Breckenridge Texan

By Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Over the past two years, the Stephens County TX Crime Stoppers organization has paid out more than $7,000 to tipsters and at least two dozen of the wanted suspects listed on the website have been captured. On Friday afternoon, Copperleaf Properties helped that success continue with a donation of $14,000 that was raised through the 2021 BASH (Building a Safer Hometown) Golf Tournament.

The tournament took place on July 31 and Aug. 1. A secondary event, the BASH Celebration, took place the evening of July 31 with a dinner and concert, silent auction and a golf calcutta.

The funds were raised through the tournament entry fees, celebration tickets, sponsorships, a silent auction and other donations.

“The event was so successful because so much of the community backed us,” said Carolyn Moore, Crime Stoppers president and co-owner of Copperleaf Properties. “We we rarely walked into any kind of business that we got to ‘no.’ It was, ‘Yes, absolutely. What do you need? How much do you need?’ So with everyone on board and everyone backing and supporting Crime Stoppers, it made it easy for us.”

Virgil Moore, one of the founders of the local Crime Stoppers organization and the first president, said the program has been amazingly successful. In addition to helping locate wanted suspects, the tip line also accepts information about any crime that has been committed.

“What we’re really proud of is the fact that people are starting to realize they can call for any kind of crime if they see something suspicious or they know of a crime that has been committed,” he said. “We always urge people if they see a crime happening to dial 9-1-1; otherwise, give the information to Crime Stoppers and they will pass it along to the police or Sheriff’s Department immediately. I think the main evolution of Crime Stoppers is that we’ve become much more than we were when we first started.”

Breckenridge Police Chief Bacel Cantrell said the tips that come in to Crime Stoppers range from broad, generalized information about a crime to very detailed information.

Currently, there are eight suspects listed on the Crime Stoppers website, www.877500tips.com. Their crimes range from theft to drug-related activities. Several are wanted for probation violations. Additionally, there are several unsolved crimes listed without specific suspects, such as various thefts, home burglary and vandalism.

Rewards range from $25 to $1,000 and are paid when law enforcement makes an arrest based on a tip. Every reward is approved by the Board of Directors, community members who oversee the program and work to raise funds.

The identity of anyone who calls in with a tip remains anonymous. After they provide information, tipsters are given a number that they use to collect the cash reward when it has been approved. The process for collecting the reward also allows the tipster to remain anonymous.

There are three ways for tips to be submitted:

• Calling the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 877-500-TIPS (8477). Your information will be taken by a non-local professional call center. The information is relayed to one of two designated coordinators with either the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office or the Breckenridge Police Department.
• Clicking the “Submit a Tip” button on the Crime Stoppers website, www.877500tips.com.
• Downloading the P3 Tips App on any smartphone or tablet and using the app to report crime tips.

The website features information about suspects who are wanted by local law enforcement, and tips can be submitted about specific individuals. However, information about crimes or criminals not listed on the website can also be submitted.

According to the website, pictures and videos increase the amount tipsters will be paid if a tip leads to an arrest