Crime Stoppers International

When a young college student, Michael Carmen, was shot to death during a robbery at an Albuquerque, New Mexico gas station in July 1976, Detective Greg MacAleese had no idea who was responsible for the killing. No witnesses came forward and it appeared the senseless and brutal shotgun slaying would remain a mystery. MacAleese, who worked for a newspaper before joining the Albuquerque Police Department, knew something innovative would be necessary to encourage the public to get involved and help solve the murder. He conceived the idea of producing a video re-enactment of the homicide, guaranteed anonymity for anyone who was willing to call him with information and put up a reward from his own pocket to encourage someone to provide a lead that would help identify those responsible for the murder of Carmen.

MacAleese’s plan to identify those responsible for killing Carmen worked. Within a few hours after the recreation of the murder was broadcast on television station KOAT, he received a phone call. The video image had triggered the memory of a person who heard a loud bang in the vicinity of the gas bar and then saw a car driving off. The caller told MacAleese the vehicle belonged to a resident in a nearby apartment complex. Through investigation MacAleese and a team of detectives arrested two men within 72 hours and charged them with the murder of Carmen and a string of armed robberies. MacAleese received other calls following the reenactment, including one that allowed police to solve the rape of a young woman. Realizing that this type of program might be useful in fighting crime, MacAleese convinced the Albuquerque Police Department to allow a group of citizens to establish the first Crime Stoppers program.

Today, the mission of the Crime Stoppers International is to serve as an umbrella program that develops Crime Stoppers organizations throughout the world, with the primary objective of the collaborative programs being for the Community, Media and Law Enforcement to work together to solve crime.  Programs developed around the world using to the Crime Stoppers International model have cumulatively cleared over a million cases, helped make approximately 635,000 arrests and paid approximately $99,595,802 in reward money. 

Crime Stoppers Atlanta

Crime Stoppers Atlanta was launched in January of 2007. The program utilizes the Crime Stoppers International model and exists as a program of the Atlanta Police Foundation in collaboration with Atlanta-area law enforcement agencies. The Crime Stoppers program is funded by private donations and fundraising is conducted through the Atlanta Police Foundation. NO TAX DOLLARS are involved. The reward money paid out by the program is provided through donations from concerned citizens and businesses. An advisory council, made up of persons from throughout the Atlanta area and chaired by an Atlanta Police Foundation Board member, meets on a monthly basis to evaluate arrests and to decide on the size of rewards to be paid, up to $2,000. Rewards are then distributed anonymously to tipsters. Tipsters are eligible for rewards up to $2,000, but, despite this, many callers choose not to collect their rewards.