Texas Crime Stoppers Update
Crime Stoppers News From Across Texas
February 18, 2004

Advisory Council Meeting

The Texas Crime Stoppers Advisory Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, January 22 at 1:00 pm at the Harris County Sheriff's Office, 1301 Franklin Street, Houston. The council considered certification and continuing certification applications, as well as additional changes to the Texas Administrative Code. Daingerfield High School Crime Stoppers was approved for initial certification.

Seventeen programs were approved for continuing certification, including Abilene Crime Stoppers, Anderson County Crime Stoppers, Burleson County Crime Stoppers, Hallsville High School Crime Stoppers, Johnson County Crime Stoppers, Killeen Crime Stoppers, Lavaca County Crime Stoppers, Nolan County Crime Stoppers, Texas State Technical College Crime Stoppers, Titus County Crime Stoppers, Vernon/Wilbarger County Crime Stoppers, Waxahachie Crime Stoppers, Wichita Falls Crime Stoppers, Crime Stoppers of Alice/Jim Wells County, Tri-County Crime Stoppers, Van Zandt County Crime Stoppers, and Wise County Crime Stoppers.

Burnet County Crime Stoppers, which was certified in August 2003, was certified under its new name, Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers.

The Advisory Council held its annual election of officers, unanimously selecting Janice Gillen of Richmond to continue in her second term as chairman. Council members also elected Dorothy (Dee) Spinks, chairman of the Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers in Marble Falls, as vice-chairman. All Council members are available to answer questions from local programs and provide assistance with problem solving, developing new programs, and media relations. If you need to reach a Council member, here are their email addresses:

Janice Gillen: Janice@gillenpestcontrol.com
Dorothy Spinks: djs@tstar.net
Juan Jorge: Juan_jorge@co.harris.tx.us
Tina Alexander Sellers: talexander@ktre.com
Brian Thomas: stoppers@arn.net

Ms. Sellers is news director of KTRE TV in Lufkin and is especially well qualified to assist with questions about obtaining media cooperation with local crime stoppers activities.

Council Meets Next at Midland Annual Conference

The Texas Crime Stoppers Advisory Council will hold its next regular meeting on May 19 at the 16th Annual Texas Crime Stoppers Conference in Midland. Because the Council is not offering any training programs between now and the Annual Conference, there are several programs with expiring certification that need to attend the conference in order to meet the training requirement. To accommodate these programs, the Council will hold a second meeting after the annual awards luncheon on May 21 strictly for certification. Programs requiring certification and that need to obtain training certificates for either a board member, or a coordinator, or both, can fulfill the training requirement at the Annual Conference and then obtain continuing certification at the second Advisory Council meeting. However, all other paperwork must be sent to the Director of the Advisory Council, Betty Bosarge, by May 7 for processing.

Programs with certification that expires in May are: Bay City/Matagorda County Crime Stoppers, Brazoria County Crime Stoppers, Brown County Crime Stoppers, Cameron County Crime Stoppers, Cedar Creek Lake Area Crime Stoppers, Denton County Crime Stoppers, El Paso Community College Crime Stoppers, Grand Prairie Crime Stoppers, Grimes County Crime Stoppers, Harlingen Area Crime Stoppers, Crime Stoppers of Houston, Kingsville Crime Stoppers, Laredo Crime Stoppers, Lumberton High School Crime Stoppers, Midland Crime Stoppers, Mission County Crime Stoppers, Mitchell County Crime Stoppers, Moore County Crime Stoppers, Navarro County Crime Stoppers, Odessa Crime Stoppers, Pampa/Gray County Crime Stoppers, Reagan County Crime Stoppers, Rusk County Crime Stoppers, Somervell County Crime Stoppers, University High School Crime Stoppers, Waco High School Crime Stoppers, Weslaco Crime Stoppers, and Zapata County Crime Stoppers.

In addition, the following programs have allowed certification to expire and must renew it in order to be eligible for court fees and grants from the Governor's Criminal Justice Division: Coleman County Crime Stoppers, Gaines County/Seminole Crime Stoppers, Longview High School Crime Stoppers, San Saba County Crime Stoppers, Sherman County Crime Stoppers, Brenham/Washington County Crime Stoppers, Palo Pinto County Crime Stoppers, Deaf Smith County Crime Stoppers, Galveston Crime Stoppers, Liberty County Crime Stoppers, Houston County Crime Stoppers, Gillespie County Crime Stoppers, McCulloch County Crime Stoppers, Pecos Valley Crime Stoppers, Carollton-Farmers Branch ISD Crime Stoppers, Hardin County Crime Stoppers, Pittsburg High School Crime Stoppers, and Childress County Crime Stoppers.
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DID YOU SEND IN YOUR PROBATION FEE AND REPAYMENT REPORT?

