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Wichita-Sedgwick County Crime Stoppers Organization Asking For Help

Crime Stoppers of Wichita/Sedgwick County
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A Sedgwick County organization that helps law enforcement agencies solve crimes is in need of a helping hand. Donations to Crime Stoppers have hit an all-time low.

It’s been a tough few years for the Wichita-Sedgwick County Crime Stoppers organization when it comes to financial support.

The nonprofit is funded solely by donations from individuals and corporations, and there’s not a lot of money coming in these days. Crime Stoppers offers rewards of up to $2,500 for information that leads to an arrest in felony crimes.

Crime Stoppers’ Advisory Board Chair Cindy Miles says they’re not at a critical level yet.

"At this point in time, we have some funds put back, but those funds are dwindling," she says. "So we have to continue to have funds come in in order to maintain our long-term ability to pay those tips out."

Miles says Crime Stoppers does not receive any funding from government sources, the Wichita Police Department or the Sheriff’s Office.

Crime Stoppers gets about 150 to 200 tips a month about crimes in the community. The nonprofit pays out eight to 12 of those tips. A law enforcement coordinator works through the information, and when a lead turns into action, such as an arrest, Crime Stoppers will offer a reward. The amount of the reward depends on the level of crime.

Miles says unsolved cases occasionally can offer a higher incentive because an individual might make a donation toward a specific case.

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Follow Deborah Shaar on Twitter @deborahshaar.

 

To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

Deborah joined the news team at KMUW in September 2014 as a news reporter. She spent more than a dozen years working in news at both public and commercial radio and television stations in Ohio, West Virginia and Detroit, Michigan. Before relocating to Wichita in 2013, Deborah taught news and broadcasting classes at Tarrant County College in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area.