LENAWEE COUNTY, MI (Toledo News Now) -
A
local Crime Stoppers organization may be coming to an end.
Leaders
in Lenawee County say if they don't raise enough money by this summer, they may
have to get rid of the program.
"One
thing is certain: Criminals are going to keep on committing crime, and we need
to do everything we can to protect the citizens," said William Wise, chairman
of the Lenawee County Crime Stoppers.
Crime Stoppers
is a major tool the local law enforcement agencies use to keep citizens safe.
Now the program is at risk due to funding problems.
"Currently
in our budget, we're down to about $900, and we have a $1,800 fee that's going
to be coming up in July," explained Dale Smith, vice president of Crime Stoppers.
A
lot of that money covers rewards and a special computer program that allows
tipsters to stay completely anonymous when they submit information about a
crime or suspect.
"There's
always somebody in the community that knows or has seen something that's
happened," Wise said.
Officials
say the guaranteed protection that Crime Stoppers provides has more people coming
forward with tips that get dangerous people off the street. That may not happen
as often if the program ends.
"It
will impact the ability to arrest criminals, get the information to the
respective police officers that need the information to go out there and
investigate crimes that are being committed," Smith said. "Unfortunately, we
feel that it will lead to a lot of unsolved crimes."
If
you want to help, call 517-266-6161
or 877-276-8477 and leave your contact information.
Mobile users, click on the
"Video" button in the app to watch this story. Download our app here.
Copyright 2014 Toledo News Now. All rights reserved.
