Crime Stoppers of Oregon sunsets its anonymous tip line after 43 years

The idea was simple. There was a number where tipsters could clue in law enforcement to an unsolved crime. If the tip led to an arrest, the person could claim a cash reward. The person would never have to disclose their identity.

At its peak in the 1980s and ’90s, Crime Stoppers of Oregon was helping to clear hundreds of cases per year and issuing thousands of dollars in checks through this strategy. The organization had placements in billboards, radio spots and during the Super Bowl.

But as the media landscape transitioned from analog to digital, its reach has waned.

“Things change,” said Henry Groepper, the chairman of the nonprofit. “People are on social media now.”

After 43 years of helping to solve cold cases and find missing people, Crime Stoppers of Oregon will permanently cease operations at the end of September. Groepper said only eight cases have been cleared with the help of Crime Stoppers of Oregon since 2022.

Groepper joined the board of Crime Stoppers of Oregon after he retired from the Portland Police Bureau in 2005 at the age of 61. At 82, he looks back with nostalgia at all the cases the organization has helped to solve. In his home, he’s held on to old newspaper clippings mentioning their impact.

“There was no way to keep going right now,” Groepper said. Their all-volunteer board of directors was aging, and the donations that funded the cash rewards were drying up. He said other Crime Stopper organizations across the country are also facing a similar challenge in continuing their operations.

“It’s sad,” Groepper said. To this day, many Oregonians recognize his voice from the years he spent on air asking the public to help solve crimes. “But I can look back and say we had a great run.”

How Crime Stoppers helped communities solve crimes

While Crime Stoppers contributed to only a fraction of all cleared cases nationwide, one study by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1987 found that Crime Stoppers was effective at solving certain felonies unlikely to be solved by traditional policing methods.

“It was providing tips that the police otherwise would not have received,” said Gregory Stewart, a professor of criminology at Portland State University. Crime Stoppers would amplify an unsolved crime by partnering with local media in spots and articles about the Crime of the Week.

There are no demographic statistics to track on who used Crime Stoppers’ tip line to report on suspects. But Stewart said the service likely filled an important gap between law enforcement and marginalized communities — people like sex workers, gang members or people without legal status in the United States.

“There are people who truly fear coming forward to the police,” Groepper said. “You’re probably going to have to testify in court, and then there’s always that fear of retaliation.”

Crime Stoppers of Oregon would offer rewards up to $2,500 for tips, money that victims’ families could not always afford.

In 2017, Brian Nees died of stab wounds after seeking help at a Portland pub and identifying his son, Tyler Nees, as his assailant. Don Nees said he was devastated by his brother’s death, and Crime Stoppers of Oregon was an invaluable help to their family as they were searching for his nephew Tyler, who had reportedly fled the scene of the crime.

“We all lived in the Portland area, but nobody was in a position to put up any money,” Don said of the search for Tyler. He said his nephew struggled with severe mental health issues and addiction.

Police told reporters that an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Oregon played a role in finding Tyler after he fled the scene of the crime. Don said everyone on the street in Tyler’s stomping grounds of Northwest Portland was on the lookout for him.

“It went from being a missing person to a slam dunk,” Don said. “They had him incarcerated and off the street, and he wasn’t hurting anybody else… if it hadn’t been for Crime Stoppers, this might have gone on for a long time.”

In the absence of Crime Stoppers, people turn to social media to solve cases

As Crime Stoppers of Oregon sunsets its hotline, loved ones of victims are having to find other pathways of raising awareness for unanswered cases.

After 61-year-old Vancouver, Wash., resident Cristina Ase went missing in Portland on March 26, 2024, sisters Amy Schauer and Nicole Oquist have sought every possible avenue for locating their co-worker, from billboards to private detectives.

“Somebody knows something, and we want them to be brave enough to come forward with information,” Schauer said.

Crime Stoppers of Oregon posted a $2,500 reward for any information about Ase’s whereabouts. The organization’s end means that Schauer and Oquist will have to rely on other ways of raising awareness for Ase’s missing persons case with the FBI. So far, they’ve consulted private detectives, hosted donation drives and posted Ase’s photo on billboards to push for answers.

Like many, the sisters have relied on social media as a centralized place to update Ase’s community on her case while making sure law enforcement continues to prioritize the search.

“The Facebook page probably helped things more,” Schauer said. “That’s a place where people can go to get the information about who to contact with leads.”

Schauer said the end of Crime Stoppers of Oregon could be devastating for individuals who don’t have as many resources at their disposal and rely on the nonprofit for help. She encourages them not to lose hope and to keep trying by using all the tools that are still available.

“To anybody that has somebody they love that’s missing, don’t give up,” Schauer said. “Keep calling the police department. Stay in contact with them.”