History of Crime Stoppers

A young student working part-time at a petrol station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was shot dead during a vicious armed robbery in 1976.

The investigating officer believed a member of the local community had committed the crime and that another local knew the identity of the killer but was unwilling to come forward and talk to police.

The officer set up a telephone hotline so that anyone with information about the murder could make an anonymous call to the detective. If the information resulted in an arrest then the caller would receive a reward.

Local businesses were approached for funding to pay for publicity and rewards. The media gave the initiative the extra publicity it needed and, within a matter of weeks, a person dialled the number and gave police information which led directly to the arrest and charging of the suspects.

Other people also called up and gave police anonymous information about other crimes that had been committed in the area.

An idea was born and the rest, as they say, is Crime Stoppers history.