About Durham Regional Crime Stoppers

Crime Stoppers began in 1976, when Detective Greg MacAleese of the Albuquerque Police Department, out of leads in a homicide investigation, produced a crime re-enactment for local television and offered a cash reward for information. Within hours, a tip led to an arrest and conviction. The model spread to more than 1,200 communities worldwide.

Calgary became the first Canadian city to launch a Crime Stoppers program in November 1982, followed by Hamilton — the first in Ontario — in 1983. Today there are more than 112 programs across Canada, 38 of them in Ontario.

In April 1986, Durham Regional Police Chief Jon Jenkins gathered a group of civilians and founded Durham Regional Crime Stoppers as a not-for-profit organization. It initially operated as part of the Toronto and Regional Crime Stoppers Board, alongside Metro Toronto, Peel, and York. In 1989, Durham obtained its own charter and not-for-profit status and became fully independent.

Our program exists to encourage the public to share what they know about criminal activity, anonymously, and to pass that information to police for investigation. When a tip leads to an arrest, a monetary reward is issued to the tipster. We work closely with the Durham Regional Police Service and other community organizations to keep our region safe.