Crime Stoppers first began in Albuquerque, New Mexico after the fatal shooting of a university student working one night at a local gas station. After weeks of investigation, police had no information, so out of desperation Detective Greg MacAleese approached the local television station requesting a reconstruction of the crime. The re-enactment offered $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the killers.

Within 72 hours, a vehicle used during the robbery was identified and subsequently two men were arrested, charged and convicted of the murder and robbery. The person calling said that he did not want to get involved so he had not called earlier. Detective MacAleese then realized that fear and apathy were the primary reasons why the public tended not to get involved. So he helped design a system where the public could anonymously provide details of the events. This system focused on stimulating community involvement and participation, taking advantage of every possible media opportunity, especially electronic media, to publicize unsolved crimes, and offering cash rewards for information leading to an arrest and/or conviction.

Various, similar programs exist around the world. While the individual programs are local or regional in nature, mostly run by non-profit groups or directly by police, various national and international umbrella organizations exist. The toll-free telephone number +1-800-222-TIPS is used to reach various different Crime Stoppers groups in the U.S. and Canada, although some groups publish their own numbers.