Photo by Kevin Lawver
 
I propose a road trip, and I propose it ASAP. The Dick Tracy museum in Woodstock is closing in June.
 
The Chester Gould-Dick Tracy Museum opened in 1991, and was pretty popular for a while. But lately low attendance is driving the landmark into the ground.
 
So, what I want to know is: What’s going to happen to the Crimestoppers?!
 
The Crimestoppers were first introduced in 1947 in the Dick Tracy comic strip, penned by Chester Gould. Junior, Dick Tracy’s adopted son, started the group in order to help kids stay on the right path by becoming involved in detective work. Awesome.
 
During the late 90s, back in the real world, Woodstock Police Chief Joe Marvin kicked off the “Crimestoppers Police Academy.” Due to scheduling and other issues, the program failed, but in 2000, the Museum started working on the “Crimestoppers Youth Program,” which ran for eight, one-hour weekly sessions. Kids from grades three through five learned all about crime, safety and—of course—identity theft. They even got a t-shirt and a badge. I so wish I was in fifth grade again.
 
The museum’s Web site says that the Crimestoppers Youth Program was to be implemented in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago in April 2003, but the news stops there. What happened to the program? I found an organization called Crime Stoppers on the CPD Web site. Is this the same organization? Does anyone know? It seems almost impossible to find out.
 
Either way, the Crime Stoppers mentioned on the CPD page are currently partnering with CAPS and the CPD to continue the search for the Tinley Park killer.
 
Maybe, if we’re lucky, we can get Dick Tracy on the case– before his museum hits the sheets for the big sleep.