Student Crime Stoppers

Student Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is a pilot program of Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County, Inc., a non-profit, citizens organization created to aid the law enforcement community in reducing the crime rate in schools, on school grounds, and in the community.

The Board of Directors is made up of concerned citizens, who actively help to guide the Student Crime Stoppers Program. They are directly responsible for all fund raising and the administration of the student reward monies. The Board of Directors meets monthly to coordinate projects and review progress of the Student Crime Stoppers Program.

Day to day administration of the Student Crime Stoppers Program is the responsibility of the Police Coordinator, a sworn investigator who is appointed to that position by the Sheriff of Palm Beach County and the civilian Board of Directors.

The Adult Crime Stoppers concept originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1976. Its success exceeded all expectations. By the end of 1986 over 600 organizations were formed throughout the United States and internationally. Although each operates independently, all rely on the original formula for success, that is the commitment and cooperation of law enforcement, the media, and the public.

In January, 1994, Student Crime Stoppers was originated by the civilian Board of Directors of Crime Stoppers with the complete support of the Palm Beach County Superintendent of schools and Palm Beach County School Board. Student Crime Stoppers covers high schools, middle schools, and alternative schools in Palm Beach County.

Without giving your name, a student with information about a serious crime may tell what they know, remain anonymous, and be eligible for up to $100.00 reward.

The validity of information received on the Student Crime Stoppers “TIPS” LINE (1-800-458-TIPS) is checked by the Police Coordinator, then dispatched to the appropriate law enforcement agency. For example, a student calls in a tip about a crime that occurred in the school or on the school grounds. That information will then be disseminated to the School Police. Now a student calls in a tip about a crime that occurred in the community, that information will then be dispatched to the appropriate law enforcement agency. There are over forty (40) such agencies in Palm Beach County. The student caller is assigned a special “code number”, this code number will be in numeric sequence as our adult program except the student “code number” will be followed by the letter “S”. This identification will separate our adult callers from our student callers. The office staff will then advise the student caller to call back at a specific interval of time, to check on the progress of the case. In all future contacts, the student caller is identified only by code number, thus maintaining the anonymity.

When the information leads to an arrest, indictment, or disciplinary action by school administrators, property recovery or narcotics seizure, the agency involved immediately notifies the Police Coordinator. This is included in the monthly report brought before the Board of Directors, and the amount of reward is then determined. The student caller is advised how and when to collect the reward money and the anonymity is still maintained.

Calling in your TIP is easy. Just follow the steps below:

1. Call the TIPS Line at 1-800-458-TIPS (1-800-458-8477).
2. Say you are a Student Caller.
3. DO NOT GIVE YOUR NAME.
4. Give the information about criminal activity at school, on school grounds, or in the community. You may be asked some questions but you will NOT be asked your name.
5. You will be given a code number and instructions when to call back to find out the progress on your tip. Our code number is our only link to the TIPS Line. It is your responsibility to remember and protect that code number. If the information you gave results in a success you will be given further instructions how to pick up your reward and how much you will receive.

You do! Every citizen and student reaps the benefits:

• Criminals are apprehended, disciplinary action by administrators is given.
• Stolen property is recovered.
• Weapons are taken out of children’s hands.
• Vast amounts of narcotics are taken out of our schools and off our streets.
• Hundreds of investigative hours are saved.
• Fear of retaliation is gone.
• Peer pressure is lowered.

Student Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County receives NO city, county, state or federal funding. It is a community project supported only by voluntary contributions of money, goods, or services. Donations are sought from private sources, corporations, clubs, civic or social groups, professional organizations, retailers and the individual citizen. These concerted efforts keep the Student Crime Stoppers program functional, providing reward monies and basic operating materials.

Student Crime Stoppers works! But it needs your support if it is to continue to be successful. Contributions to the reward fund are needed on a continuous basis – the more successful the program, the greater the funds necessary.

The responsibility of fighting crime belongs to all of us, not just law enforcement alone. Citizen involvement is the greatest asset in assisting law enforcement. So get involved – help solve a crime – support Student Crime Stoppers.