Sucker-punched by pandemic, Crime Stoppers asks for help

COVID-19 has sucked much of the life out of Crime Stoppers of Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District.

"Our main issue...is our finances," says Kendra Addison, the organization's program coordinator.

"Our fundraising efforts have basically ceased to exist since March," Addison told a meeting of the Downtown Association's board of directors last week.

"A lot of organizations and businesses are in this position as well, so it makes it even more challenging."

"In order to keep our staff and volunteers safe, we've put all of that on hold and tried to find online ways of generating some funding."

"Which honestly, is not going very well for our organization. It's not a method we're used to," Addison said.

Crime Stoppers is also having trouble recruiting volunteers and directors.

One Crime Stoppers activity that's been put on hold until the pandemic resolves is its downtown foot patrols.

With recent complaints about a lack of visible police presence on Queen Street, Addison is hoping the Downtown Association can help get the volunteer patrols going again.

Volunteer patrols have walked the city's core for most of the past eight years but the program was stopped in 2018.

Last year, Addison worked to get the patrols going again through a new initiative involving the Downtown Association, Sault College and the local campus of Gates College.

The idea was to offer walking and bike patrols, using students from police foundations and other college-level programs.

The students would patrol four blocks of the city's core, north-south, from river to rail yards.

The student volunteers were to use cell phones equipped with special apps allowing them to file reports, take crime-scene photos and log their travels between designated checkpoints.

Interested businesses would buy window decals displaying QR codes to be scanned by the student patrollers.

But Crime Stoppers was able to find only three businesses willing to pay for window decals.

This year, however, is very different.

Addison is hoping there will be more businesses willing to lend a hand.

"We're just here to see if there's any way you can support us with these challenges, and whether or not we'll be able to bring this program back earlier than anticipated," she said.

Addison asked for help in finding members for a committee dedicated to bringing back the downtown patrols.

A number of board members volunteered on the spot.

"We can certainly help with that, for sure," added Downtown Association chair Kristi Cistaro.