CRIME STOPPERS TO OFFER REWARDS ON HIT-AND-RUNS

The economic impact of hit-and-run accidents in Cape Girardeau reached nearly $2 million in 1996, says a report by the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

The report, presented to the Southeast Missouri Crime Stoppers by Chief Rick Hetzel, also showed that 342 of the 2,715 accidents in Cape Girardeau last year -- nearly 13 percent -- were hit-and-runs.

Because of the figures supplied by the report, Crime Stoppers decided Thursday to begin offering rewards for information leading to the arrest of drivers who leave the scene of automobile accidents.

The total amount of economic loss to the community in 1996 alone was $1,861,250. That includes accidents that occurred on city streets and on private property, such as store parking lots.

"That's a pretty significant economic impact," Hetzel said.

The figure, said traffic officer Sgt. J. Robert Davis, the author of the report, is based on the National Safety Council's 1994 estimates of the average cost of vehicle crashes and includes dollars spent and lost income.

Statistics also show that the rate of hit-and-run accidents is much greater on private property than on city streets. In 201 of the 2,130 street accidents -- almost 10 percent -- one or more of the vehicles left the scene. But over 24 percent of all accidents on private property were hit-and-runs.

Hetzel told the Crime Stoppers board that the crowded shopping center parking lots over the Christmas buying season will likely bring increased numbers of accidents where drivers leave after hitting another vehicle.

In Missouri, it is a class A misdemeanor to leave the scene of an accident. If there is physical injury to another party or property damage in excess of $1,000, or if the defendant has been previously found guilty of the violation, it becomes a class D felony.

"We're hoping John Q. Citizen will see a hit-and-run, get a license number and call the police," Hetzel said.

He said that when Crime Stoppers begins to offer rewards for hit-and-run accidents, it will create an environment where people won't leave an accident scene for fear of being reported.

The amount of the reward offered by Crime Stoppers will be determined by members of the board and will be dependent on the severity of the crime reported.

Crime Stoppers, a national program that allows citizens to help law enforcement, was established in Cape Girardeau following a 1996 string of burglaries targeting the homes of elderly residents.

Since its formation, Crime Stoppers has received 55 anonymous tips leading to 10 arrests. They have paid $1,650 in rewards to date.