Tupelo Police officer honored at Crime Stoppers Awards Luncheon

Lt. Katarsha White has been active in community oriented policing for years

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s one of the most effective crime-fighting tools and today, Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi recognized those who help bring criminals to justice.

Every week, Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi highlights a case police are trying to solve. Anyone with information is asked to call a tip line, and if the information leads to an arrest and conviction, the caller can earn an award of up to $1,000.

‘The reward money will help, it can help you on stuff you need, no ifs and or buts about it,” said Susan Wren of Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi.

Last year, Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi received 6,100 tips, with 659 arrests and more than 1,400 cases cleared. Every caller is anonymous. That success was celebrated during the annual awards lunch.

Crime Stoppers relies on cooperation between the police, media, and the public to provide information about crimes and criminals.

“We had one case of some lawn equipment stolen, the tip led us to south Lee County, in one day we were in Monroe, Chickasaw County, if had it not been for that tip and the segment aired we probably wouldn’t have ever solved that crime,” said Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar.

A highlight of each annual banquet is the officer of the year and for 2022, the honoree is a longtime Tupelo Police Officer, known for her work with Community Oriented Policing.

Lieutenant Katarsha White said she was surprised and honored by the recognition. The 26-year veteran officer said Crime Stoppers is a valuable tool in the fight against crime.

“We work hard to protect our communities, but a lot of times the community sees a lot more than we do, so every opportunity we can get for them to assist us is a blessing,” White said.

White volunteers with a lot of community organizations, but she always makes time for Crime Stoppers because she has seen firsthand how it helps make the community safer.

And if you have any information about any crime in the region, you can call (800) 773-8477 to report it.

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