Tulsa's Crimestoppers program paying dividends

Citizens are fighting back against the recent rash of bank robberies across northeastern Oklahoma. <br><br>Crimestoppers tips solved three bank robberies just this month along with a fourth robbery at

Tuesday, April 27th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Citizens are fighting back against the recent rash of bank robberies across northeastern Oklahoma.

Crimestoppers tips solved three bank robberies just this month along with a fourth robbery at a convenience store. News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright looks at how these tips work and why they are more important than ever.

When someone saw the pictures on TV from the robbery of the Gold Bank on West Edison, they recognized the robbers and called Tulsa's anonymous Crimestoppers line. Tulsa Police took that tip and arrested two men who now face charges not only for this robbery, but also for a convenience store robbery.

Tulsa Police officer Scott Walton: "That tip that came in was vague, but, it was solid gold for what it yielded."

The same thing happened when a viewer saw these surveillance pictures of a suspect at the Local Oklahoma Bank in Sand Springs and at the Bank of Oklahoma at 71st and Sheridan. That tip led officers to a man who they say confessed to both.

With crime up and budget cuts constantly decreasing the size of the police force, it's especially critical for citizens to help be eyes and ears for police. "Now more than ever, it's a tool detectives rely on, because we're not seeing more officers on the streets and there aren't more detectives available to work these cases.â€

Volunteers answer the phone and pass tips along to detectives. If the information helps make an arrest, a local non profit group decides how money to pay for each tip, from $50 to $1,000â€™s.

People pick up their cash at the designated bank. They write down their secret code number, give it to the teller, who then hands over the cash and no one ever knows where the tip came from, but all of us are better off, with another bad guy behind bars.

Crimestoppers tips have solved more than 4,000 felony cases in the Tulsa area, including some high profile murders. The reward money comes from donations raised by the Citizens Crime Commission.

Again, the Tulsa Crimestoppers number is 596-COPS.