Safe2Tell gives students confidential voice

WORLAND —After just three months, Safe2Tell Wyoming Program Manager Bill Morse said the confidential reporting program is making a difference.

Morse was invited to speak to the Youth Alternatives Coalition Friday morning at the Worland Community Center Complex. He said the program was approved by the Wyoming Legislature in 2016 after legislation failed in 2015 due to lack of funding. He said he was able to secure funding with the Office of Homeland Security so they brought the bill back in 2016.

“There is no state money attached,” Morse said. He added that the Wyoming Highway Patrol is the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week answering point for the program.

The program is modeled after Colorado’s Safe2Tell program. Morse noted that Colorado is developing a national model. He said Utah and Michigan have similar programs and Montana and Arizona are looking into the Safe2Tell program.

The goal of the program, Morse said, is to “intervene at the earliest possible point in the life of a young person who is struggling, helping when they need it before the situation turns into a tragedy.”

How can they intervene? With Safe2Tell Wyoming students can intervene anonymously and confidentially by sending a message through the Safe2Tell Wyoming mobile app, through the website or by calling 1-844-996-7233 (1-844-WYO-SAFE).

Confidential

Morse said they do not have caller ID on the phones and they do not ask for a name or address. “We just want to save someone’s life or stop a tragedy from happening,” Morse said.

The tipster may provide their name if they desire and the information is kept confidential.

He said all records from Safe2Tell Wyoming are kept confidential and by state statute are not “deemed public record.”

The mission of Safe2Tell Wyoming is “to ensure that all Wyoming students, parents, teachers and community members have access to a safe and confidential way to report any concerns about their safety or the safety of others, with a focus on early intervention and prevention through awareness and education,” Morse said.

Morse said they ask law enforcement not to include Safe2Tell reports in their case files as that can be given to defense during a criminal investigation.

The beginning

Safe2Tell’s origin goes back to 1999 in Colorado at Columbine High School. Morse said after the school shooting that left 15 people dead and several wounded, Colorado began looking for a way to prevent another school massacre.

He said a Secret Service study in 2002 showed that of 81 percent of incidents in U.S. schools, someone other than the attacker knew it was going to happen but failed to report it. According to the study, 93 percent of the perpetrators of targeted school violence exhibited concerning behavior before the attack, in 59 percent of the incidents, more than one person had prior knowledge of the attack of which 93 percent were peers of the perpetrators.

Safe2Tell Wyoming and Safe2Tell Colorado help break the so-called code of silence brought about because no one wants to be a snitch or tattle-tell, by being anonymous and confidential, Morse said.

“We encourage our youth to speak up. You’re saving someone’s life. You’re not being a snitch.”

How It Works

When a message is received from Safe2Tell Wyoming the dialogue box is left open for at least six minutes but each time a person responds, whether on the dispatcher side or the person providing the tip, the timer restarts.

A person using the mobile app selects a town and then a school where the incident is taking place or where the person is from. They then select the event type that can be alcohol, anger, animal cruelty, assault, bullying, child abuse, crisis, cyber bullying, dating violence, depression, discrimination, ditching, domestic violence, drugs, eating disorder, explosives, fighting , fire starting, gangs, graffiti, guns, harassment, homicide, knife, planned fights, planned parties, planned school attack, reckless driving, school complaint, sexting, sexual assault, sexual misconduct, stealing, suicide threats, teasing, test tip, vehicle theft, weapons and other.

Once the WHP receives a tip it is delivered to the school involved. Tips are also faxed to law enforcement within a few minutes, Morse said.

Morse said he has been to several districts, noting they launched the program in Natrona County in October. He said he hasn’t been invited to Washakie County schools yet but that doesn’t mean the schools aren’t included in the app.

Every school in the state is listed and Morse said the Safe2Tell Wyoming program has school numbers and law enforcement numbers so they can pass along information as needed.

He said ideally for each district is to have three points of contact and an after-hours emergency contact.

Morse said he only goes to districts or organizations when invited, such as the Youth Alternatives invitation.

He said if a person is concerned about a student but doesn’t know what school the person can select any school to open the dialogue and then in the narrative explain the situation and where the situation is occurring.

He said there was an instance where a person in Colorado was texting a student in Wyoming and notified the Safe2Tell Colorado, which in turn notified Safe2Tell Wyoming.

For Wyoming, since its inception in October, Morse said they have received 136 tips including 81 in November. Suicide threats were the No. 1 call in November at 13, followed by drugs (12) and bullying (10). There were 13 other types of events reported in November from around Wyoming.

The program received 35 tips in December and bullying was the No. 1 call at that time with six reports. There were also reports of drugs (five) and suicide threats (four). There were nine other types of incidents reported.

Morse said he already sees the value of the program with the incidents they’ve been able to stop and the students they’ve been able to help in just three months.

Safe2Tell Wyoming is a way for a student to enter a tip of concern about herself/himself, about another student or about an adult. Adults can use the program, Morse said, but noted “it’s not a way to report an emergency, call 911.”