In 2010, Crime Stoppers has posted an enviable record of success.  When compared with the program’s performance in 2009, numbers in almost every measurable statistic are up and, in places, by rather staggering amounts.

Some highlights at the end of 2010 include:

• The amount of drugs seized up almost 425%
• The value of recovered property, drugs, etc. has improved by more than 400%
• The number of calls the toll-free line has taken has increased by more than 80%
• The number of rewards being paid out has doubled.

Our mandate of anonymity precludes Crime Stoppers from digging deeper into the data to source the success, however, some obvious indicators point to the tremendous contribution made by local media outlets in broadcasting out message.  Even the subtlest mention of Crime Stoppers and the toll-free number in a newscast or news story produces results.  Equally, our relationship with the many police agencies allows us to move information received quickly and anonymously and cases can be solved very quickly; at times, in a few days.

Naturally, the success comes with a cost.  The number of rewards paid out through the first six months of 2010 are double the amount paid through the entire 12 months of 2009.  Crime Stoppers asks for your help by making a small donation through the secure PayPal link on the www.tipshelp.com website.  Your investment is very important: for every dollar Crime Stoppers pays out in rewards, it amounts to $6,400 of drugs and stolen property taken off our streets and away from schools.

Crime Stoppers news and updates are available at our Tipshelp website, joining the Crime Stopper’s Facebook Page and following Crime Stoppers on Twitter.

Crime Stoppers is a citizen, media and police co-operative program designed to involve the public in the fight against crime. Crime Stoppers will provide citizens with a vehicle to anonymously supply the police with information to a crime they may have knowingly witnessed or a crime or potential crime to which they may have knowledge.

Your continued support is greatly appreciated.

Operation Hands Off is a unique program that creates fear and uncertainty in the mind of the criminal and creates barriers to profiting from property theft.  The program gives home owners and businesses an affordable, effective deterrent against theft.

The program includes the use of highly sophisticated marking technologies that include hidden and prominently displayed markings, combined with nationally coordinated strategies that involve law enforcement, insurance companies, partner agencies and you, our clients.

Click HERE to purchase now.  You will be taken to another site to complete the purchase.

The program makes marked material extremely difficult to sell and increases the risk of detection through a powerful International database system that cross references the identification data with property identification numbers and makes the same property data available to you and law enforcement officials.

Operation Hands Off also includes the following elements:

• Bait Property
• Tracking Devices
• Forensic Traps (Invisible marking on Criminals at the scene of a crime)
• Video Surveillance
• Silent alarms
• Anonymous Crime Reports through Crime Stoppers
• Public Awareness Programs
• Public Warning Signs

The combined impact of these various methods is to make your property too much trouble to steal: criminals move on to easier targets.

The distracted driving law makes it illegal for drivers to talk, text, type, dial or email using hand-held cell phones and other hand-held communications and entertainment devices. Hands-free use of these devices is permitted. The new law also prohibits the viewing of display screens unrelated to driving such as laptop computers or DVD players.

Quick Facts:

• Drivers caught using a hand-held device will be issued a $155 ticket.
• Since the ban on hand-held devices became Ontario law, the Ontario Provincial Police have issued more than 3,300 warnings to drivers.
• Studies show that a driver using a cell phone is four times more likely to be in a crash than a driver focused on the road. Dialing and texting carry the highest degree of risk of all cell phone-related activities.
• If a driver challenges the ticket in court, a judge has the discretion to adjust the fine anywhere in the range of $60 to $500.
• Police, paramedics and firefighters, as well as some commercial drivers and public service workers may continue to use certain hand-held devices when performing their duties. All drivers may use hand-held devices to call 9-1-1.

To check if your phone is Bluetooth enabled, to shop available Bluetooth devices and to explore options available for your vehicle, the following list of sponsors can help:

• KMTS
• Madsen Motors
• Kantola Motors
• MacDonald Motors
• Dryden GM