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Nebraska Hunting Information
Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers
Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers is a cooperative wildlife law enforcement program,
sponsored by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska
Wildlife Protectors Association. It is similar to the well-known Crime
Stoppers program and offers rewards for information resulting in
arrests for game law violations. The Game and Parks Commission provides
a toll-free hotline, investigative operations and public information.
The Wildlife Protectors, a group of concerned citizens, handles
fundraising and reward payment. NWPA determines when and the amount of
rewards to be paid.
The need for Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers is obvious, judging from the many acts
of poaching and other game-related violations that come to the attention
of sportsmen and law enforcement officers each year. Often evidence is
lacking and no arrests are made. Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers allows informants to remain
totally anonymous - identified only by a number. Protecting the
identity of informants together with a reward for accurate violation
information hopefully will encourage cooperation by those who have information and might not
come forward otherwise. Naturally, we hope that we continue to
receive information from concerned citizens and sportsmen
who are willing to give their names and appear in court if necessary.
HOW NEBRASKA WILDLIFE CRIMESTOPPERS WORKS
To insure informants remain anonymous, if they wish to do so, on first
contact, Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers assigns identification numbers to persons who provide
information. This number also serves as the case file number until the
case is closed. Obviously, it would be more helpful if informants would
give their names so follow-up contacts could be arranged easier.
Even if an informant does give his or her name, it will be kept completely
confidential, unless the informant authorizes the release of his or
her name.
If the informant wishes to remain anonymous and an ID number is assigned,
he or she will be asked how subsequent contacts can be made to
advise of case progress and/or arrange for payment of a reward. The
options for follow-up contact will include having the informant call
back, having the investigating officer call the informant or publishing
reward information in a local newspaper by referring only to the
ID number. To guarantee that the contact person responds to such follow
up contacts, each informant will also be asked to give some unique identifying
information that would be known, only to him or her, such as favorite color
or the like.
Rewards will be paid in cases where charges are filed, no matter what the
outcome in court is. The Wildlife Protectors Association board decides the
amount of each reward under guidelines set forth in the organization bylaws.
Rewards can be paid in cash or by check as the informant wishes.
HOW TO REPORT VIOLATIONS
There are two ways to report game or fish violations, whether you are
interested in a possible reward or not:
(1) Call the toll-free Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers hotline in Lincoln at 1-800-742-7627.
This hotline is answered by a Game and Parks Commission staff member
from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. After hours and on weekends and holidays,
it is answered by the Nebraska Crimestoppers operator and information is
relayed to a Commission conservation officer.
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(2) Contact your nearest conservation officer
any time. In many cases, an investigation can be initiated much faster if information
is given directly to the nearest conservation officer.
Whether you call the hotline or the nearest conservation officer, you can
remain anonymous. You can be assigned a number, and the information
will be handled under that number.
To assist in reporting violations, a list of conservation officers and their
telephone numbers is provided along with an outline of the information
you should try to provide. The more help you can give, the better the chances
the case can be investigated successfully.
CONTRIBUTIONS
The Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers program operates solely on donations from people
interested in protecting wildlife from illegal poaching activity. All
donations to the program are tax-deductible for those who itemize their
deductions on their federal income tax return. If you would like to
contribute, send your donation to:
Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers
P.O. Box 726
Broken Bow, NE 68822
If you are out of state and witness a game law violation, call the North
American Wildlife Safeguard Inc.1-800-800-WARDEN. This toll-free number allows
citizens to contact any wildlife law enforcement agency in the country
to report a violation. The hotline operates year-round from 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
Mountain Time.
HELPFUL INFORMATION
When reporting a violation, please note as many facts as possible immediately.
You will be asked a variety of questions. and the more information you can
provide, the quicker the violator can be caught, and the case successfully
prosecuted.
What type of violation was it, and what happened? When and where did it
happen? Give the date, time and location.
Give as much information as possible about the suspect - name, address, telephone, physical
description (weight, height, hair color, eyes, clothing and any other
pertinent information). Was the person armed or carrying a concealed weapon?
Were firearms involved in the violation?
What about the suspect's vehicle - make, year, color, style. License number and
any other distinguishing feature like dented fenders?
What animals or fish were involved, how many, and where are they now?
What about other physical evidence - like hides, entrails, guns, cartridge
cases, knives and such?
Will the illegal game or evidence be moved soon? If so, when and where to?
Were there other witnesses? Give their names and any other information about
the violation, suspect or violations that you may have noted.
Callers to the Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers Hotline, 1-800-742-7627, may remain
anonymous. When you call, a number is assigned, and all information
and reward payments will be processed under that number.
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