Why so secretive?

Why is Crime Stoppers for McHenry County so secretive about its work and its membership?

After finding it almost impossible to get in contact with that organization through the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department last summer, I finally pried a mailing address out of the deputy at the sheriff’s department who is the Coordinator (or Police Liaison). A September 10th letter to that P.O. Box resulted only in a reply that sounded more like a reprimand for asking questions and which did not provide any answers.

A second letter, on October 18, has gone unanswered.

Helen Torscher is the Secretary of the group, according to her October 10^th reply to my September 10^th letter. She expressed no interest in my comment that I myself had experienced “less than satisfactory” service when I called the tollfree tip line and that I knew of two other people who had voiced similar dissatisfaction.

The Crime Stoppers International database lists her as President (not Secretary), and it lists a Richard Heizer as Treasurer. The business name there is incorrect, too, unless it’s wrong on the stationery of Crime Stoppers for McHenry County.

Helen suggested I “peruse” the CrimeStoppers USA website but included an erroneous website address. On the correct website it informs viewers that members must be 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, and it lists the local group as “McHenry County Crime Stoppers”, rather than by its (correct) legal name.

Her letter also told me that Crime Stoppers for McHenry County is a “non-profit fund raising group.”

According to the Illinois Secretary of State’s website, Crime Stoppers for McHenry County is an Illinois not-for-profit group, but the Charitable Trust Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office does not know of it as a charity.

And the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) does not know of it as a tax-exempt organization. Aren’t most “fund raising groups” both non-profit and tax-exempt? It’s the tax-exempt status (not the non-profit status) that gives a donor a tax deduction for any donation.

And, if it’s not a 501(c)(3) organization, how can it be a member of CrimeStoppers USA?

Helen refused to identify the officers or board members for me, and a FOIA request to the sheriff’s department resulted in heavily-redacted photocopies of documentation they have. The sheriff’s department withheld the names of board members, asserting that their safety might be endangered by their association with paying tips for leads. I’d say their safety is more in danger by driving home from an annual meeting at the Woodstock Country Club after Crime Stoppers’-paid drinks, appetizers and dinner. Last year’s invitation did not mention “cash bar”, so the assumption is that there was an open bar, paid for by fund-raising or contributions from local governments.

If it is a non-profit, fund-raising group, then its financial records ought to be open. In other words, operations should be transparent. I have no interest in the identities of the 12 people who were paid a total of $3,400 in 2009; that’s confidential information. Everything else should be open. Why are they hiding?