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New features and more information on the new Crime Stoppers of Fayette County website

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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Crime Stoppers of Fayette County has upgraded its website to better serve the community thanks to a grant.

For years, the organization that pays up to $1,000 for tips leading to an arrest of unsolved crimes in the area had a free, basic website that limited the amount of information the nonprofit was able to share with the citizens. They also maintained an active Facebook page seeking tips about community crimes.

“Our biggest strength was our Facebook page,” said Fayette County Sheriff James Custer, a board member with the organization.

Whatever information law enforcement sent had to be posted on social media because they were unable to share it on the website.

“Now we have it on the Facebook page and the website as well; it’s twice the exposure,” Custer said.

Through a Local Share Accounts (LSA) grant in 2019, they were able to upgrade the website late last year.

The new website includes more features like up-to-date open cases, and pages for cases, closed cases, donation information and instructions on how to file a tip.

They plan to add more information to the cold cases as they receive that information from law enforcement.

“Both state and local law enforcement has worked really well with us and we continue to build relationships with them in order to be the most effective organization we can be because it ultimately benefits the community,” Custer said.

Anyone can provide anonymous tips through a tip line at 724-320-2042, by email, Facebook and the upgraded website, which allows tipsters to access all of those options in one online location.

The organization has a thorough system that works well in honoring the anonymity of the tipsters.

For example, someone calling a tip can leave a voice message that allows for their message to be transcribed to a text format, the caller is provided with an identification number used in the retrieval of the monetary reward once an arrest is made and the notes for a case are destroyed once the case is closed to protect the tipster.

“Without the people, police can’t solve crimes,” Custer said. “Having an organization that protects the anonymity of tipsters is essential in eliminating any fear associated with giving information to law enforcement.”

As a nonprofit, Crime Stoppers of Fayette County relies solely on donations and fundraising to pay the tip-based rewards. Due to the challenges to fundraising that COVID-19 has presented, the new website opens up an opportunity to potentially generate funds with the option of donating via PayPal.

Custer said the pandemic had put a halt to their fundraisers last year so donations are important to the organization now.

Information is available on the website if anyone would rather donate by sending a check or money order.

Custer added that, since the implementation of the upgraded website, more people have been using that to submit tips, and more tips have been coming in.

“We have had people sending us messages through the website that we were not getting before,” he said. “They’re sending us tips and information that we, of course, forward to local or state police depending on the locality.”

To visit the updated website, go to www.crimestoppersfayettecopa.org

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