Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers needs volunteers
Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers needs more volunteers to spread the word about the organization’s mission of helping to solve crimes in the area.
A state-organized nonprofit, the group serves as an intermediary between witnesses of criminal activity and law enforcement by acting as an anonymous tip line. Over the years, witnesses have reported thousands of crimes to the organization.
“All we do is inform the police,” HCACS Director Billy Hutson said. “We’re just an in-between to keep the informant’s name out of it.”
The organization prides itself on the anonymity it affords to its tipsters.
“When they call in, we don’t get their name,” Hutson said. “If they start to give us their name, we tell them, ‘Shut up. We don’t want your name.’”
If any anonymous tip leads to an arrest, the organization pays the tipster a reward based on the severity of the reported crime.
Volunteers for the Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers spend their time planning fundraisers, hosting events at schools, and engaging with law enforcement to ensure more people are aware of the nonprofit’s unique service. The organization currently has about eight volunteers.
“We don’t have enough volunteers,” Hutson said. “We mostly need them to help spread the word so that more people can know about this.”
Founded over 30 years ago, the Hill Country chapter serves Burnet, Blanco, Llano, Lampasas, Mason, and San Saba counties. The group also responds to calls from 12 school districts, including Marble Falls, Burnet, and Llano.
“The incentive for them to call us is that they see a crime or a criminal and they want them off the streets, so they call and let us know,” Hutson said. “I’m sure there are people who call in for the money, but we don’t care. They’re still turning in criminals.”
The nonprofit deals with a wide variety of crimes, ranging from petty theft to murder.
Recently, it was able to assist the Llano County Sheriff’s Office by relaying a tip from an anonymous source about potential suspects in the Jan. 16 killings of a father and son in Tow.
“We were informed on that one and were able to help the police,” Hutson said.
Along with compiling tips, Crime Stoppers also manages lists of unsolved crimes, missing persons, sex offenders, and wanted suspects on its website.
To sign up as a volunteer, email janieprew@yahoo.com or bweaver0442@gmail.com. If you’d like to submit a tip, call 1-866-756-8477 or visit the organization’s website.
