Remaining Anonymous When Calling In A Tip To Law Enforcement

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- It’s something we’ve seen and reported on numerous times, law enforcement officers pulling out the crime tape, and investigators on scene trying to piece together what happened.

However, often times investigators rely on the public to receive tips and information about the incident that just occurred.

That’s where Crime Stoppers comes in.

“Crime Stoppers has helped us solve many crimes with information that has lead to solving so many crimes and making arrests,” said Archie Williams, Captain of the Lowndes County Narcotics Task Force.

“From a law-enforcement entity, we love Crime Stoppers,” said Kevin Forrester, coordinator of Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers.

Forrester said having the ability to call in information about a crime that’s happened is a resource that’s beneficial to both the community and law enforcement.

“The thing that I like about Crime Stoppers is , yes there are people that will call because of the reward, but there are other people that are in the community that are just tired of seeing some things happening in their neighborhood,” said Forrester. “They’re not interested in the money. All they want is to help, but they want to remain anonymous because there’s no chance of anything happening to them because of them being the one to call law-enforcement.”

Remaining anonymous is a critical component for most callers.

In fact, according to investigators, it’s common for people to have key information on an incident but they’re afraid too report it.

It’s a common problem that law enforcement officers understand all too well, that’s why Forrester said Crime Stoppers takes specific steps to protect the identity of the caller at all costs.

“One of the things is, we don’t record any numbers, we don’t ever ask for a name,” Forrester expressed. “We don’t want their name.”

The organization even has a system in place to maintain that anonymity.

“I give them a code number and the last thing that I tell them is, if you call back with any additional information say, this is code number so-and-so I have additional information for you,” Forrester explained. “I never have to ask for their name, number or anything.”

“That just makes them feel that much better when they do call because they don’t even have to give their name, so why worry about, oh, somebody is going to find out who I am, well you never even gave your name,” said Williams.

Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers now has software allowing people to submit tips online.

If anyone has information on a crime that has happened, the phone line for the Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers is open 24/7.