How does Crime Stoppers work?
 
Crime Stoppers breaks through these barriers by giving people the opportunity to provide information without directly speaking to police or having to testify in court.
 
Obviously investigators need witnesses to help prove their case in court, but most importantly they need information that allows them to zero in on a suspect or a criminal operation such as a drug trafficking network.
 
Tips to Crime Stoppers does not give police evidence they require to arrest an individual but puts them on the right track to solve crime.
 
Cash rewards from Crime Stoppers also motivate some people to call anonymously with information that will be vital to investigators.
Operations
 
Brenham & Washington County Crime Stoppers has an outsourced service with a state certified live person answering the phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
 
With a good tip is received and an arrest is imminent,  the board has a teleconference and agrees on an amount to be paid to the informant.
 
After a successful arrest based on the tip, the informant is paid cash via special procedure at a local bank.
 
There are three(3) critical partners are essential to a
Crime Stoppers program:
 
The Community
 
The Media
 
The Police
 
Partner 1 of 3 - The Community
 
Citizens form the foundation of a local Crime Stoppers program. There are people who serve as volunteer directors on the Crime Stoppers board with responsibility to operate the non-profit corporation, raise funds and approve reward payments when crimes are solved.
 
Members of the public support Crime Stoppers at public events and through other fundraising activities.
 
And there are others who call Crime Stoppers when they have information that will solve crime.
Partner 2 of 3 - The Media
 
Local media outlets have responsibility for promoting Crime Stoppers by publicizing unsolved crimes and assisting with appeals to raise funds for the program.
 
On an ongoing basis newspapers as well as radio and television stations in the community undertake to broadcast a Crime of the Week which highlights an unsolved case.
 
This appeal can include a video re-enactment of a crime to give the public a visual portrayal of what occurred and some ideas of the information investigators may require to solve an incident.
 
The media also regularly promotes the special Crime Stoppers phone number.
Partner 3 of 3 - The Police
 
Appoint a coordinator to operate the Crime Stoppers program on a daily basis and provide staff to maintain an office that takes tips on the Crime Stoppers line.
 
Callers are never asked to identify themselves and there is no equipment in the office that records voices or traces telephone numbers.
 
Anonymity is guaranteed. (By State Law!!!!)
 
Those who call Crime Stoppers receive a code number that allows them to claim a reward once an arrest has been made.
 
The police are also required to investigate the various Crime Stoppers tips and report back to the coordinator when a case is solved.