Crime, for the most part, doesn’t pay.
Commit a crime in this community, and you can be assured somebody likely knows something about your criminal conduct, which is why the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers program has brought our share of criminals to justice.
“Receiving this award is not only a reflection on the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers program, but the community as a whole,” Capt. Shawn Strepay with the Fayetteville Police Department says about our community Crimestoppers initiative (circa 1984), which recently was recognized with the 2024 Productivity Award by the Southeastern Crimestoppers Association during its annual training conference held in Savannah, Ga.
The award is given to a Crimestoppers program within the Southeastern United States region, according to a news release, based on the total number of tips received, arrests made, charges filed and cash rewards paid out.
“The success of Crimestoppers depends on citizen and community support, mainly by providing anonymous tips to Crimestoppers,” said Strepay, 38, who has been with the Fayetteville Police Department for 17 years and is head of the major crimes division. “The success of the program also relies heavily on law enforcement participation, as law enforcement agencies are responsible for following up on anonymous tips submitted to Crimestoppers.”
Truth is, Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills police officers and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detectives just can’t be everywhere when it comes to criminal activities.
That’s where community residents, businesses and those concerned about crime make a difference with their support and monetary donations toward rewards for anonymous tips that can lead to the arrests and convictions of criminal predators on the prowl, i.e. home and business break-ins, motor vehicle break-ins, and homicides, too.
The late J.D. “Luke” Wheeler, the late Fritz Healy and John Malzone were the genesis behind the local Crimestoppers nonprofit when the three business leaders approached then-Fayetteville Police Chief Ron Hanson about the idea of how such a program could benefit the community regarding public safety.
Since the Fayetteville/Cumberland Crimestoppers began 41 years ago, its website says, the program has provided $379,000 to people whose anonymous tips helped solve crimes, including 6,665 arrests, seizure of more than $1.8 million in narcotics and recovery of more $6.4 million in stolen property.
Alfred Barefoot is the current president of the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers board of directors, with Duncan Hubbard the vice president. Other board members are Antwan Rogers, Jim Strickland, Joseph Parisi, Luke Wheeler III, Kevin Lavertu, Michael Hall, Nathan Howie, Roger Blackwood, Shirish Devasthali, Stephanie Benson, Steve Downs, Tommy Hodge and Vic Cannon.
Hubbard has been with Holmes Electric since 1988, which has been a leading supporter of the program since Crimestoppers was founded here. Stephen Wheeler and son Luke Wheeler III have followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps when it comes to championing Crimestoppers. Strepay serves as an adviser to the board.
Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers still is making a difference in the community, Strepay says, with anonymous tips in 2024 resulting in 39 arrests and the recovery of 16 weapons.
“During the same year, 90 tips were received specifically for homicide investigations,” Strepay said to include homicide investigations for all of the county. There were, according to the Fayetteville Police Department, 27 city homicides in 2024.
There were a record 52 city homicides, according to the FPD, in 2023. Crimestoppers received 105 anonymous tips that led to homicide investigations throughout the county.
Importance of anonymous tips
Importance of anonymous tips
No anonymous tip about a crime, Strepay says, is dismissed by Crimestoppers.
“The tips are followed up on by detectives,” Strepay said, “and even if the tip itself does not directly lead to an arrest, it may provide information which keeps the investigation progressing forward.”
The city-county Crimestoppers program, Strepay says, offers cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest.
“Some programs require a conviction in order for the cash reward to be paid out,” Strepay said. “Our local Crimestoppers program does not require a conviction and will pay rewards upon the arrest. This results in more timely rewards being approved. The board of directors meets once a month to approve rewards. The amount approved is dependent upon the nature of the crime or crimes committed, the number of crimes committed and dependent upon things such as the number of firearms seized, narcotics seized and the amount of property recovered.”
You may be wondering about law enforcement identifying an anonymous tipster.
“To guarantee the tipster’s anonymity, our local program works with a call center located out of the state, which specializes in taking tips for Crimestoppers programs, offers a dedicated mobile app (P3 Tips) and offers web-based tip submission,” Strepay said. “However a person chooses to submit a tip, the information is maintained in the Crimestoppers database, not a law enforcement database, and no phone numbers, IP (Internet Protocol) addresses or any other potentially identifiable information is included in the tip sheet when it is sent to law enforcement.
“The tipster is given an individual tip number and encouraged to contact Crimestoppers back at a later date to follow up on the status of the tip. The tipster has to contact Crimestoppers back to follow up because Crimestoppers does not maintain any contact information for the tipster. When the tipster calls back and the information they provided has led to an arrest, making them eligible for a reward, they are given instruction on how to pick up the reward. The reward pick-up process has also been designed in great detail to not involve law enforcement or any aspect of the criminal justice system, so the anonymity of the tipster remains protected.
“Essentially, from the time you submit the tip until the time you pick up your cash reward,” Strepay said, “you are not speaking to or interacting with law enforcement.”
Crimestoppers programs, Strepay says, are recognized by North Carolina legislators as a tool for curbing crime.
“North Carolina General Statute 15A-904 includes language indicating the state is not required to disclose the identity of any individual who provides information about a crime to a Crimestoppers program,” Strepay said. “Although, even if compelled to do so by a judicial official, Crimestoppers could not provide information about a tipster, because they simply do not have any information about the person who submitted the tip.”
That’s good news for anyone providing an anonymous tip.
It’s bad news for the criminal.
“Most people do not realize our local Crimestoppers program is a registered nonprofit organization,” Strepay said. “It is comprised of a volunteer board of directors with no paid employees. The board of directors is responsible for maintaining the program and raising money to be able to continue to pay out cash rewards.”
The Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crimestoppers nonprofit holds its largest fundraiser each spring with its Crimestoppers BBQ held annually at the Harris Teeter parking lot at 2800 Raeford Road. This year’s 41st fundraiser is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $10.
Epilogue
Commit a crime in this community, and you can be assured somebody likely knows something about your criminal conduct.
“Crimestoppers programs strengthen the partnership between law enforcement and the community,” Strepay said, “resulting in a more effective crime mitigation effort.”
When it comes to crime, be assured, somebody out there usually knows something.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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Citizens are encouraged to submit anonymous crime tips directly to Crimestoppers by visiting fay-nccrimestoppers.org, downloading the FREE “P3 Tips” App on a mobile device or by calling the Crimestoppers 24/7 hotline at 910-483-8477. Crimestoppers pay cash rewards for anonymous information leading to an arrest.
