One question William (Buddy) Heuberger, the Executive Director of Lamar County Crime Stoppers, is often asked is, why should I call Crime Stoppers? The question has several great answers.
First, let’s look at why citizens do not contact law enforcement with information they may have concerning criminal activity. The main reasons are:
• Fear of retaliation-reprisal
• Apathy
• Reluctance to get involved
Crime Stoppers offers a mechanism to eliminate all of these concerns through our promise of anonymity and the offer of cash rewards. Crime Stoppers removes all of these barriers.
Call Crime Stoppers and you will not have to worry about retaliation or having to testify in court. Your identity is unknown. Only you know you called Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers does not ask for any identifying information about you. We want the information about criminal activity, not information as to who you are. We do not use caller ID. Crime Stopper records are not subject to an Open Records request. Even if they were, no identifying information would be found about our tipsters/callers in any of our records. Anonymity is a promise we make to our tipsters/callers.
If you have any information concerning criminal activity, or if you saw something suspicious or out of the ordinary in or near where a crime occurred, that piece of information just might be the missing piece of the puzzle investigators need to solve the crime. By contacting Crime Stoppers, you may remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward up to $1,000
A brutal murder occurred in Albuquerque, New Mexico in July 1976. Michael Carmen was working at a small gas station while attending the University of New Mexico. Michael was two weeks away from marrying his high school sweetheart. On the night he was killed, he was working an extra shift because one of his friends needed the night off. Michael died from gunshot wounds he received during the robbery before he was able to give a statement to investigators.
Young Detective Gregg MacAleese was assigned to the case. The murder seemed senseless to MacAleese at the time and is still senseless today. He promised Michael’s mother he would apprehend those responsible for the murder of her son. Yet after six weeks, MacAleese was no closer to solving the case than he was the night the murder occurred.
With the approval of the Albuquerque police chief, MacAleese approached KOAT-TV and asked if they would be interested in running a reenactment of Michael’s murder. KOAT agreed and the reenactment aired September 8, 1976 on the 10:00 pm news. The next morning MacAleese received a call from a person who told him he had watched the reenactment on TV. He told MacAleese while walking home on the night of Michael’s murder he heard a loud bang, like a firecracker being set off. He then said a car came from the direction of the gas station where Michael was murdered and passed him at a high rate of speed. Two persons were in the car but he did not recognize them, however he thought he had seen the same car and thought it belonged to a resident of a nearby apartment complex.
The information provided was the missing link investigators needed to solve the case. Two individuals were arrested within 72 hours of the reenactment being aired on TV.
Why do I tell the story of Michel Carmen’s murder? Two reasons. The first is this was the case that led to the formation of Crime Stoppers. The second is to show that even the smallest detail you might be able to provide could be enough information to help solve a case.
Why should you call Crime Stoppers? Because you may remain anonymous, you may be eligible for a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest or conviction, you will not have to testify in court and you have no fear of retaliation. If you do not have these fears, by all means contact the appropriate law enforcement agency. But, if you fear retaliation, have a fear of having to testify in court, or wish to be eligible for a cash reward, contact Crime Stoppers with your information.
The night Michael was murdered, the person who eventually contacted Crime Stoppers did not realize what they saw and heard that night was important. Once information was presented to the public about Michael’s murder, the person who heard the noise and saw the speeding car realized they might have seen something related to a murder.
The moral of this story is when you see or hear something that just doesn’t seem right, report it to Crime Stoppers.
Contact Lamar County Crime Stoppers if you have any information about criminal activity in Lamar and Red River Counties. You may contact Lamar County Crime Stoppers in one of the following ways:
• 903-785-8477, (903-785-TIPS) in Lamar County
• 903-427-8477, (903-427-TIPS in Red River County
• Online at www.lamarcountycrimestoppers.info, www.785tips.com or www.427tips.com
• Download TipSubmit for smart phones. TipSubmit is available for I-Phones and Android phones
• Text the tip to, ・crimes・ (274637 and add ・tip120″ in front of your message
When you tell Lamar County Crime Stoppers what you know, you may remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward if your information leads to an arrest or conviction. Remember you must call Lamar County Crime Stoppers if you wish to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward.