CrimeStoppers Honolulu, the program that solicits anonymous tips from the community — through the media — to aid the Honolulu police in solving crimes and catching criminals, turned 40 this month.
Over the past four decades,
the program has led to more than 3,000 arrests, closure of nearly
8,500 cases and the seizure of illegal drugs with a street value of $2 million. It also has helped to recover more than $4.5 million in property and paid out $380,000 to anonymous tipsters.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi issued a proclamation and the Honolulu City Council, represented by Councilwoman Heidi Tsuneyoshi and Councilman Augie Tulba, honored with a certificate the program that began in February 1981 under the late Police Chief Francis Keala.
On hand to receive the honors at police headquarters were CrimeStoppers Honolulu Board of Directors 2021 President Lee Donohue, former Honolulu police chief; and CrimeStoppers coordinator Sgt. Chris Kim.
“We’d like to thank the community for all their support,” Kim said. “It definitely is a team effort for the Honolulu Police Department, the media, and we look forward to another 40 years.”
Donohue said when he was in the department, “it was always looked upon as a tool to use to solve crimes that were occurring. And many of the crimes that were cited were solved because of CrimeStoppers.”
Under his leadership, Letha DeCaires served as CrimeStoppers
coordinator from 1996 to 2004.
During her tenure she worked with detectives and the media to provide as much detail as she could for a full story to gain the community’s interest and typically dubbed suspects with interesting names.
She recalls doing a CrimeStoppers news release on the “Apologetic
Rapist,” who raped three women
in 15 hours.
“He called and wanted to turn himself in directly to me,” she said. “One of the other detectives picked up the phone and thought it was a great idea.”
DeCaires said she was concerned, but the suspect “felt he would be safer turning himself in to me.”
On the day of his surrender, several plainclothes officers were positioned at the station. Ernie Holmes was arrested without incident, and was convicted in March 2000 on all three rapes.
“We took cases that were more
real-time,” she said. “We were able to take a look at the cases from the first 24 hours and determine whether it would be readily solved, or we were going to need help.”
She found it was “most important to tell the end of the story” because people “want to hear that something got finished.”
Previous coordinator Margo Tang did wanted posters and in 1997 started the Student CrimeStoppers in a few schools, laying a solid foundation for DeCaires, who expanded it to all junior and senior high schools.
Kim said, “We give them that resource to report things anonymously without fear of retaliation or retribution. We manage to deter suicides, solve sex assault cases, property damage cases, and recover drugs and weapons.”
In 2006, under DeCaires, Animal CrimeStoppers got started since there were a number of animal cases.
“We had 35 volunteers … real people on the phones. The volunteers were truly the program.”
“Also fascinating is that very few people ever collected the rewards,” DeCaires said. “It was never about the money.”
”All the media were so gracious and supportive. And it takes everybody being involved for us to be safe. That is true community policing.”
Police Chief Susan Ballard said CrimeStoppers is the mainstay of community policing, adding that she personally appreciates the Animal CrimeStoppers.
The program now has 26 volunteers who take anonymous tips, a staff of three and 19 board members.
The mayor commended Kim for being honored with the 2019 CrimeStoppers USA National Coordinator of the Year award.
CrimeStoppers also does extensive outreach to help improve safety in the community, most recently averaging 10 presentations a month at schools, senior clubs and other groups.
