Crime Stoppers is a country wide program designed to assist law enforcement agencies solve crimes. The program provides an anonymous tip line to encourage citizens in the community to provide information to assist law enforcement agencies fight against crime.
Crime Stoppers is based on the principle that "someone other than the criminal has the information that can solve the crime" and was created to combat the three major obstacles faced by law enforcement in generating that information:
Callers will remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000.00 if the information provided directly to Crime Stoppers leads to an arrest, the recovery of stolen property or the recovery or seizure of any illegal drugs or narcotics.
A Note From Our Tip Coordinator
In order to be eligible for a reward, anonymous tipsters must contact Crime Stoppers of Columbia County first (our call center will contact Dispatch/911 if the call requires immediate action). Law enforcement must confirm whether or not the information provided lead directly to an arrest, the recovery of stolen property or the recovery or seizure of any illegal drugs or narcotics.
Crime Stoppers of Columbia County will not pay rewards for information that has already been provided to law enforcement.
Checking the Status of Your Tip
You can check the status of your tip by calling 386-754-7099 on the fourth Thursday of every month between 2:00 pm-4:00 pm. You will need to provide the ID number to the person answering the phone in order to check the status of your tip. At this time, you will find out if your tip is pending, closed or if it is eligible for a reward.
Please note that Crime Stoppers has to wait to get information back from law enforcement. The time allowed for this response varies depending on the type of crime involved. In narcotics and drug related cases, it may take up to 90 days before we receive a response.
**Rewards**
Rewards must be collected within 90 days of original approval by the board of directors. After 90 days, the reward must be reapproved by the board.