Citizens invited to participate in Clark County Crime Stoppers
By Valorie Brecht “If you see something, say something.”
That phrase has oft been quoted with the general meaning of, if a person witnesses suspicious activity, what appears to evidence of crime, or another person acting in a way that makes them deeply concerned for the safety of others, the witness should report the matter to local law enforcement so they can look into it, in hopes of keeping crimes from occurring.
That is the basic premise of the Clark County Crime Stoppers program, launched earlier this year with a goal of preventing and stopping crime, and creating safer communities. At the last county board meeting, the board was given an update on the program, which is similar to a neighborhood watch.
“About four years ago, Sheriff Scott Haines asked me to get started on this; then COVID hit. So we were incorporated and got our contracts that take care of it, then COVID put a halt to everything. But we got back going and as of February we are up and running,” said Natalie Erpenbach, one of the Crime Stoppers board members.
The Clark County program is part of the national Crime Stoppers organization that operates throughout the U.S., creating a network of local programs, working together to prevent and solve crimes in communities across the nation. The secure tips line and secure web connection are manned by professional program coordinators. Each caller is assigned a code number to assure anonymity. Local law enforcement agencies receive and process tips from Crime Stoppers and use that information to help solve crimes. If the information leads to an arrest, the caller may receive a cash reward for their information. A board or committee determines and approves the reward. The tipster takes a confidential ID number to a secure location for a cash reward. The reward is collected at a bank, with no identification or signature required.
“We contract with a website and app to run the program,” said Erpenbach. People can submit tips by calling 877-341-2416, going to p3tips.com or downloading the “P3 Tips” app and selecting the correct country, state and county until they get to “Crime Stoppers of Clark County WI Inc.”
Erpenbach gave some literature to the parks and recreation department and they planned to put QR codes in county parks, so people could also scan and report a tip there. The information that a tipster provides w i l l r e m a i n anonymous and will be sent to Captain Kerry Kirn of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. If he’s not available, the tip will go to dispatch. They will be in charge of following up with the tip. Crime Stoppers of Clark County WI Inc. is its own non-profit organization and does not use taxpayer funds. It relies on private donations to maintain the service.
“We have to have a clear line between law enforcement and the non-profit,” said Erpenbach.
“The non-profit provides the money that takes care of contracts with the companies (for the website, app and tip line). It costs about $2,000. It’s based on call volume, so it would be higher if there was a higher call volume.”
She said Crime Stoppers would be working to get signs put up on all county lines and probably the entrances to cities notifying motorists that the area was being watched. Crime Stoppers will reimburse the county for putting up the signs. She also planned to meet with the townships and United Communities of Clark County to make sure they were aware of the program.
She said that since the tip line went live, there had been reports in, but no “actual tips.” Still though, involved parties felt it would be worth it if it could even stop one crime from happening or discourage potential offenders from committing a crime.
“This is a very valuable program; it’s been around since the 70s,” said Sheriff Haines. “It’s a way for people to get involved. Citizens are the eyes and ears for law enforcement officers.”
So far, the program has been funded by private donations, including an initial investment by the Listeman Foundation to get it up and running.
People may donate by sending a check to: Crime Stoppers of Clark County WI, PO Box 56, Loyal, WI 54446. All donations are tax-deductible.
Above is a QR code to scan to submit a tip to the Clark County Crime Stoppers.
