Scholastic Crime Stoppers

A Cost-Benefit Perspective

By GIANT ABUTALEBI ARYANI, CARL L. ALSABROOK, and TERRY D. GARRETT

Today, school violence stands at the forefront of the national and local public Tagenda. However, despite recent occurrences, schools are not dangerous places in the community. In fact, theft represents the major concern on campus—not violence.1 The implementation of a Scholastic Crime Stoppers program, a proactive approach that uses students to prevent and solve crimes, constitutes one of the best and least expensive crime prevention strategies. Who has suitable crime prevention information and knows the hearts and minds of their peers but the students themselves? Scholastic Crime Stoppers is a confidential crime- and incident-reporting program in middle and high schools, which pays rewards for successful tips leading to preventing and solving campus crimes. Modeled after metropolitan and county Crime Stoppers programs across the country, agencies can implement such a program on campuses in their jurisdictions and reap huge benefits for their communities.

HISTORY OF SCHOLASTIC CRIME STOPPERS

Scholastic Crime Stoppers evolved out of the Crime Stoppers program.2 In 1983, an officer with the Boulder, Colorado, Police Department established the first Scholastic Crime Stoppers in the United States.3 The program allowed students to provide tips about crimes on campus to the school administration. Students could remain anonymous to alleviate fears of retaliation. To counter student apathy, the department offered monetary rewards ranging from $5 to $100 for tips proving instrumental in solving a crime. Student directors, appointed by the program coordinator for the agency, advertised, raised funds, and determined award amounts for helpful tips after reviewing information.4 The success