Most Texas crime stoppers programs complied with the January 31st deadline for filing an annual Probation Fee and Repayment Report (PFRR) with the director of the Texas Crime Stoppers Advisory Council, as required by Chapter 414, Texas Government Code.

If your program did not file this report and you currently have a grant from the Governor's Criminal Justice Division, all payments for grant expenses will be suspended until the report is received. Additionally, those programs that did not file reports will be considered for de-certification when the Advisory Council meets May 19 in Midland. For those of you who forgot or mislaid the blank report form that was emailed or mailed to every certified program in December, a PFRR form for 2003 is available on the web site's Library Section, listed under the heading "Forms from CJD." Go to www.crimestoppers.txstate.edu. Even those programs that did not receive any court fees MUST file an annual report, according to statutory requirements. If your program falls into this category, please fill out the form with all zeroes, have it signed by the chairman and treasurer, and send it in. Please mail all overdue reports to: Betty Bosarge, Director, Texas Crime Stoppers Advisory Council, Criminal Justice Division, Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 12428, Austin, TX 78711. You can also fax the report to 512-475-1467.
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Watch for Fiscal Year 2005 Crime Stoppers
Grant Announcement

Sometime in March, the Governor's Office Criminal Justice Division will post a "Request for Assistance" announcement in the Texas Register, along with an Application Kit for fiscal year 2005 Crime Stoppers Assistance Fund Grants. The Application Kit will be posted on the Governor's web site, www.governor.state.tx.us, under the Criminal Justice Division heading. All applications must be downloaded and filled out electronically. The Criminal Justice Division will provide telephone technical assistance to help with problems filling out the applications.

For fiscal year 2005, the Texas Crime Stoppers Advisory Council has established funding priorities for the limited amount of Crime Stopper Assistance Funds. The priorities will be: communications (hotlines, answering service, telephones, fax, Internet), technology (computers and other technology such as digital cameras), and training for campus crime stoppers (travel and registration fees for the annual Campus Crime Stoppers Conference).

Please visit the web site frequently to learn when the announcement is posted or subscribe to the email notification list available from ICJS.
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Training and Technical Assistance Workgroup
Subcommittee Meeting

The Training and Technical Assistance Workgroup's Campus Subcommittee met on Saturday, January 24, 2004 in Dallas, Texas to plan the 10th Annual Texas Campus Crime Stoppers Conference. Texas Crime Stoppers' first Campus Crime Stoppers Ambassadors were present to provide input from a youth attendee's perspective.

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Texas Crime Stoppers recently debuted an online tip form on the website. With no prior advertising, the site has received four viable tips from informants concerning crimes in Lubbock, Dallas, and El Paso. Texas Crime Stoppers partnered with Anonymizer.com, a Federal Bureau of Investigation contractor. Anonymizer.com's website states, "Anonymizer, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet privacy and security solutions for consumers, corporations, organizations and government agencies. The company is the market leader for Web privacy, providing a safe and secure Web experience for over one million Internet users around the globe. The company's Web site is home to the world's most popular Internet privacy service, Anonymizer Private Surfing, which defends users from the most prevalent Internet privacy and security threats, from online tracking using "Cookies" to malicious code, identity theft and email spammers. Anonymizer Private Surfing has been used to privacy-protect over four billion Web pages for millions of users since the company's inception in 1996. The company is privately held and headquartered in San Diego, California." Your program can link to the form if you provide ICJS with your contact information, so online tips can be forwarded to the appropriate agency.
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FAQ's

Question: Are crime stoppers programs subject to the Open Meetings and Public Information Acts?

Answer: The simple answer is no. The Open Meetings Act (Government Code Ch. 551) and the Public Information Act (Government Code Ch. 552) are intended to keep Texas governments from concealing information from the public. Texas crime stoppers programs are advised to incorporate as private, non-profit corporations under Texas and federal law. As a non-profit organization, your program is afforded certain protections against records disclosure. The Texas Crime Stoppers manual discusses this issue in the board of directors section. It states, "Corporate books and records are free from open records laws that apply to government agencies." The crime stoppers and the law section further states, "As a private corporation, the organization becomes independent of identification with and control by government . . . it is only because of this separation that some legal procedures necessary to operations are possible. Also, records are free from government open records laws."

Question: What is the penalty for revealing tip information?

