Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers has launched a new support program to help raise awareness about the organization.

“We’ve been around for a while,” said Chairman Don Addy. “But there’s a lack of awareness in the community about who we are, what we do, and how we do it.”

The anti-crime nonprofit is offering a decal — which reads “We support Crime Stoppers” with the phone number for the tip line — to businesses and people in exchange for a $50 annual donation.

The revenue generated by the new program will go toward increased reward payments, Addy said.

Addy, who assumed leadership of the program in December, hopes heightened awareness and increased rewards will lead to more tips.

“The more tips we get, the more effective we are as a law enforcement tool,” he said.

Rewards are an integral part of the program, Addy said, because someone who witnesses a crime is often more likely to report it if there’s an incentive involved. But the key component — which Addy takes very seriously — is anonymity.

“People who see something or know something oftentimes don’t want to get involved for fear of reprisal or backlash,” Addy said. “That’s why anonymity is the most critical element of our whole program.”

Careful steps are taken to ensure that neither Crime Stoppers nor law enforcement ever know the tipster’s identity, Addy said.

Call center operators don’t ask for any personal information. They simply transcribe the information and assign the caller an identification number, then forward the tip to the appropriate law enforcement agency, Addy said.

If the information leads to an arrest and conviction, Crime Stoppers delivers cash to an independent bank and uses the newspaper and its website to inform the tipster. The tipster then uses the ID number to pick up the reward money.

“It’s totally anonymous from start to finish,” Addy said.

Since its inception in 1981, Crime Stoppers tips have led to nearly 5,000 arrests and the recovery of more than $23 million worth of stolen property, Addy said. The nonprofit works in conjunction with the  Colorado Springs Police Department, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and other area law enforcement agencies.

“They are an important part of helping us safeguard our community,” Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski said.

“We are excited to be a part of this new Support Program,” El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder added.

Witnesses with information about a crime can contact the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or (800) 222-8477.