TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - An organization that's been fighting crime for decades continues its push for the public to get involved.
The "Big Bend Crime Stoppers" use an anonymous tipline to get key information to law enforcement.
Since 1984, the "Big Bend Crime Stoppers" have been asking for your help.
"We're citizens of this community," said Sharon Ofuani, the executive director of Big Bend Crime Stoppers. "We care about this community. We want to live in a safe environment."
The "Crime Stoppers" serve seven counties, helping law enforcement whenever they can.
"We have to work constantly on reducing crime, preventing crime -- and we need everybody's help to do so," said Ofuani.
Mutaqee Akbar, an attorney said, "It's about the safety and the health of our community, and if we clean out the bad apples, then we can move forward and progress."
Here's how it works: a call, text or web post gets sent to a center in Texas, where the source is encrypted.
"The call center will call back to the police department, where we have a law enforcement coordinator, and they give them the tip," said Ofuani.
The Crime Stoppers continue to look for answers in unsolved deaths like that of Quinton Langford who was killed during FAMU's 2016 homecoming. The hope is someone knows something and reports it to the Crime Stoppers, knowing they won't be identified.
"That's the idea. We don't know who they are," said Ofuani. "It is anonymous, and that's our message -- to get people to truly trust in what we're saying and what we do."
"If we help solve these crimes, then law enforcement wouldn't have to just put out that big net and see what they find," said Akbar. "They can have a targeted person that they're going after -- with the help of the community."
The "Big Bend Crime Stoppers" will hold its annual festival Saturday at Cascades Park and Lake Anita.
For more information on that event and how you can help this organization, click here.
