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Crime Stoppers looking to get back to work

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton Warren County Crime Stoppers is seeking to get back to work after a bit of a hiatus during the pandemic. Here, Sheriff Brian Zeybel, left speaks at a recent Crime Stoppers meeting.

Warren County Crime Stoppers is making a comeback.

The volunteer organization aimed at reducing crime in the community took a bit of a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. But they’re getting back to work and they plan to use the Warren County Fair to boost those efforts.

“We will be at the Warren County Fair to recruit members and discuss Crime Stoppers and hand out fliers,” District Attorney Rob Greene said.

He explained that the effort is aimed to “make our new presence” known in the community.

At the heart of their operation is an anonymous tip line — 1-800-83-CRIME — and the prospect of rewards for information that substantially advances law enforcement investigations.

The organization has been in place in the county for decades.

“My father, H. Robert Hampson, mentioned Crime Stoppers when I was a little guy,” Philip Hampson explained. “I remember him saying it is based on the theory that there is no honor among thieves.”

While the founding date isn’t entirely clear, he suggested that the group originated in the 1970s.

“It’s a great way for law enforcement to talk to civilians that aren’t in law enforcement,” Greene explained, “to see what we’re doing, get input from non-law enforcement.”

That information, he said, can identify problem areas that can result in “more of a community policing force” among the counties agencies.

As the group gets back to work, they’re looking for volunteers as well as individuals willing to support the effort financially.

Greene said volunteers involved with Crime Stoppers will have a say in voting on rewards and identifying those amounts.

“When you come and are on the board, you get to decide how much that information is worth,” he said. “It’s bridging the gap between civilians and law enforcement.”

“A lot of it is the community involvement,” Sheriff Brian Zeybel added.

Crime Stoppers is funded via donations and, at the moment, will meet monthly.

“The donations are mostly used for rewards but we also use them for other costs like the phone bill and marketing materials,” Gary Barnes said.

One of the core fundraisers that supported Crime Stoppers was the steer dump at the Warren County Fair.

Like the organization more broadly, that went on hiatus during the pandemic, as well, but Greene said the hope is to bring that event back in 2023.

Zeybel said that Crime Stoppers has played a role in helping neighborhoods in the county keep their eyes open.

“It wasn’t a neighborhood watch but it was a ‘Be cognizant of this crime,'” he said, making those neighborhoods “a little more involved with the law enforcement, (helping) with that conduit of information.”

Zeybel said that this rebirth of Crime Stoppers will be focused on developing those community connections.

“We have morphed this into ‘drop a dime and get paid,'” he said. “We’ve kind of faded away from that community rally.”

And officials believe that the community element is critical to the safety of the community, which is what law enforcement is there for.

“Especially in today’s world, not so much in Warren County, the perception that law enforcement (has),” Greene said, in light of recent high-profile incidents. “It’s taking the approach (that) we’re working with the community, hearing from the community.”

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