Revamping of county Crime Stoppers taking place

The Montgomery County Crime Stoppers haven’t been taking a bite out of crime lately.

However, Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson and Red Oak Police Chief Justin Rhamy, along with board members of the county’s Crime Stoppers organization, Jerry Hansen, Goldie Adams, Stan Smith and Richard Thompson, hope to change that.

Those affiliated with the group are “rebranding” the organization as a way to rejuvenate it. Rhamy explained the support of Montgomery County Crime Stoppers is critical when it comes to illegal activity in and around the Red Oak area. He and Sampson agree they’d like to see support of the organization increase.

“We are working with Crime Stoppers to enhance their image and profile in all of our communities. The extra eyes from community members increases the chance of a criminal being arrested and prosecuted. There are people that aren’t aware this is even an option they have, and we want to help get the word out,” said Rhamy.

Crime Stoppers is a program designed to reduce crime by partnering with the community, the media and local law enforcement.

The program works by members of the community identifying criminals or reporting suspicious activity or identifying vehicles that may have relevance to a crime. It is basically summed up by, See Something …. Say Something.

This community based program helps law enforcement solve crime by setting up a system which allows the public to phone in tips anonymously. In exchange for providing information leading directly to the identification and arrest of an alleged criminal, an individual could possibly receive a financial rewards.

As a way to protect anonymity, instead of providing a name, tipsters are provided with a code number. The code number is used to check on the status of the tip or the eligibility for reward.

County Crime Stoppers meetings are open to the pubic and are held

Anyone is welcome to attend meetings and voice ideas or volunteer for upcoming current events with the group. Meetings occur the first Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m., and are held at the Red Oak American Legion, 211 E. Washington Ave. Red Oak VFW members are co-sponsors of the group’s activities.

The county’s Crime Stoppers is not funded by the government or any tax dollars.

Donations and fundraising are the only activities that keep the organization afloat.

Members will be circulating new materials around the county in the very near future, and a fundraising benefit is planned for March 21, at the Eagle’s Lodge. More details about the benefit will be released at a later date.