Albany Crime Stoppers to host sporting clays event

ALBANY — Avid sportsmen will have an chance to see how many clay pigeons they can blow apart next week, while helping keep the crime rate down.

Albany Crime Stoppers, a non-profit group providing rewards for tips on catching criminals, will host its first sporting clay event, Take a Shot Out of Crime, Wednesday, at Wynfield Plantation. The idea is to raise more money for rewards.

“If you have some information about a crime you can always call a law enforcement agency,” said Mary Smith, a member of the Crime Stoppers board, “But some people are more comfortable giving tips anonymously, and you can do that at Crime Stoppers. Plus, if the person is arrested you can earn a reward.”

For the uninitiated, sporting clay events, also known as skeet shoots, are shotgun shooting competitions where clay disks are “presented” to the shooters in ways that mirror the flight of game birds. The shooting grounds are laid out in “stations” with each representing one type of bird or a combination of game.

Cost for the event, which will take place from noon until 4:30 p.m., is $125 per shooter or $45o for a team of four at registration. Lunch is included, Smith said, or can be purchased alone for $45.

Shooters should bring their own shotguns, although a few are available for rental, with a minimum of 125 shells. Clays and eye and ear protection will be provided.

Some sponsorships may be available, Smith said, to further help the area crime-fighting effort.

Smith said that since the group was founded in 2006, the Albany Crime Stoppers group takes all the necessary steps to assure a tipster’s anonymity.

“You don’t even have to give your name.” Smith said, “You’re given an identifying number at a service based in Canada and you check on that number later. If a suspect is arrested based on your information, you’ll get a reward.”

The Albany Crime Stoppers tip line is (229) 436-TIPS (8477).

For more information on registration for the Crime Stoppers Take a Shot Out of Crime sporting clays event call Mary Smith at (229) 881-5670 or Pat Burnett at (229) 430-7034.