Lincoln Crime Stoppers sees huge jump in case clearance rate
In 2021, nearly half of the cases shared by Crime Stoppers were solved, and that's only part of the story.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Crime Stoppers is a big help to LPD, but the amount of assistance the program lends is surprising. There’s been a year-over-year increase in the percentage of solved cases shared by Crime Stoppers, and 2021 was among the best. 41 percent of the cases they posted were cleared. LPD Forensic Video Technician Jared Minary says that kind of stat “is really astronomically high when you’re talking law enforcement”.
Minary explains the average law enforcement entity “would expect about a twenty percent clearance rate to be considered a good clearance rate”, so you get an idea of how crucial the tips received by Crime Stoppers are.
It helps that the cases they share have some form of evidence, usually the photos and videos we show on the air. Those images are only improving, both in quality and quantity.
“Even in the day and age where we’re seeing people wearing masks everywhere they go”, says Minary. “We’re still seeing a lot of these cases get cleared because we get such good information out of those videos.”
The success of Lincoln Crime Stoppers goes beyond just those cases they share, though, with anonymous tips bringing in big results.
“Somebody just called in and said, ‘Hey, this individual named Christopher Gray is selling drugs and that led to a large narcotics investigation through our narcotics unit”, says Minary. “In the end, they made a mass arrest on this, so they basically arrested for 15 felony charges.”
Investigators found pounds of drugs, thousands of pills, and four guns, among other things. All of that was taken care of thanks to a tip. Remember, that tip can earn you some cash, but it seems like most people don’t care about that.
Minary says, “We had $5,000 worth of tip reward money that was awarded out, and only $850 of that was ever picked up. So the people that are giving those tips are not doing it for the money. They’re doing it because they want Lincoln to be a better place.”
If you’ve got that same mindset, check out the Crime Stoppers website. They have plenty of unsolved cases to share, and they’re always willing to hear about crimes they weren’t previously aware of.
