Investigator says more awareness needed about unsolved crimes rewards program

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

While an investigator in the unsolved Ann Lamrock murder case thinks a $150,000 reward is good incentive for someone to come forward with information, he thinks the province’s Department of Justice should be doing a better job in getting the word out about it’s unsolved cases rewards program.

“If there was greater public awareness about the program, it may solicit more feedback from the public,” says Corporal Dana Parsons of the Yarmouth-based Southwest Major Crime Unit, who thinks the rewards program is a great tool for law enforcement.

The Justice Department’s Rewards for Unsolved Crimes Program was launched in October 2006. At the time of the launch there were department media releases that generated coverage and when new cases are added to the program more media releases follow. There has also been a media blitz announcing the tripling of rewards for all of the cases in the program from $50,000 to $150,000.

But in between the media releases there is little heard or said about the program, says Cpl. Parsons, in comparison to a program like Crime Stoppers, which the public reads or hears about on a daily basis in newspapers and on the radio and television.

Carla Grant, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, says the department has thought about initiating a public awareness campaign about the rewards program, but it hasn’t settled on the best approach.

“We are thinking about how best to reach the public on this,” she says. “It’s a bit of a targeted audience that we’re looking for…We’re trying to figure out how to best reach the audience we need.”

But Grant says while the department recognizes its responsibility to get the word out about the program, it also encourages local police agencies to do the same and use the program as a tool in the crime solving efforts, whether it be something as simple as tacking up reward posters in their jurisdictions, or contacting their local media to do profiles on the unsolved cases.

“We’re encouraging local police agencies to use this to their advantage in whatever way they choose,” Grant says.