Letter from our CEO & Chair
Happy New Year to all who support and work with Crime Stoppers, we continue to quietly make a difference every day in our country. 2025, has started with a horrific attack against our country and the city of New Orleans. This terrorist attack should serve as a reminder to all of us in Crime Stoppers that we are important in the fight against all crimes including terrorism. We take information every day from citizens that identifies the bad actors in our communities, very important we have best practices in place for managing our anonymous tips and assuring they are directed to our law enforcement partners.
In 2024 CSUSA assisted several programs who found themselves in challenging situations because they failed to follow the recommended best practices. Please take advantage of the resources provided to member programs, including legal advisor Richard Carter and any number of board members who have tremendous experience in Crime Stoppers.
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We also continue to build relationships with corporate partners who support Crime Stoppers across the country. One last reminder: it is extremely important all programs keep their program contacts updated with CSUSA and your program update your stats frequently.
If you have questions or need assistance on anything Crime Stoppers, be sure to reach out to:
CEO Barb Bergin bbergin@crimestoppersusa.org
or
Chair Chris Cameron ccameron@crimestoppersusa.org
Your Regional Directors are also a great resource for you. We are all here to help!
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ANNOUNCING CSUSA'S 2025 TRAINING CONFERENCE | |
Crime Stoppers USA is thrilled to announce that New Orleans is the location for the 2025 Conference. Crime Stoppers GNO, led by President/CEO Darlene Cusanza, will be our host for this very special event. | |
The Conference will be held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel from October 24-27. The room rate is $157 plus tax. If you want to come in early and stay later to see all New Orleans has to offer, the room rate will be good from October 23-29 so keep that in mind. Just click on Crime Stoppers Annual Training Conference or call 1-800-SONESTA and say you are attending the Crime Stoppers Conference at The Royal Sonesta New Orleans. New Orleans is a very busy place so to ensure you get a room at the Royal Sonesta, register sooner than later.
Reservation deadline is October 1, 2025. | |
We should have the registration rate within the next two weeks. Our plans are to keep it low as possible. We will send out a notice when we have the official cost.
During our stay in New Orleans, on Saturday, October 25 at 6:30 PM, is New Orleans Official Halloween Parade. Called the Krewe of Boo, the parade route is just three blocks from the hotel. This parade and the activities surrounding it are a big deal in New Orleans so you won’t want to miss it. There will be lots of Halloween activities going on over that weekend and we will provide more special opportunities for individuals to participate in the parade in the near future. For more information go to https://www.kreweofboo.com/
The CSUSA Conference Committee is in the early stages of planning this conference so stay tuned for more information. It’s going to be a great conference filled with outstanding training and great networking. It is always wonderful to meet up with old friends and make new ones too. Hope to see you all there!
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Crime Stoppers USA dues invoices are starting to be emailed out. They will come from PayPal but Crime Stoppers will be listed in the subject line. Please check your spam folder if you don’t receive it soon. To keep your member benefits, please pay your dues by March 1, 2025. | |
Dear Crime Stoppers:
Crime Stoppers USA has been working diligently in an effort to recognize the “Best Practices” which if adhered to can keep the Crime Stoppers organizations out of trouble. It is a difficult task if taken to a higher level of “certifying” a program as one that meets the criteria to be established by Crime Stoppers USA.
Recent high-profile cases in the national news have resulted in a groundswell of questions and comments about Crime Stoppers. The one question that came to the forefront in December 2024 is: “Why does Crime Stoppers require a conviction before a tipster can receive a reward?” The answer is and should be that Crime Stoppers does not require a conviction to be obtained before a tipster can receive a Crime Stoppers reward..
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Through the Eyes of Terror
Darlene Cusanza, Crimestoppers New Orleans
| Victims who lost their lives from the Bourbon Street Attack |
Our lives forever changed early New Year’s Day when a Terrorist spread his evil and attacked our city. Understanding this was an ISIS- inspired attack on America, it is also very local and personal. Though the initial attack lasted minutes, it felt like hours watching the horror and carnage resulting from his actions of plowing his truck through the crowds on Bourbon Street then opening fire on our officers, after crashing his truck. Very surreal and traumatic. There were also explosives left in the streets of the French Quarter with the intent to cause a significant loss of life but by the grace of God, the suspect was shot before he detonated the devices, and our bomb technicians located and neutralized the sources before more damage occurred. Fourteen innocent victims, many younger than thirty lost their life and many others were injured, including two of the four brave New Orleans Police officers who ran to the source and neutralized the threat. Our community is grieving, especially those who have seen the images of the victims and rendered aid, which will forever hold a place in their memories. As we honor the lives lost, we stand united as a community stronger from this tragedy. We stand in solidarity and express our heartfelt gratitude and praise for the First Responders who, with their unwavering bravery, assisted during this most tragic event. A single act of evil will not deter or define us. New Orleans is a resilient town, who welcomes everyone, and we will continue to be that special place. We will stand strong!
