Things are looking up at the Greater Cincinnati Crime Stoppers program - way up.
Figures for 1996 increased from the previous year in every major category of the cash-for-clues program: informants calling, cases closed, arrests made and rewards paid.
''We've really noticed the difference,'' said Cincinnati police Sgt. Ray Witte, who commands the Crime Stoppers Unit.
The surge in activity started before The Enquirer launched its ''Tristate's Most Wanted'' project Aug. 19. The newspaper started running photos and information about wanted suspects each week, with the Crime Stoppers number prominently featured.
The column has featured 170 suspects since it began; 76 have been arrested, many as a direct result of the newspaper feature. Most of those featured have been suspects in violent offenses or have a history of violence.
Since The Enquirer feature started, the number of callers with credible information has shot up sharply, with a smaller increase in reward money paid, data show.
Callers to Crime Stoppers (352-3040) are assigned ''code numbers,'' so they can maintain their anonymity if they are awarded a cash payment for providing information that leads to an arrest. There were 1,585 code numbers issued in 1996, up 19 percent from 1995.
Rewards paid by the program increased 13.8 percent in 1996, from $30,525 to $34,725.
The number of people arrested as a result of Crime Stoppers tips was up 47.6 percent, from 225 to 332.
The number of cases cleared was up 18.6 percent for the year.
Crime Stoppers officials applauded the involvement of the newspaper - noting the paper is portable and permanent, while broadcast accounts are more ephemeral.
''TV or radio is good if you're thinking about it or you happen to be by a telephone right then,'' said Ed Ruehlman, a fraud investigator with Fifth Third Bank and chairman of the local Crime Stoppers board. ''With the newspaper, they can refer back to it.''
The increased activity has been a mixed blessing. More calls and more rewards mean more work for board members who raise money to run the non-profit program, which has been operating in Cincinnati for nearly 16 years.
''We're doing more and more fund raising,'' Mr. Ruehlman said. ''The more people we catch the more we have to pay out.''
More than 90 percent of the money raised by Crime Stoppers goes for rewards - nearly $35,000 last year - and 90 percent of the total budget is donated. Donors range from individuals to corporations. The rest comes from the proceeds of police property auctions.
Donations are tax deductible and can be sent to 824 Broadway, Suite 500, Cincinnati 45202.
