Vanderburgh County wins WeTip “National Safety Award”

A top executive of WeTip’s National Anonymous Crime Hotline program presented Vanderburgh County with a national award for community safety during an annual national conference Friday, April 11, 2014.

Susan Aguilar, Chief Executive Officer, presented Vanderburgh County with WeTip’s top award, their National Safety Award for their community effort to curb crime in Vanderburgh County.
Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nicholas Hermann said he is “extremely honored” by the award and recognition from WeTip. “When we decided to bring WeTip to Vanderburgh County, we knew it was a program the community could get behind. There are several victims or witnesses’ who have knowledge of crimes but for fear of retaliation or fear of talking directly to the Police, this was an avenue to give them a voice,” Prosecutor Hermann said. “It is extremely fitting that this award comes during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. Our number one goal is justice, and this is another step the community is taking to achieve that.”
Ms. Aguilar of WeTip said: “Vanderburgh County has gone above and beyond any first year city we have ever worked with. Not only are they on top in terms of tips received, but the quality of the tips is remarkable. We are getting solid details that we are able to relay to Police to help curb criminals beahaviors. We are relaying information on wanted fugitives, drugs, weapons, and a huge variety of other crimes. Vanderburgh County is a model area for WeTip.”
Vanderburgh County was also praised by Kristin Arnel, the WeTip liaison for Vanderburgh County. “The work from the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office has been tremendous. It was a culmination of an effective effort to spread the WeTip number and message, mixed with a community that was willing and ready for a program like this,” she said. “I’ve worked with communities who are much bigger than Evansville and they’ve been WeTip participants for much longer, and in under one year, Evansville has already blazed past them in terms of tips. More than just the sheer number tips we receive from Vanderburgh County (around 18 per week) the quality of the tips is tremendous. We are getting license plate numbers, we are getting specific times and dates, car makes and models. It’s one thing to get out the number and let people know it’s an anonymous tip line, it’s quite another to achieve the quality of the tips that we see from your area.”
Nationwide, more than one million anonymous tips have led to the arrest of over 17,000 criminals since 1972, all made possible because WeTip provides total safety and anonymity to the caller. Wetip has also aided law enforcement in the seizure of over $350 million in illegal drugs and narcotics.
If a caller has information about any crime, they can call anonymously at 1-800-78-CRIME. An operator will answer the hotline by saying “this is the WeTip Anonymous Crime hotline, do not give your name or identify yourself in anyway.” The operator then will ask some questions about the crime to obtain the maximum amount of information possible for the police investigator. All informants are eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 when information results in an arrest and conviction. They are available 24/7 and have English/Spanish bi-lingual operators working at all times.
Vanderburgh County adopted the WeTip Program in late June, 2014. In that time, Vanderburgh County has received over 750 anonymous tips and has launched hundreds of investigations leading to the arrest of dozens of dangerous suspects.