Birmingham-area police and city officials have long pleaded, ‘’If you see something, say something.”
It appears that is happening now more than ever.
Frank Barefield, the chairman of Metro Area Crime Stoppers, said Thursday that the number of tips to the agency in the first six months of 2024 have outpaced all of 2023.
Barefield spoke at a press conference held by Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond and Northern District of Alabama U.S. Marshal Marty Keely in which they announced an ongoing initiative aimed at taking wanted violent criminals off the city’s streets.
Barefield said from January through June, Crime Stoppers received tips that led to arrests of 157 people in 454 felony cases. If that holds for the second half of 2024, that would mean roughly 300 arrests on nearly 1,000 felony cases.
Barefield said the six-month tally for 2024 was bigger than in all of 2023.
Crime Stoppers closed out April out as a record month, paying out $13,250 for tips received. Those tips led to 32 felony arrests and clearing 99 felony cases including murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, and drug trafficking.
Tips to Crime Stoppers are completely anonymous. If a tip leads to an arrest, the tipster receives a cash reward.
“We have no idea who is giving us these tips, so everyone always remains anonymous,’’ Barefield said. “And we have no wat to give out emails or telephone numbers.”
“Hopefully the public will have the confidence Crime Stoppers to know that they’re totally anonymous,’’ he said. “They’ll never have to testify or be put at risk for people they may be turning in.”
“It is the responsibility of all citizens to report things to the police so the police can take action,’’ Barefield said, “and we’re seeing more of that right now.”
The number to Crime Stoppers is 205-254-7777.
