Crime Stoppers enters the new year with fundraiser plans and an upgraded website Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is entering its 46th year of seeking tips to solve crimes – and paying anonymous tipsters for information that leads to arrests. The six-county non-profit organization is preparing for its annual Shred Day fundraiser on Saturday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to noon at 775 Taylor Rd. in Gahanna.
“The money generated by fund raisers is the money we give away” to anonymous tipsters who provide critical leads, said Napoleon Bell, who is entering his fourth year as president of Crime Stoppers. For the past decade, has been a board member for Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, which he said “gives a voice to those who are worried about the possible repercussions” from helping to solve crimes.
“We want people to be aware we are not law enforcement – we are a non-profit.
All tips are truly anonymous.”
Shred Day aims to raise funds and bring awareness to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers 100 percent of donations will go to Central Ohio Crime Stopper’s mission of reducing crime in the region. People who have boxes of documents that need to be shredded can come to the event and pay a $10 fee. Royal Document Destruction will securely shred any documents collected. The limit is five boxes of paper from each participant. No electronics, batteries, or cardboard will be accepted. The first 1,000 donors also will receive a Moo Moo Carwash coupon. For any Shredding Day questions, Visit
https://www.centralohiocrimestoppers.org/events.html or email: CrimeStoppers16038@gmail.com.
Web Chick has designed an up-to-date website for https://www.centralohiocrimestoppers.org/ with “Crime of the Week” featured on the home page, along with Bell’s featured video of the week. In addition to the website upgrade, Web Chick created database of current and past unsolved crimes.
Local television and print media in Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Madison, Pickaway, and Union counties are key partners in Central Ohio Crime Stoppers. NBC4, for example, is a sponsor (along with Moo Moo Car Wash and Royal Document Destruction) of the Shred Day event. The Columbus Dispatch and other newspapers print “crime of the week” notices, encouraging people to call in with any information that might lead to arrest and prosecution of fugitive felons.
Central Ohio Crime Stoppers consistently gives out over $35,000 in rewards to anonymous tipsters every year – cash that comes primarily from the Shred Day fundraiser. The apprehension rate for suspects in “crime of the week” stories is about 85 percent – showing that citizens who get involved can truly make a difference.
Sometimes the Crime of Week may be a very recent one; other times it may be a cold case from years ago, Bell said, adding that “Sometimes the community will push for us focus on a particular crime.” He explained that every tipster is given a tip number through an app, called P3, that people can download to offer a tip.
“A detective will let us know if a tip led to an arrest. The tipster then can come forward through the tip number. We set up a location where a tipster can give us P3 number and get cash anonymously.”
Bell is no stranger to policing and community service. He currently is director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Unit in the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office after several years as the department’s Community Outreach and Engagement Manager. He also was a Columbus police officer for 12 years, including service as a community liaison officer in the Strategic Response Bureau.
Crime Stoppers USA is an initiative across the country, driven by its 300 state and local non-profit members. It originated in 1976 to provide opportunities for people worried about repercussions if they went public with a crime tip.
Website designed by WebChick.com, Central Ohio Web Designers
