed". Greater Vancouver Crime Stoppers. Archived from the original on 2009-04-25.
  6. ↑ Staff writer (8 January 2009). "Tips to Crime Stoppers helping lawmen". Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  7. ↑ Crime Stoppers Barbados Inc.
  8. ↑ Organisation registration record Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO)
  9. ↑ W., L. (18 December 2009). "Tips flowing in to local crime body". Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "Fortalecerán denuncia ciudadana por medio de plataforma Crime Stoppers". Ministerio de Gobernación (in Spanish). 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  11. ↑ ""Pedimos disculpas a Guatemala", dicen empresarios que financiaron a FCN-Nación – Prensa Libre" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  12. ↑ Arana, Lourdes (2021-11-25). "CC confirma que empresarios no enfrentarán juicio por caso financiamiento al FCN". La Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
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