The Crime Stoppers Story

When a young college student, Michael Carmen, was shot to death during a robbery at an Albuquerque, New Mexico gas station in July 1976, Detective Greg MacAleese had no idea who was responsible for the killing.

No witness came forward and it appeared the senseless and brutal shotgun slaying would remain a mystery.

MacAleese, who worked for a newspaper before joining the Albuquerque Police Department, knew something innovative would be necessary to encourage the public to get involved and help solve the murder.

He conceived the idea of producing a video re-enactment of the homicide, guaranteed anonymity for anyone who was willing to call him with information and put up a reward from his own pocket to encourage someone to provide a lead that would help identify those responsible for the murder of Carmen.

It seemed almost unnecessary to take such extraordinary steps to solve the killing of Carmen.  It was a case that should have outraged the community and brought forth many witnesses.  Carmen was only two weeks away from getting married and had taken an extra shift at the gas station to give a co-worker the night off.  When police responded to an emergency call they found Carmen gravely wounded. He’s been shot in the abdomen at point blank range with a 12-guage shotgun.

The medical staff kept him alive for four hours and during that time he tried to tell detectives who was responsible, but he just didn’t have the strength to form the words.

At that time Albuquerque had one of the highest per capita crime rates in the country and people were afraid to help the police.

MacAleese plan to identify those responsible for killing Carmen worked. Within a few hours after the recreation of the murder was broadcast on television station KOAT, he received a phone call.  The video image had triggered the memory of a person who heard a loud bang in the vicinity of the gas bar and then saw a car driving off.  The caller told MacAleese the vehicle belonged to a resident in a nearby apartment complex.

Through investigation, MacAleese and a team of detectives arrested two men within 72 hours and charged them with the murder of Carmen and a string of armed robberies.

MacAleese received other calls following the reenactment, including one that allowed police to solve the rape of a young women.  Realizing that this type of program might be useful in fighting crime, MacAleese convinced the Albuquerque Police Department to allow a group of citizens to establish the first Crime Stoppers program.

For his efforts Detective MacAleese was named one of the people in the 1970’s who changed the face of the United States and was also named the country’s Police officer of the Year. It’s also interesting to note that since adopting Crime Stoppers Albuquerque’s crime rate has dropped significantly and no longer is ranked in the list of 20 cities with the highest per capita crime rate.

The Crime Stoppers Name

Not many people know this but the word “Crime” and “Stopper” were combined many years ago by the late Chester Gould, creator of the Dick Tracy comic strips. In 1947, Mr. Gould introduced “Crimestoppers”, using Junior, Dick Tracy’s adopted son, to form a detective club to help kids stay out of trouble. Two years later the “Crimestoppers Textbook”, with tips for children about safety, finding clues and crime prevention, became a weekly feature at the top of each Sunday edition of the comic strip.

In 1976, a police officer Greg MacAleese in Albuquerque, New Mexico approached Gould with permission to use the term Crimestoppers (used as one word) for a new program he wanted to organize. The result was the beginning of one of the most effective citizen-law enforcement, anti-crime programs in existence. By 1982, more than 300 communities in the United States had similar programs, and that same year, Crimestoppers went International. The word Crime Stopper or Crime Stoppers means something special to those who are associated with this rewarding program. (link http://www.dicktracymuseum.com/dick-tracy/crimestoppers/)

Crime Stoppers is not a new concept in reporting crime police work. It simply promotes more dramatically an investigative tool used by successful investigators for centuries.