Beaver County Crime Solvers reflect on history of organization and detail new initiatives

BEAVER – When scrolling through social media, Beaver County residents may notice a new silhouette of Sherlock Holmes pondering local cases on their feeds.

While the fictional detective has solved plenty of tough cases, the faces behind the Beaver County Crime Solvers have also spent decades tracking leads on some of the biggest cases in western Pennsylvania. 

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Using the silhouette of the famed investigator as their symbol, these real-world detectives and officers have been a vital part of the local investigative process since the 1980s. As the organization enters the digital age and moves to social media, the Crime Solvers are hoping that local witnesses can have a new way to view vital information about crimes in their community. 

By reigniting the local investigative scene on social media, as well as making their names known through upcoming community events, the detectives hope to crack the multiple unsolved cases in Beaver County and create a community of people dedicated to solving ongoing cases. 

The History of the Beaver County Crime Solvers

Acting as a tool for local investigators, the Beaver County Crime Solvers was first started in 1984 by Anthony Hovanec, who was serving as Beaver’s chief of police. 

The concept of an organization dedicated to solving ongoing investigations was inspired by the original Crime Stoppers, which was formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in September 1976. While serving as a member of the Maryland State Police in the 1970s, Hovanec observed the original Crime Stoppers and adapted the program for Montgomery County.

After a successful launch in Maryland, Hovanec would also help form the first Crime Stoppers organization in Pennsylvania in Franklin, bringing the nonprofit model to Venango County. 

When his career took him to Beaver County, Hovanec quickly began to lay the groundwork for a local version of the organization.

“I came up here in March of 1983,” Hovanec said. “Shortly thereafter, we started a Crime Solvers program here in Beaver County with the cooperation of all the local agencies. It worked out very, very well.”

At the time, a group like the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers was not available for communities across the state. Beaver County’s organization would be one of the first in the region, making them a vital resource for daily cases in Allegheny County, and Lawrence County as well. 

Unlike the other Crime Stoppers at the time, however, Beaver County encountered a unique situation when it came time to name the group.

“The original problem was (the name), we came up here and there was a program out of Pittsburgh where little kids were the Crime Stoppers,” Hovanec said. “We just thought cop: we don't steal cars, we don't do this. So, we didn't copy what they had and that's why we went with the name Crime Solvers.”

Despite the initial naming issues, the Beaver County Crime Solvers saw quick success in the region and established a name for themselves in western Pennsylvania. The group would assist in various regional cases, allowing detectives another source of potential information during a time without social media or high-tech computers.

By publishing incidents in local newspapers and airing segments on Pittsburgh’s TV stations, the information network around cases expanded to the public and even helped officers stay in touch with some of the unsolved incidents around the area. 

“There was very little communication between police departments at that time, unless you were working that day in your own patrol car,” said Jim DeGori, a Beaver detective and previous coordinator for Crime Solvers. “You heard that somebody else had this, or somebody tells you at the courthouse by accident.”

In these early days during the Beaver County Crime Solvers service, callers often provided vital evidence needed to arrest suspects. By providing the details around particular cases each week, communities were able to report any suspicious activity and create leads for officers who were left with very few routes to investigate. 

One of the reasons for the success of the program was the ability to anonymously offer tips to officers, often incentivized by cash rewards. 

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“A lot of the callers, the first thing they ask is ‘Am I being recorded?’ And the answer is no,” said Chuck Casbourne, who has served as chairman for the Crime Solvers for the past 22 years.

This request for anonymity is common among those wishing to report details on crimes, as detectives note that witnesses sometimes have concerns over their own identities being revealed, as well as having concerns for their personal safety.

“Many people don't want to come forward to report anything on a crime because they don't want their identity out there,” DeGori said. “You're giving the public the opportunity to come forward with information that may change a family's life.”

Tips to the Crime Solvers hotline were essential for Beaver County detectives and remain an important part of the investigative process. Detectives have used these community leads for decades, with the tips serving as a key piece in some major arrests. 

“What people don't know: after midnight, there's a whole new world out there,” said Timmie Patrick, a Beaver County detective and police liason for the Crime Solvers. “People are beating the bushes, trying to find out things that are going on while people are still sleeping and getting beauty rest. But when they wake up in the morning, you get some information and the sheriff's department with their warrant detail, along with the SWAT team, if needed. People are out there looking for these individuals, it just keeps on going.”

Not all tips need to be for breaking cases, as many unsolved cases that end up going “cold” are still seeking anonymous tips, as well. As Beaver County continues to search for leads in local cold cases, these tips can give hope to detectives and families looking for answers. 

“For us with the county detectives, we're still reviewing cold cases,” Patrick said. “We're still doing work on homicides, ongoing homicides, homicides that are solved and cases that are not solved. Everything is still ongoing, every single day is just time management and following the tips that come in.”

