Alachua County Crime Stoppers

The Alachua County Crime Stoppers is a community policing initiative located in Alachua County, Florida that seeks to reduce crime in the locale via user-submitted tips to the local sheriff's office.

The service provides a hotline where users may submit information or whereabouts of highlighted criminals. Along with publishing a website with an updated list and information on all focused criminals, the organization publishes a graphic highlighting the current "most-wanted" individual daily in the print edition of The Independent Florida Alligator.

Thus far, the program has assisted in the arrests of over 481 felons, cleared 622 cases, recovered property valued at more than $500,000 and seized drugs with a street value of over $750,000. Rewards approved for tips which assisted in these cases totaled $82,880. [ [http://stopcrime.tv/about.asp About Alachua County Crime Stoppers] ]

Awards

To recognize those that have contributed significantly to the program, Alachua County Crime Stoppers confers two awards; the Var Heyl Founders Award and the Larry Edwards Service Award. The awards are given annually at the organization's yearly banquet. [ [http://stopcrime.tv/founders.asp List of Founders award recipients] ] [ [http://stopcrime.tv/service.asp List of Service award recipients] ]

Award recipients

* 2006 - Kent Walker (Founders), Steve Olerich (Service) and Matthew Kelly (Service)
* 2005 - Guy York (Founders) and Ron DuPont (Service)
* 2004 - Mitch Glaser (Founders) and Ed Barber (Service)
* 2003 - Var Heyl (Founders) and Var Heyl (Service)
* 2002 - Ause Brown (Founders) and Keith Kameg (Service)
* 2001 - Larry Edwards (Founders) and Tom Perseo (Service)

External links

* [http://www.stopcrime.tv Alachua County Crime Stoppers website]
* [http://www.floridacrimestoppers.com Florida Association of Crime Stoppers]
* [http://www.floridacrimestoppers.org Heartland of Florida Crime Stoppers]

References