Local Spotlight: Odessa Crime Stoppers

Behind the Line, a production of Odessa Crime Stoppers, is a true crime podcast featuring unsolved murders and missing person cases from Ector County and the surrounding areas hosted by Susan Rogers and Ryan Kelly. 

Behind the Line utilizes interviews with victim’s family, friends, investigators and law enforcement experts to bring a new and unique approach to featured cases with the goal of bringing the perpetrator to justice and to provide closure to the victim's family. Odessa Crime Stoppers works closely with their local law enforcement agencies to ensure that they preserve the integrity of the investigations. Each season we will feature 5-8 episodes and will cover 4-6 unsolved cases.

Traditionally, the Crime Stoppers model has included law enforcement, the local media, and the community to bring offenders to justice, but times are changing fast. While attending Texas Crime Stoppers conferences and speaking to other local programs around the state of Texas, Odessa Crime Stoppers has noticed a shift in how they receive information and how they push it out to their community. Younger generations no longer consume news or entertainment the way our parents did, so by creating a Podcast, Odessa Crime Stoppers is able to reach a new demographic and take their message national. 

The Behind the Line Podcast started out as a YouTube Channel. With just a camera and some video editing software. After they got a few 'Crime of the Week' videos under their belt, they started a 'Feature Crime' each month. While working on a case for their YouTube channel, Ryan Kelly had the idea to interview the investigator and contact the victim’s family. One day while discussing the case with Susan, they started talking about a very popular true-crime podcast that sparked the idea that this too could be a podcast. After watching many of YouTube videos and doing hours of research, Ryan and Susan started gathering equipment and researching cases. After pitching their idea to their local law enforcement agencies, they received support and were given access to reports, photographs and interviews with the detectives and investigators working the cases. Thus, a podcast was born where they are truly taking listeners Behind the Line!

Annual Reports  

It’s that time of the year again to submit your programs annual reports. To access your reports, select the hyperlinks listed below using the previously created username and password sent to your organization. Reporting due dates has been extended to February 28, 2023.   

• 2022 Probation Fee Repayment Report (PFRR)
• PFRR Overview and Checklist 
• 2022 2nd Period Statistical Report, June 1 - Dec 31
• 2023 Annual Crime Stoppers Program Report  

Please share this information with your board, executive directors, and law enforcement coordinators to give them ample time to gather the data to complete the reports in a timely manner. For questions, contact Maggie Torres at (512) 463-8306 or [email protected].

Training Opportunities

Texas Crime Stoppers Basic Course Training 
Galveston, Texas
April 3-4, 2023

Texas Crime Stoppers Basic Course Training 
Kerrville, Texas
June 5-6, 2023

Texas Crime Stoppers Basic Course Training 
Copperas Cove, Texas
August 7-8, 2023

34th Annual Texas Crime Stoppers Conference
McAllen Convention Center- McAllen, Texas
October 3-5, 2023

Texas Crime Stoppers Events 

Crime Stoppers in the Field

Texas Crime Stoppers recently held the 27th Annual Texas Crime Stoppers Campus Conference in San Marcos, Texas. The campus conference puts a strong focus on youth volunteers who work diligently within their middle and high school campuses to keep their peers and communities safe.

Each February, Texas Crime Stoppers students, administrators, program sponsors and School Resource Officers (SRO) gather from near and far for the annual Texas Crime Stoppers Campus conference. The 2023 “Clued In” event, hosted by Hays County Crime Stoppers, provided a great learning experience and focused on current trends and issues seen on campuses and in our local communities, including; cyberbullying, fentanyl and other deadly drugs, school violence and threats, distracted driving, sex trafficking, and online predators.

Thank you to Hays County Crime Stoppers for hosting a great conference! 

Campus Conference Photos

We hope to see you this October in McAllen, Texas for the 34th Annual Texas Crime Stoppers Conference!

Texas Crime Stoppers Student Ambassadors

The Crime Stoppers Student Ambassador Program is a student based leadership program for Texas youth involved in their Crime Stoppers community across the state. The aim of the program is to establish a network of informed and influential students throughout Texas who can actively represent Crime Stoppers while building a proficient skill set and gaining leadership experience.

The program consists of 12 students and one alternate who are carefully chosen and tasked with setting leadership standards of excellence among their peer groups, acting as role models on their campuses and in their communities, and are also required to complete a series of projects over the course of a calendar year.

Let's congratulate our 2023-2024 Texas Crime Stoppers Student Ambassadors!

Happy Anniversary!

Ward County Crime Stoppers, 11 years 

Coppell Crime Commission, 13 years

Northwest ISD Campus Crime Stoppers, 15 years 

Edinburg Crime Stoppers, 19 years

Laredo Crime Stoppers, Inc., 36 years 

Walker County & Huntsville Crime Stoppers, 36 years 

Lamar & Red River County Crime Stoppers, 37 years 

McCulloch County Crimestoppers, Inc., 37 years 

Marshall-Harrison County Crime Stoppers, 38 years 

Madison County Crime Stoppers, Inc., 39 years 

Anderson County Crime Stoppers, 40 years

Top of Texas Crime Stoppers, Inc., 40 years 

Vernon-Wilbarger County Crime Stoppers, 40 years 

Abilene Crime Stoppers, Inc., 42 years 

Waco Crime Stoppers, 42 years 

Congratulations on all your years of service! Thank you for your continued investment in your community which has paved the way for a safer, stronger future for our state.