Crime Stoppers - transparent or not???

The Crime Stoppers for McHenry County group continues to stay hidden from prying eyes and refuses to communicate about its operations or finances.

Contrast this with an article that just ran in the Boone County Journal about the Boone County Crime Stoppers organization. Thanks to pushing by the publisher of the Boone County Watchdog, the Boone County Crime Stoppers group, which had lost its charitable trust status with the State of Illinois, has apparently gotten itself back in the good graces of the State. You can follow the efforts of the Watchdog's publisher at http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2011/06/crime-stoppers-repairs-charitable-trust.html
To read the original article on the online version of the Journal, go to the June 3rd edition of the Journal and the use the page indicator at the bottom to go forward to Page 7: http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2011/Boone-County-News-06-03-11.pdf#page=3

Now, back to Crime Stoppers for McHenry County, which receives significant dollars every year from the McHenry County Circuit Court. Crime Stoppers for McHenry County isn't defunct in its registration with the Charitable Trust Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. IT IS NOT EVEN REGISTERED and never has been, according to the Bureau. It started the registration process about 24 years ago but did not complete it.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan should be embarrassed at the June 2, 2011, letter sent to me by the Consumer Protection Division of her office. What did it say?

"We have recorded this information (that which I sent them, alerting them to continued (unregistered) operations of Crime Stoppers for McHenry County for 24 years)) in our complaint files for future reference.

"Should an inquiry into this matter or subsequent complaints indicate actionable violations of Illinois law..."

Well, what did think my first letter was? Just an exercise in writing and expenditure of postage to test the U.S. Mail delivery system? Which failed the first time, by not delivering my first letter! My first letter (and its follow-up) asked the Attorney General to investigate Crime Stoppers for McHenry County. Why wouldn't they just get started and do that?

If you think that an organization sucking up public monies and required to be registered under Illinois law ought to, in fact, comply with the law and BE registered, then write to

File No. 2011-CONSC-00306989
Lisa Madigan, Attorney General
100 West Randolph Street, 12th floor
Chicago, IL 60601