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December 1990 SCHOOL CRIME STOPPERS By Bob Chance Major, Commander of the Uniform Division Southwest Tulsa, Oklahoma, Police Department Of all the crime prevention programs developed by citizen action organizations and law enforcement agencies across the country, few address the crimes that take place within schools. Yet, nationwide statistics indicate that 24 percent of all violent crimes involving teens, ages 12-19, occur in the schools. (1) And, this age group registers the highest incidence of crimes committed against them. (2) The Tulsa, Oklahoma, Police Department became acutely aware of this problem when it experienced a significant increase in both calls for service and the need for directed patrol assignments at the city's East Central High School. Unfortunately, the crimes occurring at East Central were representative of the problems encountered at the other 12 city high schools, where students witnessed assaults, drug dealings, vandalism, violent behavior against other students and teachers, or larcenies almost on a daily basis. Recognizing the need for directed action against such crimes, several officers and police supervisors met with the director of Tulsa's Citizens Crime Commission to look for ways to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, these criminal activities. After much discussion on the various options available, they decided that a Crime Stoppers Program in the schools could provide the answer. Their next step, however, was to sell the program to school administrators and high school students. SELLING THE PROGRAM In November 1989, the police department invited principals from schools within the targeted area and the Citizens Crime Commission director to attend a meeting at a police substation. The purpose was to discuss the feasibility of instituting crime prevention programs within area high schools. At this meeting, the police discovered that school administrators were just as frustrated as they were by the crime problem. When the possibility of a Crime Stoppers Program was mentioned, school administrators from East Central High School received this idea so enthusiastically that they agreed to participate in the pilot program. The next step was to sell the idea to the student body. To do this, police officials and school administrators spoke to journalism students at East Central High School who published the school's newspaper. They hoped that through "the power of the written word," they could get students to support a crime prevention program in the school. Once officers presented the concept of the program, the students agreed that this could be the answer to decreasing crime within their school and volunteered to work on such a project. After the East Central Student Council and the staff at the Education Service Center agreed to back the program, the journalism students set out to develop and implement a program that would meet the needs of their school. DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM School administrators, the Citizens Crime Commission, and the Tulsa Police Department made themselves available to serve as advisors. In addition, the Citizens Crime Commission provided the funds needed to start up this pilot project. But, it was the journalism class that put the project into motion. To begin, the journalism students conducted a survey of the student body to determine if other students believed crime to be a major issue in the school and to what extent. A total of 608 students of the 1371 enrolled were surveyed. Responses showed that 60 percent of those surveyed had been crime victims, 39 percent agreed that crime in the school was a major issue, and 49 percent stated they would report a crime committed by someone they knew. With the survey results and other statistical data on teenage crime, the journalism class began to put together the framework for a Crime Stoppers Program. This would include an avenue for reporting crimes, as well as providing information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the offenders. First, they devoted six pages in one edition of the school newspaper to crime-related information and the Crime Stoppers Program. This particular edition was given free of charge to each member of the student body. In this edition, they emphasized that crime prevention produces a better learning environment and stressed the need for student involvement. Then, the journalism students and their teacher came up with the idea to design and produce a "credit card" for each student. Not only would the credit card be used to gain support from the rest of the student body for the program, but it would give students access to basic crime prevention information, such as the Crime Stoppers number and how to report crimes. This information also included the fact that the students did not have to reveal their identity and that rewards of up to $1,000 could be obtained in cases of arrest and prosecution of felons. Fifteen hundred of these credit cards were to be distributed at a school assembly. The Citizens Crime Commission paid for the free newspapers distributed and for printing the credit cards. WORKINGS OF THE PROGRAM The program allows students to report crimes by placing the information in the school's crime report box. To aid in reporting a crime or to give information about a crime committed, including any suspects, the students developed their own simple report form. The form provides for student anonymity. Informants wishing to remain anonymous can also call the Metro Crime Stoppers number. These informants are issued an in-house code number or Crime Stoppers ID number that guarantees the confidentiality of the informant's identity. The program also calls for an administrative liaison who is responsible for administering the program at the school. This individual collects reports from the school's crime report box and also talks directly to students having any information on crimes occurring within the school. Informants who are not concerned if they are identified may go directly to the administrative liaison and give the information. If the information goes beyond school jurisdiction, the administrative liaison advises the informant to contact the Metro Crime Stoppers Program. Crime Stoppers then turns over the information to the officer assigned to work the case. Once a crime is reported, the administrative liaison presents the information obtained to the Student Crime Review Board. This board meets once a week and is composed of volunteer students, who may choose to remain anonymous. The board's function is to advertise and to promote the program, to raise funds, and to make decisions on rewards to be paid. The board can recommend an appropriate reward for the informant if the crime is solved. However, the final say on rewards rests with the Metro Crime Stoppers Board, since all rewards come from the Tulsa Metro Crime Stoppers Program. Under no circumstances does any student board member receive information or become involved with the investigation of a case. They are not given any information on victims or suspects. Cases are assigned for investigation according to jurisdiction. Felony crimes will be investigated by the Tulsa Police Department. Misdemeanor crimes are either handled administratively through the school or turned over to the police for investigation, depending on the circumstances. The school handles all administrative problems reported. The school newspaper notifies students of crimes reported and the reward offered for information on each crime. Such notices are also placed on the Crime Stoppers bulletin board in the main lobby, the daily school bulletin, or the electronic bulletin board. Notices of each crime remain on the Crime Stoppers bulletin board for the entire school year. If it is solved, it is marked accordingly, but left posted. STUDENTS IN ACTION February 2, 1990, marked the official kickoff of the school's Crime Stoppers Program at a special assembly. Each student received a copy of the school newspaper and a Crime Stoppers "master card." In addition, school administrators, representatives from the Citizens Crime Commission, and officers from the Tulsa Police Department spoke to the students about the program and the importance of student involvement. And, the Mayor of Tulsa issued a proclamation declaring that day to be "East Central High School Crime Stoppers Day." During the first month of operation, students reported five crimes through the school's Crime Stoppers Program. Subsequent information provided by East Central High School students resulted in two of the crimes being solved. CONCLUSION The students of East Central High School are making an investment in their school and their community by initiating a Crime Stoppers Program. With the help of school administrators and police officials, every student is working to alleviate the crime problems they face and to reap the rewards of attending a school where the learning environment has been improved through crime prevention. FOOTNOTES (1) Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Teenage Victims: A National Crime Survey Report," November 1986. (2) "Teenagers: Crime's Most Frequent Target,"National Crime Prevention Council Resource Center, Washington, DC, 1983.