How did Crime Stoppers begin?
In July 1976, in Albuquerque New Mexico, a university student was killed during a gas station robbery. After 6 weeks of investigation the police had very few leads as to who was responsible. Police investigators thought that if the public was able to observe a reenactment of the crime on television this may lead to a citizen providing information that may lead to an arrest. The police investigators were right. A caller contacted the police Department the next day after seeing the reenactment. The tip information was enough to lead the police to the two men who were responsible. Within 72 hours of the reenactment being aired, the police had solved the murder. This was the beginning of Crime Stoppers. Since the program started, there are now more than 950 Crime Stoppers programs worldwide. More than 425,000 crimes have been solved since its inception and over $1 billion worth of stolen property and narcotics have been seized.