HR0535

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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
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Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of 
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Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County on the occasion of 
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the organization's 25th anniversary in July of 2009; and

 
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    WHEREAS, During the late 1970s, an Albuquerque, New Mexico 
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police officer named Greg MacAleese paid tipsters out of his 
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own pocket for valuable information regarding the apprehension 
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of criminals; he later came up with the idea of allowing all 
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citizens to be able to give tips anonymously and be paid for 
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their service; with this idea, the Crime Stoppers program was 
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born; and

 
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    WHEREAS, In July of 1984, Rick Lutovsky, then President of 
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the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, attended a conference for 
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Chamber executives in South Carolina and first heard of the 
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Crime Stoppers program; bringing the idea back with him to 
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Decatur, he recruited a board of individuals from a diverse 
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selection of local companies and various occupations in order 
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to form a local chapter of Crime Stoppers; the board's first 
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president was Mark Cheviron and the board's first Police 
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Department Coordinator was Jim Williams, who would later become 
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Decatur's Chief of Police; and

 
 


 






HR0535
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    WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County, like 
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all Crime Stoppers programs, consists of a civilian board with 
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a liaison officer working between the board and law enforcement 
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agencies; the organization also strictly adheres to the policy 
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of keeping tipsters completely anonymous and to the acquisition 
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of funding by private sources, such as corporate and individual 
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donations and fundraising events; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Since 1984, Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon 
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County has assisted with 1,327 solved cases, 1,263 arrested 
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defendants, $373,424 worth of stolen property recovered, and 
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$286,323 of narcotic wholesale value recovered; the 
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organization has paid out 1,082 rewards worth $212,885; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County has 
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provided an essential service to the citizens and law 
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enforcement of Decatur and Macon County and has helped make the 
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State of Illinois a safer place for its citizens; therefore, be 
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it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate the members of Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon 
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County on the occasion of the organization's 25th anniversary 
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and wish them continued success in the future; and be it 
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further

 
 


 






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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to Crime Stoppers of Decatur and Macon County as a 
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symbol of our esteem and respect.