By: Suzie Glassman/NewsBreak Denver
(Castle Rock, CO) Safe2Tell Colorado, a service that gives parents, students, and community members a safe and anonymous way to report threats to their safety or someone else’s, has seen a more significant number of reports in January and February than in the same months last year.
Also, according to its February data report, Safe2Tell received 2,395 reports last month, representing a 26% increase from January. January’s numbers were up 12.5% from December.
Suicide threats are the largest category, with 308 in February and 298 in January. Bullying and school complaints come next, totaling 753 since the start of the year.
The number of duplicate reports is also up from prior months, which Safe2Tell said indicates a healthy culture of reporting safety concerns.
According to the website, “Anyone who has information about a potentially dangerous situation can call the toll-free, state-wide number at 1-877-542-7233, make a web report by clicking the Make a Report button at the top of the page, or by downloading the mobile app and making a report from a smartphone.”
Once a trained Safe2Tell analyst reviews the information, they send it to the appropriate agencies, including schools, law enforcement, mental health professionals, and other local teams.
Denver’s four largest metro-area districts, representing more than 280,000 students, all use the program, which began in response to the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School.
Laws passed in the last two years have created measures to cut down on the misuse of Safe2Tell and to include Colorado Crisis Prevention and Safe2Tell’s phone number, website, and text talk number on every student identification card.
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