As we received the incoming tips, it was tedious to make certain someone received them in real time and so, we cast a wide net with tip recipients to be certain someone was reviewing our information. Once the attack was determined to be an act of terrorism, the FBI took over the investigation and requested all tips sent to their agency. Though we continued to send to both local and their FBI related taskforce members, it was a relief when they took the lead. Over one thousand tips have been received by their agency, which certainly is a volume we as local Crimestoppers would have struggled with. The other issue we have faced are the multiple tips received from individuals who want to share their theories with no information to share.
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Elevate Your Presence with Canva
Meghan Chen, Crime Stoppers of Flint & Genesee County
Canva is a versatile, user-friendly design platform that offers fun tools and creative benefits to enhance and elevate your program's presence. Canva Pro is a more robust premium version of the platform AND it is available to non-profits at no cost!
Non-profit organizations can apply here and, once approved, will gain access to premium features of Canva Pro and can start sharing your Crime Stoppers creativity!
Benefits of Canva include:
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Ease of Use - Canva allows individuals with little or no design experience to create high-quality graphics and videos, quickly, intuitively, and efficiently.
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Customizable Templates - Canva provides a huge library of templates for every kind of design, from social media graphics and event flyers to presentations and stationery. You can adjust colors, fonts, images, and layouts, ensuring all designs are consistent with your organization's voice and goals. There are several templates dedicated to fundraising and donation appeals available as well.
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Collaboration Tools - Multiple users can work on the same design in real-time. You can share designs with team members, provide feedback, make edits, and finalize content together.
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Impressive Stock Library - In addition to uploading your own graphics as desired, Canva provides a large selection of stock photos, icons, and illustrations that can greatly enhance your designs.
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FINDING SUCCESSES BEYOND THE TIP COUNT
Stacey Payne & Julie Lopez, CSUSA Marketing Committee Members
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Defining success in a Crime Stoppers program goes beyond traditional metrics like the number of tips received, arrests made, cases solved, and drugs or weapons seized. While these statistics are crucial and demonstrate effectiveness, there are several additional indicators that reflect the broader impact of a program.
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Value of sharing of Criminal Intelligence: It’s important to keep in mind that though not all tips develop into an arrest, the broader view is the building of criminal intelligence for our partners. We may never know the significance of a single tip, but all information gathered has a direct reflection of building community trust in your program. Testimonials from victims’ families and law enforcement are an excellent way to demonstrate this value.
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Social Media Engagement: The reach and interaction with social media posts are also vital indicators. Shares, views, and the overall reach of posts demonstrate the program's ability to connect with and engage the public, spreading awareness and encouraging involvement. Engaged citizenry fosters hope, pride, and safer environments.
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Increased Collaboration with Law Enforcement: The rise in detectives from seeking assistance from Crime Stoppers underscores the program's reputation as a valuable partner in fighting crime. This collaborative trust is an essential aspect of long-term success.
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Community Support and Fundraising: Fund development is a cornerstone of many Crime Stoppers programs, and participation levels offer insight into community support. Despite the challenges non-profit organizations face, many programs report an increase in the number of people, businesses, and volunteers involved in fundraising and see this as a promising sign. This reflects the community's belief in the program's mission of creating a peaceful and safe community in which all residents can thrive, free from fear of violence and its consequences.
Defining success is multi-faceted, but by recognizing these broader measures, Crime Stoppers programs can understand the greater impact they are making in their communities. As residents develop their understanding of how their involvement with Crime Stoppers has a direct impact on crime, it can help build trust with law enforcement.
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Don't Miss Out On Crime Stoppers Training!
Always on the last Thursday of every month.
Upcoming sessions:
Staying Relevant in 2025 - session 1
January 30, 2025 at 1 p.m. Eastern
Staying Relevant in 2025 - session 2
February 27, 2025 at 1 p.m. Eastern
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Any newsletter topics that you'd like to see in the future?
We would love to hear your suggestions!
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