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GREENSBORO - It's solved a fair amount of homicides in its day.

It's put an end to robbery sprees, put rapists behind bars and even played a role in closing down a few problematic nightclubs.

And it's helped recover $16 million in drugs and property since 1981.

Its success? That credit belongs to you.

Greensboro-Guilford County Crime Stoppers is the long arm of the law for more than 300,000 residents across Greensboro and unincorporated Guilford County. Its sister program - High Point Crimestoppers - serves about 80,000 residents there. There are 92 Crime Stoppers programs throughout North Carolina.

Anytime, anywhere - solving a crime in Guilford County can be just a phone call away.

"If you know anything about any crime, call us," said Sandy Tew, coordinator of the Greensboro program. "We should make that our motto."

Since its inception in January 1981, Crime Stoppers boasts a 100 percent conviction rate, with 6,450 cases cleared through the Greensboro program housed at police headquarters at 300 W. Washington St.

That amounts to a lot of green, too - the program distributes an average of $13,000 to $16,000 in reward money each month.

Don't want to give your name? No problem. Your call isn't traced and you aren't talking to a police officer but a non-sworn employee of the police department.

"Every phone for the city of Greensboro has caller ID, except these two phones (in our office)," Tew said. "We don't ever want to know where our calls are coming from, because if we did nobody else is ever going to call us."

When tipsters call, they receive a code that distinguishes them among callers and individual cases. Operators ask for the type of offense, location, date and place, and as much identifying information about suspects and crimes as possible.

Each call is transcribed on a form by hand, then transferred to a computer and routed through the proper detectives at the police department and sheriff's office.
Anything that could potentially identify a caller is not placed in the notes, such as possible relationships to suspects or the caller's sex or ethnicity, should notes be subpoenaed into court.

Callers are then asked to check back with Crime Stoppers every two weeks, using their code, to find out the status of their case. When police make an arrest, the tipster becomes eligible for a reward.

Rewards of up to $2,000 are suggested based on the nature of the crime but are determined by the 20-member citizen Crime Stoppers Board of Directors.

The board meets once each month to review a summary of the prior month's Crime Stoppers' arrests and finalize reward payments.

"It's always going to fit the crime. ... Obviously a homicide is going to pay more than a stolen car," Tew said.

Tipsters who give information that lead to arrests are asked to call Crime Stoppers again after the board meets and are given an appointment time to claim their reward at a local bank.

The caller is given a unique "payoff number" to take to the bank to meet privately with a board's payoff chairman, who gives the tipster a matching check made out to his code number. The caller endorses the check with the code number and gets the corresponding amount.

"You don't have any police sitting out in the parking lot and no one is out there taking down tag numbers," Tew said. "That's the end of it (once you are paid). The only time we talk to you again is if you call back ... with more information and we start the process all over."

Reward money is generated by tax-deductible donations by businesses, citizens and through court-ordered restitution paid by suspects arrested through the program.

Rewards are not based on a conviction, because often a tip about one suspect sets off a chain reaction that leads to high-level suspects getting arrested.

The tipped-off suspect may end up with lesser or consolidated charges in exchange for information on his counterparts.

"That would not preclude us from paying our caller - we would still pay them because we got the arrest," Tew said.

Police use information collected by Crime Stoppers for other purposes, sometimes compiling tips regarding criminal complaints in certain areas to increase patrols or warn officers about activity reported at a certain address. The city also has used complaints made to Crime Stoppers about activity at local clubs in nuisance-abatement proceedings to shut down problematic businesses.

"It's been very beneficial to us and the sheriff's office," said Police Chief Tim Bellamy.
"Not only with our ability to solve crimes and remove drugs and weapons from the street, but by our citizens calling and identifying folks committing crimes."

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com