While the anonymous tips have always been useful, the activities of the Crime Solvers of Beaver County began to slow down around the 2000s and quietly began to stagnate. While the rest of the world was hopping onto the internet and adopting new technologies to their programs, DeGori noticed that the Crime Solvers weren't embracing the new trends as quickly as other agencies. 

“When I came in with the police department, nobody had really taken and run with it too much,” DeGori said. “That was probably a five- to a seven-year period where it was running, but it wasn't really doing the full bore that it could be.”

After taking control of the organization, DeGori worked with other organizations to get the nonprofit back into shape and breathe a fresh breath of air into the program. This included new additions such as a Beaver County Crime Solvers website, informational videos and engaging with newspapers and local TV stations more frequently.

The nonprofit status of the Crime Solvers was also renewed at this time, allowing detectives to reassess the missions of the organization. This included reforming the official Crime Solvers Board, finding more volunteers and holding more fundraisers. 

“Beaver County Chamber of Commerce was a big help at that point because they were able to facilitate for me to go ‘Okay, here's your 700 contacts in the county, let's go make phone calls' and then meet with every one of them,” DeGori said. “It was just bringing those individuals in and explaining what the organization did, how it worked, how it operated and what we did for the community that created a big support effort from everybody.”

Crime Solvers adopting new technology for investigations

As Crime Solvers enters the digital age, investigators are adapting to some new ways of tracking down potential suspects and spreading case information.

One of the recent additions to the Crime Solvers toolbox has been new social media pages, which allow detectives and law enforcement agencies to quickly share information. While previous communication was required to go through a third party, the Crime Solvers can now have pictures and information out on active cases immediately.

“When you have social media, you hit that share button to your page and it's out there,” said Kristen Doerschner, a former Times staffer who serves as secretary for Crime Solvers and runs the organization's new social media page. “The community is helping us to get that information out there beyond what we can do on our own.”

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By sharing these posts on social media, the reach of investigators has also become global. While witnesses may not read newspapers or watch a particular newscast, social media posts will continue to circulate within communities and enter the news feeds of new potential witnesses. 

Instead of reaching hundreds in Beaver County, these posts may see thousands of engagements during an ongoing case.

“This is just gonna keep on evolving as we go along,” Patrick said. “The more information and the more contacts we have, the better off we are. We all know there's a lot of people that are social media buffs, so when they see that information: clickety-click, boom. They put it out there for all their friends and their friends to see. And the more the merrier, it works.”

Post can also add a personal touch to an ongoing case, reminding the community that detectives are actively seeking to solve cases that have been unsolved for decades.

“I like that it lets the families and communities know that these cases have not been forgotten,” Doerschner said. “We have law enforcement who have not forgotten these cases, they really are still trying and working these cases from, sometimes, decades ago. I really like that it's a way for us to keep these cases alive and going, to let the families know that they're not forgotten.”

New technology has also helped detectives investigating cases, as the addition of cameras across homes and businesses has allowed for more visual data on potential suspects. The popularity of home security systems and doorbell cameras, in addition to the devices purchased by local law enforcement, has increased the potential to find suspects.

“Crime solvers have been very helpful in the license plate reader program that's been going on in Beaver County,” said Andrew Gall, chief of the Beaver County Detectives. “The DA is kind of pushing that, using some funding from the drug fund for those cameras. If somebody calls up and can tell us, ‘I may have this guy on my camera,’ we could talk about getting them a reward.”

What’s next for Crime Solvers?

With new technology and detectives actively using the organization, board members for the Beaver County Crime Solvers are looking at expanding the organization and ensuring that people are aware of their presence.  

Now that COVID-19 restrictions are lifted around western Pennsylvania, the Crime Solvers are hoping to resume their fundraising efforts and host community events. While the organization still has adequate funds to operate and continues to offer large rewards for cases, they hope that interacting with residents around the county and raising additional funds will allow them to see continued success in the next decade.

To help with this transition back into the public, the nonprofit will also be updating its website to a more modern format. The project is being led by Baden’s M&P Security Solutions, who will be one of the website's sponsors as well. 

In addition to making the public aware of who they are, the Crime Solvers also want to establish themselves as a source for community announcements beyond major crimes.

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“We really want to make it a community service beyond just Crime Solvers,” Doerschner said. “If we can put information out to help the community about scams that are going around and things like that, it's a really useful tool for that.”

As the organization continues to build its network, they ask people to follow the future of the Beaver County Crime Solvers on their Facebook page at @BeaverCountyCrimeSolvers and on Twitter at @bc_crimesolvers to see any updates. While no events have been scheduled yet, they also encourage the community to interact with the group and learn more about how they can help solve cases locally. 

Those with information on local criminal cases are asked to anonymously contact the Crime Solvers at 724-774-2000. All transactions at the hotline will remain anonymous and are not recorded to protect the privacy of witnesses.