Crime Stoppers of Oregon will close its anonymous tip line at the end of September

After 43 years, Crime Stoppers of Oregon is shutting down. The nonprofit ran a hotline where people could report information on unsolved crimes without giving their name and collect a cash reward — up to $2,500 — if the tip led to an arrest.

Chairman Henry Groepper, a retired Portland police officer, said the all-volunteer board was aging and donations had dried up. Only eight cases have been cleared with the group's help since 2022. At its peak in the 1980s and '90s, it was clearing hundreds per year.

Gregory Stewart, a criminology professor at Portland State, said the service likely filled a gap for people who feared contact with police — including sex workers, undocumented immigrants, and gang members. Groepper made the same point: some people will not come forward if it means testifying in court and risking retaliation.

Families of missing people are now turning to social media, billboards, and private detectives. The sister of a missing Vancouver woman said the Facebook page for her case has done more than the tip line did.