CHIPPEWA FALLS — The Chippewa County Crime Stoppers program will launch on Monday, providing a safe, anonymous way for the public to report crimes in the community, organizers say.

Rose Baier, Chippewa County criminal justice services director, said the program was developed after a series of town hall meetings as part of their Take a Stand Against Meth Campaign.

“People don’t know what to look for in a crime, they don’t know how to report a crime and they wanted to remain anonymous,” Baier explained. “Currently in Chippewa County, there isn’t an anonymous line.”

Scott Sullivan, president of the Chippewa County Crime Stoppers, said the organization obtained its 501©(3) non-profit status in January and has obtained donations to help pay for the program — no taxpayer dollars are being used. Eau Claire and Dunn counties already have Crime Stoppers groups.

“This is pretty nationally recognized,” Sullivan said. “A lot of other counties have one. It has a proven track record. We’re just piggy-backing off that.”

Chippewa County Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk praised the launch of the new program.

“With technology changing every day, our programs are outdated,” Kowalczyk said. “I think Crime Stoppers is one of the best programs out there for the public.”

Baier explained that a call center in Texas will take the anonymous calls and submit information to authorities. Baier said in a small community, some people don’t want to call police because they fear their voice will be recognized.

“We won’t hear any voices; it’s not recorded,” she said. “People are pretty much guaranteed to remain anonymous.”

A nice feature of the program is it offers rewards to those who leave a tip that leads to arrests, Baier added.

“Each tip is given its own ID number. There is a protocol so that person can pick up their reward without having to identify themselves,” Baier said.

The website will also be updated frequently.

“We’ll have crimes of the week and cold cases up on the website,” she said.

If anyone sees a crime occurring at that moment, they still should call 911, not Crime Stoppers.

Inmates at the Stanley Correctional Institution are printing up dozens of metal signs that will be placed along highways or at parks or buildings across the county, displaying the phone number and website of Crime Stoppers. Sullivan said he hopes the program is used by people of all ages.

“We hope the youth will have some engagement,” Sullivan said. “If someone sees something, hopefully they’ll have faith in the anonymity.”

Baier said there has been a noted increase in crime, particularly meth, in the past decade. She noted that in 2014, Chippewa County had just 12 out-of-home placements for children. By 2021, that number had jumped to 195 out-of-home placements.

“(This program) is for any type of criminal activity,” she said. “It’s not just drugs.”

Baier said the program and the app will go live at 5 p.m. Monday. Donors to the project include Northwestern Bank, Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company and the Casper Foundation, she said.

Contact: chris.vetter@ecpc.com

The Chippewa County Crime Stoppers can be called anonymously at 715-944-3949, or visit chippewacountycrimestoppers.org. The group will be making a phone app named P3 Tips available for download.

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