Spotlight on safety

More than 370 supporters, community advocates, elected official and law enforcement came together for the Crime Stoppers of Houston “Leading the Way to a Safer Houston” Gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown. The evening raised more than $433,000 to fund critical crime solving and prevention programs. This year’s gala was chaired by Donae Chramosta, Maha Khan and Jerri Duddlesten Moore and supported by honorary chairs Brigitte Kalai and Sippi Khurana. The gala included a lively cocktail reception full of silent auction bidding and live music by Houstonian Big Band. Dave Ward led the evening with opening remarks that included a moment of silence in memory of fallen Harris County Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal. Emcee for the evening was KPRC 2 News Anchor Dominique Sachse. Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Mankarious took the stage to talk about the state of criminal behavior in Harris County. The gala chairs were joined on stage by youth ambassador Bella Chramosta, who spoke of how crime and school threats have affected her life. The evening closed with a keynote address from FBI Profiler John Douglas, also known as the real “Mindhunter,” who discussed his work studying and corresponding with the nation’s most gruesome murders and crime cases.

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