Winter Haven Police need help in solving Homicide
April 08, 2011

Crime Stoppers: Zero Cost, Great Return
April 08, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mUqcrIjHvo&feature=player_embedded

Attention Legislators!
April 08, 2011

Dear Legislators,

To paraphrase the mission of FACS and our 32 local member programs, we assist law enforcement by collecting anonymous tips and by paying rewards to citizens in exchange for information that leads to an arrest.As you know, Governor Scott has proposed a sweep of ALL Florida Trust Funds in order to balance the state’s budgetary shortfall for the 2011-2012 budget. Although, we know that these are tough economic times, it is important to understand that not all trust funds are funded, nor operated the same. The Florida Association of Crime Stoppers (FACS) has not only faced sweeps of our trust fund in the past, but more importantly, last year, during one of the most challenging fiscal years in Florida history, we successfully convinced the Florida Legislature to replace $3.5 million of swept funds.

• . Our Trust Fund comes from fees paid by adjudicated Criminals, assessed by local Judges, collected by local Clerks of Court and intended for use by local Crime Stopper programs in the “War on Crime.†funded by recurring The Crime Stoppers Trust Fund is

• The 32 member programs of the FACS provide services and coverage to 63 of 67 Florida Counties.

• All Florida Crime Stopper Programs are private / non-profit citizen operated organizations that provide many services that are prohibited / restricted by public tax funded law enforcement agencies. We are not subject to public records requirements and therefore can guarantee anonyminity of tipsters. Additionally, local law enforcement does not have the mechanisms in place to administer and pay rewards.

• During a time when tax funds are limited and publically funded law enforcement agencies will be facing significant cuts in resources and staffing, the services provided by FACS will be even more critical in the future.

• We are proud to be the most Accountable and Responsible Steward of Trust Fund Dollar$ in the State. We invite you to review our statewide statistics on the following page and consider Florida’s Return On Investment (ROI) in the “War on Crime†. Less than $5 million per year, funded by fees from adjudicated criminals, produces unsurpassed measurable results.

• In conclusion, we are extremely grateful for the support we have received from our Legislative Leaders throughout the past decade. We welcome the opportunity to share successes and we applaud the efforts of state leaders to bring about more accountability to Florida citizens. We hope that upon review and consideration of the accomplishments of FACS, you will conclude that the Crime Stoppers Trust Fund should not be swept or terminated and the services provided are critical to the Safety of Florida’s citizens. We welcome the opportunity to discuss this further or answer any questions that you may have. Please feel free to contact leaders from your local Crime Stoppers program or any of our FACS Executive members.

Crime Stopper works!
January 06, 2011

Gun Crime Bounty Program
November 10, 2010

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Heartland Crime Stoppers, Inc., announce a new program that rewards anonymous callers for alerting law enforcement to the presence of illegally possessed firearms.

Through this program, citizens are encouraged to turn in felons with guns and report anyone who has a stolen gun, is illegally in possession of a gun, or provide the location of a gun that has been used in a crime. 

It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm. And it is illegal to possess a stolen gun, an illegally altered gun, or a gun that has had its serial numbers removed.

Anyone who has information can call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 800-226-TIPS (8477) and report a person illegally possessing a gun.  If an arrest is made and a gun is recovered from the information received, the tipster will be eligible for a $500 reward.  All calls will remain confidential and no one will ever ask any caller for their name or phone number.  Callers will not be required to testify in court on related cases.

“We know that guns don’t commit violent crimes, people commit violent crimes.  And we know that there are plenty of folks out there who know who the bad guys are in their area—they know if they have guns or not.  Give us an anonymous call, tell us who and where they are—give us as much information as you can—and we will investigate.  If we find someone illegally possessing a gun, we will arrest them and give the person who gave us the information $500 cash.  It’s that simple.  We want convicted felons who illegally possess guns off the streets.”  —Sheriff Grady Judd

The Gun Crimes Bounty Program is simple:

· Call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1.800.226.8477 (TIPS).

· Anonymously provide information about a person who is illegally in possession of a gun, or give us the location of a stolen or illegally altered gun, or tell us who has an illegal or stolen gun.

· If your information leads to an arrest and the recovery of an illegal firearm you will receive a cash reward of $500. No questions asked.

This program is jointly funded by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Heartland Crime Stoppers, Inc.

Heartland Crime Stoppers on Facebook
August 25, 2010

We hope that you will consider making Heartland Crime Stoppers a friend on Facebook to get updates regarding crimes and wanted persons in your area that we need help solving or apprehending.

National Museum of Crime and Punishment
June 15, 2009

In Washington D.C., the National Museum of Crime and Punishment features Crime Stoppers playing cards in their gift shop.

For information on the museum, refer to website http://www.crimemuseum.org

We Can Now Take Your Tips Via Text Messaging
September 08, 2008

Heartland Crime Stoppers has adopted a new way to accept your tips and still guarantee your anonymity.  You can now text message us!  We do not get any of your cell phone information and should we have questions we can text message you back for clarification.  This is just another way Crime Stoppers is attempting to provide the latest technology for you, our customers!

Simply text "TIP196" with your tip information to CRIMES.  The prefix of TIP196 is so the tip information is routed to our program.  There are hundreds of Crime Stopper programs throughout the country participating in this text messaging program, so the prefix of TIP196 is needed in order for your local Crime Stopper organization to receive your tip information.

Happy Texting!