Overview of the OrganizationThe Rio Grande City Crime Stoppers Inc. is an organization whose purpose is to cut down on crime in Rio Grande City. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in care of Noe Castillo. It has been in business for more than 20 years and is considered to be an extension of the Rio Grande City Police Department. One reason that this organization was founded is due to the fact that the national crime stoppers organization has had a tremendous amount of success in cutting down on crime. Thus, Rio Grande City, a city with a population of approximately 14,000 people and a crime rate that is currently lower than the state average for Texas, implemented a crime stoppers program to make their community safer.
The stated mission of the Rio Grande Crime Stopper Inc. is to “encourage our local community to assist law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime by overcoming the two key elements that prevent community involvement. FEAR and LACK OF INTEREST” (Rio Grande City Crime Stoppers). To combat fear, this organization provides crime tipsters with a way to be anonymous and to combat the lack of interest, the organization provides a reward of up to $1,000 for accurate information regarding crimes which help the police in their investigation.
Its Challenges
One of the primary challenges that the Rio Grande City Crime Stoppers has had to overcome is finding a way to gain community support. This is very important for an organization that relies mostly on volunteers. One way in which the organization rallies community support is through hosting community events such as the National Night Out which the Rio Grande City Crime Stoppers hosts along with the Rio Grande City City Police Department. Another event that the Rio Grande City Crime Stoppers Inc. hosts to encourage community involvement is a 5k marathon. By hosting fun community outings such as these in which members of the community get to interact with law enforcement, this helps to bolster the feeling that crime stoppers is working for the community and everyone should do their part to support the organization.
Another challenge that the organization must face is that even those who support efforts to cut down the amount of crime in their community may be scared of getting involved. One of the primary missions of the organization is to help people overcome their fear of getting involved with crime fighting efforts. One way that the organization helps people get over their fear of getting involved is to give them an anonymous way to report crimes. The crime stoppers organization provides citizens in the Rio Grande City community with a phone number that they can call if they have any information concerning a crime that has taken place in the community. The organization has round-the-clock hours to ensure to make it convenient for citizens to call in with anonymous tips. This anonymity helps people to feel safer and makes them more likely to report crimes of which they have some knowledge.
Another challenge that the Rio Grande City crime fighting organization must address is the high rate of crime in the city. Texas, being a border state experiences a higher rate of crime in its cities than many other state; Rio Grande City is located near the bottom tip of Texas making it a border city that is especially vulnerable to crime. Thus, Police Chief Noe Castillo and Mayor Joel Villareal have set a goal of kept the crime rate down in Rio Grande City by incorporating community involvement and making crime prevention a common interest and goal. As stated above, Rio Grande City has a lower rate of crime than the average for the state of Texas. One in every 246 people are the victim of a violent crime in Texas as a whole whereas one in every 374 people are the victim of a violent crime in Rio Grande City (Neighborhood Scout). Furthermore, in some years, Rio Grande City reports no murders, as well as very few rapes, robberies, and assaults. It is important to note that although the rate of crime in Rio Grande City is lower than the average for the state of Texas, this city is ranked rather low on the crime index. It is only considered to be safer than 20% of the other cities across the United States. Thus, the Rio Grande City Crime Stoppers must find a way to make an impact on the crime rate of a city that has a significant amount of crime in an area of the country that is extremely vulnerable to crime.
One significant quality that those who are involved with the Rio Grande Crimes Stoppers, Inc. must possess is the ability to cooperate with other organizations. The crimes stoppers organization works directly in conjunction with the police department. This is very important because the crime stoppers organization is not actually a law enforcement organization with the same manpower and leeway that the police force has. Thus, this organization must be able to work with other organizations in an effort to reduce crime. The organization does answer to and assist the police department, thus, Noe Castillo, the chief of police, is considered to be its head. Inspiration and charismatic leadership from the both him and the mayor help to motivate community involvement in order to minimize the rate of crime in Rio Grande City. In addition, determination is necessary, due to the close proximity of Rio Grande City, to believe that with community involvement, the city can effectively combat crime.
- Neighborhood Scout. “Crime Rates for Rio Grande City, TX.” 2016. Web. 30 October 2016.
- Rio Grande City Crime Stoppers. “Rio Grande City Crimes Stoppers Facebook Page.” Web. 30
October 2016.
