History
The birth of Rockford Area Crime Stoppers began on March 24, 1980, when Chief Del Peterson of the Rockford Police Department received a letter from his counterpart Chief Bob V. Stover from Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the letter, Chief Stover expressed that his city's crime stopping efforts included an organization that served as a partnership with the community — a collaborative effort between the police and local citizens to help identify fugitives and prevent criminal activity in the area.
To jumpstart the program, Chief Stover explained that he had designated a coordinator from his department to handle all operations while establishing a board of directors comprised of citizens from the community to be responsible for administrative tasks. As a result, a nonprofit organization was formed and more than $100,000 in reward money was raised from donations. "I encourage you to talk with your mayor, other administrators, prominent citizens and businessmen, and the media to consider a program for your community," wrote Chief Stover.
Highly motivated by the letter, Chief Peterson alerted Sergeant Richard Tallmadge who met with President Richard G. Clark of the Chamber of Commerce to discuss a similar program for Rockford. Enthused, President Clark proposed Sergeant Tallmadge’s recommendation to the chamber's executive committee, which laid the groundwork for what would soon become the Rockford Area Crime Stoppers.
On September 29, 1980, the first coordinator for the Rockford Area Crime Stoppers was named: Detective Charles Jackson. The assignments for the board of directors soon followed: Jack Shugart of Rockford Products, chairman; Richard G. Clark of the Chamber of Commerce, vice chairman; Richard Peterson of First National Bank, treasurer; and John Hauser of the Ramada Inn., secretary.
To ensure the success of the program, actors and actresses volunteered to re-enact the scene of a crime, which aired on local television. For the city of Rockford, there was no shortage of volunteers. Even prior to the formation of Rockford Area Crime Stoppers, the efforts of the establishment would prove to pay off when media reports of the program prompted a local citizen to come forth with information regarding a fugitive that was living in the Rockford area. The fact that this fugitive was wanted in Virginia for murder led the board to present its first reward: $1,000 on December 23, 1980.
In its first year of operation, Rockford Area Crime Stoppers surpassed any program in the United States per capita by solving more than 246 felony crimes and returning more than $80,000 of stolen property and narcotics. As a result, the organization was recognized by U.S. News & World Report on December 28, 1981, and Detective Jackson appeared on Good Morning America the following January.
Considering Rockford Area Crime Stoppers does not pull from taxpayer funds, its success is quite an accomplishment, not to mention a worthy endeavor for neighborhoods across the United States. The popularity of the program has grown substantially as counties across the country continue to reach out to leaders in Rockford for advice on starting and funding their own crime stopping organizations.