HR0535 LRB096 13334 GRL 28022 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of
4 Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County on the occasion of
5 the organization's 25th anniversary in July of 2009; and
 
6     WHEREAS, During the late 1970s, an Albuquerque, New Mexico
7 police officer named Greg MacAleese paid tipsters out of his
8 own pocket for valuable information regarding the apprehension
9 of criminals; he later came up with the idea of allowing all
10 citizens to be able to give tips anonymously and be paid for
11 their service; with this idea, the Crime Stoppers program was
12 born; and
 
13     WHEREAS, In July of 1984, Rick Lutovsky, then President of
14 the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, attended a conference for
15 Chamber executives in South Carolina and first heard of the
16 Crime Stoppers program; bringing the idea back with him to
17 Decatur, he recruited a board of individuals from a diverse
18 selection of local companies and various occupations in order
19 to form a local chapter of Crime Stoppers; the board's first
20 president was Mark Cheviron and the board's first Police
21 Department Coordinator was Jim Williams, who would later become
22 Decatur's Chief of Police; and
 

 

 

HR0535 - 2 - LRB096 13334 GRL 28022 r

1     WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County, like
2 all Crime Stoppers programs, consists of a civilian board with
3 a liaison officer working between the board and law enforcement
4 agencies; the organization also strictly adheres to the policy
5 of keeping tipsters completely anonymous and to the acquisition
6 of funding by private sources, such as corporate and individual
7 donations and fundraising events; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Since 1984, Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon
9 County has assisted with 1,327 solved cases, 1,263 arrested
10 defendants, $373,424 worth of stolen property recovered, and
11 $286,323 of narcotic wholesale value recovered; the
12 organization has paid out 1,082 rewards worth $212,885; and
 
13     WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County has
14 provided an essential service to the citizens and law
15 enforcement of Decatur and Macon County and has helped make the
16 State of Illinois a safer place for its citizens; therefore, be
17 it
 
18     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
19 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
20 congratulate the members of Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon
21 County on the occasion of the organization's 25th anniversary
22 and wish them continued success in the future; and be it
23 further
 

 

 

HR0535 - 3 - LRB096 13334 GRL 28022 r

1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County as a
3 symbol of our esteem and respect.