By the numbers:
110 – tips received
21 – arrests made
63 – cases cleared
1 – fugitive captured
49 – charged with crimes
$51,750 – value of property recovered
$207,000 – value of drugs recovered
The Crime Stoppers program allows everyday citizens to provide anonymous tips to help solve crimes and make their communities and neighborhoods safer.
The program’s success can be attributed to the use of a 24-hour calling center. The call center is an off-island business that takes tips at all hours of the day. When a tip is phoned in, no matter the time of day, someone will answer the call, take the tip information and pass it along to the local Crime Stoppers’ coordinator Police Officer Jason Tarkong. Also available to tipsters is the option to submit a tip via the internet. Logging onto www.nmicrimestoppers.com and clicking on the submit a web tip.
In either case, all tips remain anonymous, and tip providers are never asked for their name. Additionally, Crime Stoppers recognizes that the driving force behind its success is that the community understands that Crime Stoppers is a tool they can use to keep the NMI safer, and they are using it.
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization lead by citizens against crime. The NMI Crime Stoppers program offers cash rewards of up to $1000 to persons providing information that leads to an arrest. Every call is treated with absolute anonymity so that nobody will know the identity of the caller. Rewards are also paid without compromising a caller’s anonymity.
In an attempt to promote the mission of Crime Stoppers, a scholastic committee, headed by Officer Tarkong makes presentations in the schools, providing continual education and support with the youth, ensuring their power in keeping their community safe. Additionally, Crime Stoppers collaborates with other community programs to promote citizenship and accountability. It is their partnership with DPS in doing the investigations and arrests, as well as the Attorney General’s Office and other agencies in prosecuting the perpetrators.
As a continuing effort to encouraging the community’s participation in the program, in 2010 the island’s high school students were encouraged to participate in a Create-A-Commercial Contest that resulted in the NMI Crime Stoppers being awarded the 2010 Media Award for communities with a population of less than 75,000. This was the first international award for the NMI program, based on the 30-second commercial produced by Marianas High School students Gester Garcia and Oliver Patris.
One of the more high-profile cases cleared last year was the sentencing of Eric Rabauliman, who was found guilty of the first degree murder of Efren Ballesteros, a MHS security guard. The sentencing of his two co-defendants will occur this year. A tip received by Crime Stoppers led to the arrest of these murderers.
To promote community involvement, the NMI Crime Stoppers is partnering up with local businesses for the 10th Annual Crime Stoppers Softball Tournament on May 7-8 at the Capital Hill Baseball Park, beginning at 9 a.m. each day.
As a non-profit organization, Crime Stoppers relies on community donations to keep the program operational.
Local Crime Stoppers president Sean Frink invites the community to come and enjoy some good fun while watching friends and family play softball.
“We want to sincerely thank each of the outstanding softball tournament sponsors (Aon, Bridge Capital, Delta Airlines, Docomo, Duty Free Shoppers, Gold’s Gym, IT&E, Marpac, Marianas Cable Vision, MegaByte, Pacific Islands Club and Shell/IP&E), for assisting us in making a great difference in our community. In addition we wish to thank our partners in law enforcement, the media, and anonymous callers that provide the tips we need to solve crime in the CNMI,” Frink said.
Anyone having information about crimes is urged to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 234-7272.
