FILLMORE : Council Approves Anti-Crime Effort

The Fillmore City Council has approved a Crimestoppers program, making the city the second in Ventura County to join the 24-year-old international organization.

Offering cash rewards and confidentiality, a Crimestoppers program in Thousand Oaks has solved 144 cases since it was begun four years ago, according to its coordinator, Sgt. Kitty Hoberg.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Richard Purnell of the Fillmore substation said the city has averaged 12 burglaries a month during 1990. Narcotics are also a problem, “but we receive very little information about it,” Purnell said.

Because it allows informants to remain anonymous, Purnell said, he hopes that Fillmore’s program, approved by the council last week, will help deputies bridge the information gap.

Crimestoppers International is a private association with more than 800 member programs in eight countries. Local units form a nonprofit organization with interested citizens serving as directors.

The local group raises funds to pay rewards of up to $1,000 for tips that result in arrests.

Informants who use a special crime hot line receive a code number and do not have to give a name, phone number or address. The Fillmore police station would take calls, at a cost to the department of about $1,400 annually, Purnell said.

“This is a way for us to impact crime in an inexpensive way that makes people feel comfortable,” Purnell said. He added that informants are often more interested in confidentiality than cash, “but the money does help overcome apathy.”