Answer: Texas Government Code 414.009 titled "Misuse of Information" states, "A person who is a member or employee of the council or who accepts a report of criminal activity on behalf of a crime stoppers organization commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly divulges to a person not employed by a law enforcement agency the content of a report of a criminal act or the identity of the person who made the report without the consent of the person who made the report."An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor, unless the offense was committed with the intent to obtain monetary gain or other benefit. If the individual sought to gain or benefit in some way, it is a third degree felony. In either case, a person convicted under this section is not eligible for state employment during the five-year period following final conviction.
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Updated Manual

An updated Texas Crime Stoppers Operational Resource Manual is available on the Texas Crime Stoppers Website. The new manual includes sample forms for sharing court funds and merging programs along with a lengthy internet resource list. The manual can be found at www.crimestoppers.txstate.edu/library.html.
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On-Line Courses

Colin Ashburn Resigns from ICJS

After working for ICJS for three years, Colin Ashburn, grant coordinator, Texas Crime Stoppers, has accepted a job in the private sector. He will be working as the chief operating officer for a national security corporation. Colin thanks all Texas crime stoppers participants and programs for their hard work and dedication. He wishes you all the best and continued success.
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Upcoming Training Events
16th Annual Conference
Midland, Texas, hosts the 16th Annual Texas Crime Stoppers Conference, May 19-21, 2004. The City of Midland's website proclaims:"Named among the 150 best U.S. cities in which to live for the past twelve years, Midland's warm climate, friendly people, and central location are the primary reasons for the city's popularity.
The host hotel is Holiday Inn and Suites.
4300 W. Wall
Midland, TX 79703
Phone: (432) 697-3181
Ask for the crime stoppers room rates of 70 dollars plus tax, suites 85 dollars plus tax. The convention center is located conveniently next door. Come to Midland and see "the middle of somewhere."

The 2004 conference features topics such as fundraising, insurance, legal issues, and board building. In addition, one training track will be a Basic Crime Stoppers course. For more information, click here.
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Basic Campus Crime Stoppers Course-
July 12-13, 2004
This is the only time this course is presented during the 2004 fiscal year (September 1, 2003 - August 31, 2004). Course topics include student board selection and responsibilities, operational guidelines, governor's office, funding, media, public relations, and legal issues.
Omni San Antonio
9821 Colonnade Boulevard
San Antonio, Texas 78230
Phone: (210) 691-8888
Fax: (210) 691-1128
Ask for the crime stoppers room rate of $80 single or double. For more information, click here.
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10th Annual Campus Conference
November 8-10, 2004
Training, recognition, networking, and after-hours fun are conference features. Plan on attending this year's Texas' best conference.

Omni Corpus Christi-Bayfront
900 North Shoreline Blvd.
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401
Phone: (361) 887-1600
Fax: (361) 887-6715
Ask for the crime stoppers room rates of $80 single or double, $85 triple, $95 quad.

2004 CAMPUS CONFERENCE REMINDERS
Poster Contest
To participate, bring a poster and an 8 1/2 x 11 inch duplicate depicting why a school should have a campus crime stoppers program. Submit the poster at the conference check-in desk. Ensure that submitter's name and contact information are on the back of the poster and duplicate. Conference attendees vote on poster submissions. Individuals or programs may enter. All entries become the property of Texas Crime Stoppers.

Campus Crime Stoppers Ambassadors
Texas Crime Stoppers is looking for four Texas campus crime stoppers student board members to represent Texas programs. In addition to performing special duties at the 11th annual campus crime stoppers conference, ambassadors will provide input to the planning process for the 11th annual conference at a weekend meeting.
If you wish to be considered, submit to mhw@txstate.edu by September 30, 2004, a 100-word essay stating why you would make a great crime stoppers ambassador, along with an endorsement from your sponsor. Eligible candidates must have: an email address that is checked regularly, passing grades under the UIL guidelines, and include a school photograph of themselves. Candidates are required to read their essay to a group of conference attendees.

Texas Campus Crime Stoppers' Mascot Contest
To participate, email mhw@txstate.edu by September 30, 2004: name, artist's depiction, and 100 words or less essay on why your mascot should represent Texas campus crime stoppers, including slogans, and appropriate attributes of the mascot. Conference attendees will vote on mascot submissions. Individuals or programs may enter. All entries become the property of Texas Crime Stoppers.

Traveling Trophy
A panel of judges chooses a campus crime stoppers program from among the conference attendees who demonstrate the best combination of deportment, participation, and teamwork at the conference.
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Texas Crime Stoppers Training/ICJS Texas State University-San Marcos West Campus - Canyon Hall San Marcos, Texas 78666 Toll free phone 866-220-4357 Phone 512-245-0571 Fax 512-245-2851 http://www.crimestoppers.txstate.edu

Director George Landry Office Manager Maggie Hutchins-Wagner Student Workers Vanessa Gonzales Michelle Harris