Cincinnati Crime Stoppers and Purdue Pharma have joined forces to thwart pharmacy crimes across the United States. A $10,000 grant from Purdue will allow Cincinnati Crime Stoppers to provide crime alert outreaches to US areas without local Crime Stoppers chapters. The collaboration between Purdue, which distributes the pain medicine OxyContin (oxycodone HCl controlled-release) Tablets, and the Cincinnati Crime Stoppers expands on Purdue's continuous efforts with local Crime Stoppers chapters around the country.

"Through this partnership, we hope to ensure the availability of important medicines for patients, protect pharmacy employees, and prevent criminals from restricting health care options for legitimate patients in need," said Aaron Graham, chief security officer and vice president of corporate security for Purdue.

In communities without a local Crime Stoppers chapter, residents can call 877-4Rx-TIPS (877-479-8477) to report anonymous tips regarding the theft of controlled substances from pharmacies. All tips will be taken by the Cincinnati Crime Stoppers chapter and relayed to police officials in the municipality where the crime is being reported. Rewards will be paid based on successful arrests. To date, Purdue has been working with 13 local Crime Stoppers chapters nationwide to offer $1000 rewards for information leading to the arrest of individuals stealing controlled substances from pharmacies.