THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 7, 1995 TAG: 9504070504
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
With just three hours of prime-time television this Saturday, organizers of the 11th annual Greater Hampton Roads Crime Line Telethon have to raise more than $31,600 an hour to meet their goal of $95,000.
That money will go to anonymous tipsters who, last year, provided information that:
Led to the largest drug bust in Chesapeake history.
Solved a perplexing case where a woman was stabbed three times in the driveway of her suburban Virginia Beach home.
Helped police find a man responsible for shooting a Norfolk pizza-delivery driver.
Led to the arrest of a suspect who shot a woman and child at a Peninsula ice-cream store.
Pointed detectives to a man who killed a Suffolk senior citizen with a hammer.
Each year, local Crime Line and Crime Solvers organizations reel in the area's most wanted, often on cases where detectives' leads have run dry. About 98 percent of Crime Line arrests lead to convictions, police said.
Last year, more than 1,400 crimes were solved because of the program. Police recovered more than $4 million in stolen property and drugs.
Since the program's inception more than a decade ago, police have solved more than 20,500 cases and recovered more than $25 million in property and drugs.
``We not only want to ask people to contribute money to this worthwhile cause, we will show viewers how the program works,'' said telethon producer John Miller. ``They will see how their donation is actually an investment in the safety of our community.''
From 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday on WVEC Channel 13, viewers can call in pledges. The money will be used for rewards, since the Crime Line and Crime Solvers programs don't receive any tax money from the area cities they serve. At 6 p.m., preshow features begin with music, children's activities and raffles. ILLUSTRATION: TO DONATE
Donations may also be mailed to:
Greater Hampton Roads Crime Line Telethon
P.O. Box 662
Portsmouth, Va. 23705.
KEYWORDS: CRIME LINE FUND RAISER by CNB