“Anonymous Witness” Hotline  

February 3, 2012: CSI Chapala is very pleased to announce the commencement of the “Anonymous Witness” Hotline, effective as of February 2. Our committee has worked closely with the Chapala Municipality, especially our Police Chief, Captain Reynol Contreras, who has been extremely supportive of this effort.

The “Anonymous Witness” Hotline is modeled after Crime Stoppers International, an international non-government organization that helps citizens to assist law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime all over the world. Crime Stoppers is now successfully assisting police in 28 countries worldwide.

Overview

Solving crimes effectively cannot be done by the police alone.  Criminals are not ghosts. They live among us, law abiding citizens. Every criminal has a neighbor. Through the community’s “eyes and ears”, critical information and tips can be provided to the police, which they may not otherwise receive, that could be vital in bringing criminals to justice.

In the past, there have been concerns by citizens about personally reporting such information for fear of reprisals. Now you can safely help stop the people who are depriving the peace from our community by calling the toll-free “Anonymous Witness” Hotline (01-800-839-1416) with information about a criminal activity and the callers’ anonymity is guaranteed.

You can make a difference. You can become an anonymous hero.

How does it work?

· You call the Mexican toll free number, 01-800-839-1416. This call is completely confidential. The call is automatically transferred to Canada, to an independent and professional call center which is part of Crime Stoppers International, and it will be answered, in either Spanish or English, by a professional operator.

· The operator will ask you a series of questions in order to better understand your information. That operator is not interested in who you are, but rather in what you know.  The operator does not have a caller ID on the phone and your phone number will not be recorded. Not even the police, who will receive the information you provide, will be able to find out your identity.

· The information from the call will be transcribed and sent securely via email, in Spanish, to the Chapala Police. This information will also be sent to an unnamed private citizen who will review the leads with the Police Chief on a routine basis.

By guaranteeing a caller`s anonymity, Anonymous Witness allows the caller to give information in a positive atmosphere without the prospect of retribution.

Will the “Anonymous Witness” Hotline Work?

The answer is quite simply yes. Based on the experience of Crime Stoppers in over 28 countries, millions of calls have been received resulting in hundreds of thousands of arrests and in the recovery of substantial amounts of property. Calls have included information about murder, kidnapping, missing persons, robbery, rape, assaults, and drug offenses. 

The success of a Crime Stoppers program cannot be purely judged on statistics; however, there are other benefits which have come to be noted:

• A greater awareness in the community that there is a crime problem.
• A willingness by the community to fight back against crime if it is given the opportunity and motivation.
• Improved relationships between the police and the community.

How will the “Anonymous Witness” Hotline be successfully implemented?

In order to be successful, the “Anonymous Witness” Hotline needs to be actively used by the community. To that end, CSI Chapala will be implementing an intensive informational program by conducting seminars, making presentations at local community centers, handing out pamphlets, installing posters in key locations and asking key organizations to inform their constituents.

Second email:

It’s very important that you report any information you have regarding a crime that has been committed in Ajijic, Chapala, San Antonio or Riberas.

 Your call is free, completely anonymous and secure

· You dial 01-800-839-1416 in Mexico and your call is automatically rerouted to a call center in Canada.

 · The operator will take you through a series of questions to clearly understand your information. The information is then sent securely and anonymously to the Chapala Police.

 · You do not have to identify yourself.

 · There is no record of the phone number you are calling from.

 Ayude a identificar y llevar a criminales a la justicia

Llame a la línea “Testigos Anónimos”

 01-800-839-1416

Es muy importante que reporte cualquier información que usted tenga en relación de algún delito que haya ocurrido en Ajijic, Chapala, San Antonio o Riberas.

La llamada es gratuita, totalmente anónima y segura

• Usted marca 01-800-839-1416 en México y su llamada será directamente redirigida a un centro de llamadas en Canadá.

• La operadora le hará una serie de preguntas para comprender claramente la información. La información se envía de forma segura y anónima a la policía de Chapala.

• Usted no tiene que identificarse.

• No existe un registro del número de teléfono del cual usted está llamando.