CrimeStoppers March Newsletter

March 2020

The Ninth Annual CrimeStoppers Night At The Theatre event is scheduled for Friday, May 15, 2020 at Playhouse on the Square and the fundraiser promises another sell-out so get your tickets soon.

The show is Little Shop of Horrors , a musical comedy with music by Alan Menken.

CrimeStoppers gets the entire house of the main stage theatre for the night.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a wine pull, reception and dinner. The curtain rises at 8. CrimeStoppers hopes many supporters can attend but if the date on the calendar already is full, not to worry. Provide a donation and CrimeStoppers will make certain a police officer and guest are able to attend.

Tickets can be ordered online here or by clicking the graphic above.

Serial armed robberies & homicide cases solved thanks to tips submitted to CrimeStoppers

Anonymous citizen calls to CrimeStoppers led to the clearance of three homicide cases and four cases of criminal intent to commit homicide in Memphis in February.

Tips also helped bring to justice two men who had committed long strings of commercial armed robberies.

One robbery suspect arrested was Calvin Barber.

Between November 2018 and January 2019 various business robberies took place around the city in which an armed perpetrator held employees at gunpoint and demanded money. Surveillance footage revealed the same individual appeared to be responsible.

The footage was released to news outlets and a tip led to Barber’s identity, but he remained at large. Then Memphis Police responded to a robbery in progress at a Metro gas station on Elvis Presley Blvd. and there police nabbed Barber before he could get away.

Since then, investigators have gathered evidence from various crime scenes and victims. Barber has been charged with three aggravated robberies in federal court. The original tipster was awarded $900.

Meanwhile, Raphael Hall was arrested last July and charged with seven aggravated robberies of business around the city. Again, video footage had led to his identity by a tipster who phoned 528-CASH.

After Hall was in custody police were able to connect him to an additional 17 aggravated robberies.

He also will be tried in federal court.

The Memphis ‘Most Wanted’ list

helps bring fugitives to justice

Felons on the run is one group of criminals targeted by CrimeStoppers.

These fugitives from justice — listed weekly on our Most Wanted fugitives website — are sought by law enforcement following a crime, or they have been arrested and placed on bail, but have failed to make a mandatory appearance in court.

CrimeStoppers tips often lead to fugitives’ locations and apprehension. Fortunately, a growing number of people look over the fugitives list each week and contact CrimeStoppers with information on where individuals are hiding, often in plain sight.

When fugitives are taken into custody, they are marked as ARRESTED on the website.

This community service is available thanks to coordination among CrimeStoppers of Memphis and Shelby County, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Memphis Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies hunting for fugitives from the law.

CrimeStoppers

by the numbers

Twenty-eight citizens contacted CrimeStoppers and were awarded with a total of $13,900 in February for their help in solving 31 felony cases. The month’s worth of help solving crimes continued a trend that began in January.

In year-to-date comparisons to 2019, the volume of tips received is up 8.23 percent, felony arrests resulting from the tips are up 42.41 percent and tips that proved successful climbed by 31.87 percent over the previous fiscal year.

In two months, CrimeStoppers has awarded a total of $23,450 to citizens who decided to tell what they knew and contacted us by calling or texting 528-CASH (2274).

When someone calls in a tip he or she receives a tip number which can be used to contact CrimeStoppers later to see if an award has been issued. Payments of cash are made in a secure location.

Websites continue

to build awareness

CrimeStoppers and its many programs are explained - and the public is engaged - in various places on the internet

Our main website explains the organization's purpose, and keeps count on major cases in which police need help from citizens -

crimestopmem.org

A companion site helps students keep their schools safer - trustpays.org

Senior citizens who are afraid or otherwise need help can find information they can use at another site - seniorbsafe.org

Spanish-speaking citizens can learn about CrimeStoppers on a fourth site - pagoconfidencial.org

Because the theft of copper and other metals has become a major problem in the metro area we launched CopperStoppers -

copperstoppersmemphis.com

Now the public can view the list of current fugitives, including photos on our newest site -

memphismostwanted.org