The Morgan-Scott-Cass Crime Stoppers finished 2022 up in nearly all of the categories it tracks in keeping crime down in the 3-county area.
Crime Stoppers received 489 tips, resulting in 9 cases being solved, 42 arrests being made, and over $9,600 worth of property being returned to its rightful owner. $5,700 worth of rewards were paid out.
Crime Stoppers Coordinator Loren Hamilton attributes the rise in tips to their new mobile app that came available within the last year: “I can’t tell you that for sure, obviously, where the tips come from. A lot of the cellphone tips were school related, for lack of a better term. When we came out with the cellphone app a couple years ago, that was actually our target focus was the middle schools and the high schools. I think because of the content that came out of some of those tips, it has been successful.”
Hamilton says that he wishes he had statistics on the number of people that are highlighted in their “wanted” posts on social media who turn themselves in. Hamilton believes that 3 to 4 individuals a month come forward after seeing the posts and then speak to law enforcement.
Hamilton says that 2023 will have Crime Stoppers likely returning to schools in the 3-county radius in hopes of helping with crime prevention: “Our new president has been on the board for quite awhile, but she actually got bumped up to president this year is Mackenzie Stewart from Waverly. She actually works in the Waverly School District. That’s actually where we want to focus our attention this year is to get back into the schools. There was a time that we had started doing that and it was rolling pretty well, and then along came this thing called Covid that shut it all down. Hopefully, we’ll get into the schools this year, focusing on more crime prevention.”
Since its inception in the area in 1985, Crime Stoppers has been responsible for over 2,000 arrests and 837 crimes solved. Another milestone that the group hopes to surpass this year is the $1 million mark in property returned.