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C R i m e s T O p p e R s O f h u n T e R d O n C O u n T y
The following is the first in a series of articles about Crime Stoppers
of Hunterdon County, a community-based partnership between the
community, the media, and law enforcement.
Crime Stoppers of Hunterdon County – Page One: In July 1975, Michael
Carmen, a young college student, was working one night at a local filling station in
Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was the victim of a fatal shooting. Two weeks later,
the police still had no information about the crime. It was then that Detective Greg
MacAleese approached a local television station requesting a reconstruction of the
crime and offered $1000 for information leading to the arrest of the killers. Local media
publicized the first "Crime of the Week" and the phone number to call with information
about the crime. Within 72 hours, a person called and identified a car leaving the scene
at high speed, and he noted its license plate number. That "tip" resulted in the arrest of
three men within 72 hours who had been involved in the homicide of Michael Carmen.
The caller, not wanting to get involved, did not report the crime until they were offered
a cash incentive. Detective MacAleese realized that fear and apathy were the primary
reasons the public typically didn't want to get involved and report crimes. He helped
design a system through which the public could anonymously provide details of such
events. This system focused on stimulating community involvement and participation,
taking advantage of every possible media opportunity, especially electronic media, to
publicize unsolved crimes and offer cash rewards for information leading to an arrest
and/or conviction.
Members of the local community, media and law enforcement, came together in
partnership to begin the effort to provide crime-solving assistance to law enforcement,
and Crime Stoppers was born on September 8, 1976.
Since its first chapter was officially formed, Crime Stoppers in the United States
has been responsible for more than half a million arrests and more than $4 billion in
recovered property.
Crime Stoppers vision and mission are to establish it as the premier community-based
crime solving program in the United States, and to develop innovative resources and
partnerships that promote Crime Stoppers throughout the country.
UP NEXT: Crime Stoppers Comes To Hunterdon County
