School Tip Lines Offer Safety Net
Because most school violence is committed by fellow students, and because
usually someone is aware of the concerning behavior, implementing a safety
tip line is an additional layer of prevention. Many students know about threatening
behavior but are often afraid to come forward with information for fear
of retaliation or breaking the code of silence that exists in many schools.
Tip lines are meant to provide an anonymous outlet for any caller who wants
to share information that may help prevent a violent incident. They are typically
answered by law enforcement communications centers so they are
available 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Callers are asked for various
information about the suspected incident but never asked to identify themselves,
and these lines do not use caller ID. Tips are forwarded to the proper
authorities depending on the nature of the threat. Assigning a code number to
each caller allows tip administrators a way to signal a need for more information
if necessary—depending on the setup, some tip lines post code numbers
on a Web site to indicate the caller needs to call back to answer more questions.
Covering a district, a region, or an entire state is possible. Making sure that
anonymity is guaranteed (including making sure that records cannot be
subpoenaed) is a major factor in getting callers to speak up. Colorado has an
initiative, recently signed into law, that includes a statewide tip line known as safe2tell. The tip line, protected by nonprofit status guaranteeing anonymity
for callers, has fielded thousands of calls since its debut in 2002. Anyone in
the state can call the tip line and be assured that viable tips are investigated.
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