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Memphis and Shelby County public high schools will launch a program today that will pay rewards averaging $200 to students who report crimes or give information that prevents them. In partnership with Crime Stoppers, the Trust Pays program is designed to give students a way to report incidents at school without fear of retribution. Students will tell a trusted faculty member, who will tell the principal. The Plough Foundation will provide money to pay rewards. Only the faculty member will know who the student tipster is, said Buddy Chapman, executive director of Crime Stoppers of Memphis and Shelby County. "Given the crime problems we face in Memphis, the obvious intervention point is youth and the obvious intervention point for that are the schools," he said. Crime Stoppers tips have helped solve an average of two crimes a day since it started in 1981, but Chapman said tips rarely came from schools. In meeting with principals, students, teachers and others, Chapman realized the kind of immediate information principals need, such as when kids are planning to fight after school or who has drugs in a locker, isn't something the normal Crime Stoppers program would cover. There were 613 reported incidents of illegal drug possession and 237 weapons possession incidents recorded in the Memphis and Shelby County public schools last year, according to zero-tolerance offense data from both districts. Supts. Carol Johnson of Memphis schools and Bobby Webb of the county schools were both instrumental in the creation of Trust Pays, Chapman said. Johnson said Trust Pays should help fight a message the gangs are promoting. "Unfortunately, there is a subculture today that suggests the wrong message, that tells students 'Don't be a snitch,'" she said. "To help students do the right thing, to help them ignore the bad advice -- we have to give them a program and a process that works for them." Webb said the program "gets at the heart of a moral society. It's what we like to call a 'teachable moment' and one that can be repeated time and again: Crime doesn't pay. Trusting the right adult does pay. Doing the right thing always pays dividends." Diane Rudner, chairwoman of the Plough Foundation, said, "In the end, it is the students themselves that have to learn it's up to them to control their environment. In this case, it may mean trusting someone enough to report when they feel uncomfortable about what's happening in their own environment." Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton agreed. "It is the responsibility of not only law enforcement, governments, community organizations and schools to provide safe learning environments for youth in our schools, but there is a role for students to play as well," he said. "This project will create a system for students who desire to assist us in ensuring their schools are safe, while allowing them to be youth advocates against crime." Chapman said he hopes the program will help bring a cultural shift where the community at large recognizes its responsibility in stopping violence. Currently, "a wall of distrust" exists that keeps people from sharing information they know with law enforcement and school administrators. "We've got to re-establish that trust in the system," Chapman said. "We've got to get them to tell us what's going on." |
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We are careful not to duplicate the efforts of other organizations, and as a grassroots coalition of prisoners and social reformers, our resources (time and money) are limited. The vast expertise and scope of the various drug reform organizations will enable you to stay informed on the ever-changing, many-faceted aspects of the movement. Our colleagues in reform also give the latest drug war news. Please check their websites often. |
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