Tuesday, Aug. 04, 2009

Know of a crime? Leave a message — there’s plenty of room on the answering machine

CLAYTON — Every day, police check the Crime Stoppers answering machine at the North Side substation.

And every day, no one has left any tips about crime.

Crime Stoppers, a hotline that allows callers to give information about crimes anonymously, launched in Clayton about five months ago. But it’s been slow to get off the ground, even with the promise of monetary awards for tips, police say.

After Mount Calvary Baptist Church on Barber Mill Road was set on fire twice last spring, Crime Stoppers offered a reward of $12,500.

No one called with tips.

And earlier this year, the program offered a $2,000 reward for information about vandalism at Powhatan Elementary School. Again, no calls.

The only call Crime Stoppers has received came from a woman who left a message saying she had some information about a convenience-store robbery, Lt. Jason Hutchins said. But she never called back to give details.

“It’s like any type of business,” Hutchins said. “You’ve got to promote yourself.”

Hensley Scott, chairman of the Crime Stoppers board in Clayton, is trying to do just that. Crime Stoppers is printing stickers and business cards to pass around town. He wants to put stickers in the back seats of police cruisers.

“We need the criminals to give us the tips,” Scott said.

To raise money for rewards, Scott wants to start a membership drive. A business or a resident could pledge a certain amount of money to the program, and if a crime happened and a reward was offered, the business or resident would be asked to donate. Scott sees it as a way to get the community more involved with Crime Stoppers.

Last week, Clayton police investigated several reports of vandalism around town. That kind of case can be hard to solve, and they’re asking for help.

Police searched for leads in a case in which someone shot a BB gun or pellet gun at the windows of some businesses on Main Street, U.S. 70 and N.C. 42 West.

Police Chief Glen Allen said a reward will be offered in the case. But police need people with information to call in.

“That would tickle us to death,” Hutchins said.

Curtis Jones, who owns Jones’ Lunch on Main Street, said he hopes residents start using Crime Stoppers when they have information to share. Police originally reported that vandals had shot at Jones’ business but realized that the knick in his window was old.

“Most of the time people see something and they don’t want to get involved, so they turn their head and go on,” Jones said. “And that’s unfortunate.”