Northeast News
September 23, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline was recently recognized with three national awards at the 2015 Crime Stoppers USA Training Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.

Competing with programs from across the United States, the program received the Board Member of the Year, Coordinator of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The Board Member of the Year award went to Boyd H. McGathey, who has served as a board member for Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers program since 2003. The 2015 Coordinator of the Year was presented to Michael “Mike” West, who, after retiring from the Kansas City Police Department in 1997, came to the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline as a call taker. He has been the assistant coordinator for the program for over a decade and coordinates the nearly 30 weekly fugitive features that appear on the four major broadcast television stations in the KC market.

And the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Margaret Jones, who is retired from the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission after 25 years of service. She is one of four founding members of the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers program and continues to actively serve on the board as one of three Life Members. She is also one of the founding members of Crime Stoppers USA and serves on the Board as Regional Director and Chair of the Nominating and Awards Committees.

In a press release, the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers program said they are extremely proud of the three recipients and also would like to thank the media and law enforcement for their support as well as the community members who have provided information over the last 33 years. The success of the program is a direct reflection of the Kansas City area community.