North to help raise funds for Crime Stoppers

Lt. Col. Oliver North, combatdecorated U.S. Marine, bestselling author and military correspondent, will be the guest of honor at a special fundraiser to benefit Caddo- Bossier Crime Stoppers at 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 11 at Sam’s Town Casino and Hotel Ballroom.

“Lt. Col. North is a strong supporter of law enforcement,” Caddo Parish Crime Stoppers Vice President Jim Taliaferro said. “He is all about public safety. Having him speak is a good fit, and we are very fortunate he was available on this date.”

North is well-known to Americans familiar with U.S. military activities and beyond. He is a Texas native who graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served 22 years as a U.S. Marine. For his service in combat, he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star for valor and two Purple Hearts for wounds in action.

In addition to his prestigious honors, North is host of “War Stories” for FOX News and the new host of the awardwinning original series “Saving Private K-9” on Sportsman Channel.

From 1983-86, North served on the National Security Council Staff as the U.S. government’s counter-terrorism coordinator. He was involved in planning the rescue of 804 medical students on the island of Grenada and played a major role in the capture of terrorists who hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro. President Ronald Reagan described him as “an American hero.”

North serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association and is the founder of the Freedom Alliance, a foundation providing college scholarships to the sons and daughters of U.S. military personnel killed in the line of duty.

Crime Stoppers is a nonprofit dedicated to facilitating the anonymous reporting of information regarding criminal activity or wanted fugitives to law enforcement.

“When I first became coordinator for the program, I wanted the public to be able to view videos of crimes as much as possible,” Taliaferro said. “In about 2007, we launched the Caddo Parish YouTube Channel.”

Since inception, videos have been viewed 232,753 times.

“In the past 28 days, there have been 21,489 views, 110,000 minutes of viewing, which is because of the Hearne Avenue shooting,” he said. “The No. 1 video viewed is the shootout at Hearne with 14,369 viewers, which have been viewed multiple times.”

Taliaferro said the Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish Crime Stoppers are run by volunteers and depend on donations from businesses and private citizens.

“We get some money from court systems, which are allocated to every Crime Stoppers program.” he said. “That money is to be used only for paying rewards and advertising the Crime Stoppers program.”

Money raised from small fundraisers handle administration and operational costs, as well as programs that donate materials to Neighborhood Watch or other meetings.

Individual tickets are still available.

–Bonnie Culverhouse

QUICK TIPS

Since the beginning of 2015, Caddo Parish Crime Stoppers has received 387 tips, made 10 arrests and closed 14 cases, Jim Taliaferro said.

“From July 2014 to June 2015, we paid $14,570 in rewards,” he added. “Since we began keeping electronic records, we have received 23,000 tips, made 845 arrests and closed 996 cases.” The organization has recovered $773,000 in property (including drugs) and paid $191,000 in rewards.