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Photo by Hank Lohmeyer In observance of February as National Crime Stoppers Month, an informational display with refreshments was set up in the lobby of the county courthouse. Shown above are, from left, County Sheriff Fred McKee, and local Crime Stoppers board members Vern Frost, Ann Edwards and Sharon Grotrian.For almost 30 years, a few dedicated people, your neighbors in Delta County, have been volunteering their time and efforts helping to make you and your family safer from crime.
These people are the volunteer members of the Delta County Area Crime Stoppers board.
The time they devote to monthly work sessions and to other activities enables the Crime Stoppers coalition of law enforcement, media and the public to maintain its critical support for the work of police and sheriff departments — keeping people safe and solving cases, whether misdemeanor or criminal.
The volunteer members of the Delta County Area Crime Stoppers are Ann Edwards, Sharon Grotrian, who serves as board president, Vern Frost, Sandy VanDenBerg, Scot Buhrdorf and Stacee Curry. The local Crime Stoppers board members don't work as amateur sleuths; they are committed volunteers who make the Crime Stoppers organization function and who keep it viable. Their service involves administering the program, giving input on media advisories, determining program payouts, and administrating other matters.
The Crime Stoppers annual banquet in the spring is a fun community event that also raises money for the program.
The satisfaction of serving one's community is great, and the local Crime Stoppers board members are always interested in hearing from others interested in learning more about the difference that Crime Stoppers makes.
February is National Crime Stoppers Month, and in observance the Delta County Board of Commissioners has adopted a proclamation in observance of the event. The BoCC's proclamation notes the valuable service provided by the board members, and it states, "The Crime Stoppers organization provides a means for citizens to assist law enforcement by providing information while remaining anonymous."
It is the local Crime Stoppers board's job to keep Crime Stoppers functioning in its law enforcement support role, and to provide a secure and safe means for members of the public to tell police and sheriff departments what they know about crimes or criminals. Crime Stoppers also welcomes information about misdemeanor events that could threaten the public safety.
Delta County Sheriff Fred McKee serves as the local law enforcement liaison with the Crime Stoppers board and is an energetic supporter of the Crime Stoppers mission. He explained that it was in the mid 1980s that the local cattlemen's association provided seed money and some of the first volunteer board members in a fight against cattle rustling here. That effort has grown into the Delta County Area Crime Stoppers of today.
In any month there may be three to five calls from anonymous tipsters into the Crime Stoppers hot line – 874-8810 – and any call may lead to an award for information of up to $1,000.
The effectiveness and integrity of the Crime Stoppers program depends on callers knowing their identity will remain anonymous, and it does. Phone calls to the 874-8810 are not traced and it is not legal to do so, explained board president Grotrian.
"When a call is received by Crime Stoppers, it is logged in and the caller is provided with an individual code number. That number is used in any subsequent contacts and remains anonymous with no pressure to reveal their identity," states a Crime Stoppers program brochure.
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization and is funded entirely through donations from the public. Donations are tax deductible.
Contributions to the work of Crime Stoppers can be mailed to P.O. Box. 172, Delta CO 81416.
After almost 30 years, Delta County Area Crime Stoppers remains a functioning arm in the community's fight against criminal activity. The program's service mark is now famous: "We want your information, not your name."
The number to call is 874-8810.
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