The Colorado Trust

Safe2Tell Hotline

Detective Susan PayneFor Susan Payne, helping young people to stay safe is more than a job - it's a passion.

"It's easy for an escalation of violence to occur when warning signs aren't reported and addressed on the front end," said Detective Payne. "There's a code of silence among young people when it comes to reporting anything from bullying to weapons possession and domestic violence. That's why Safe2Tell is so crucial, because it offers both kids and adults an anonymous way to report suspicious activities, ideally before a tragedy occurs."

Payne serves as Program Director of the Safe2Tell Hotline. Safe2Tell was developed as an outcome of safe school plans created through the Safe Communities~Safe Schools initiative, along with the recommendation for a hotline from the Columbine Commission and the Colorado Attorney General. Since 1995, The Trust has supported a variety of initiatives to address the needs of children and youth including Violence Prevention, Safe Communities~Safe Schools, Preventing Youth Handgun Violence, CASASTART, Assets for Colorado Youth, After-School and Bullying Prevention.

In 2003, The Colorado Trust provided $375,000 to help start-up and establish the anonymous reporting system. An additional $375,000 over three years to Safe2Tell was approved by The Colorado Trust's Board in April 2006, based on the Hotline's early, positive results. The new grant is to help Safe2Tell build on the momentum of the program and to ensure its sustainability.

Safe2Tell calls are answered around the clock at a Colorado State Patrol communication center. State law and the procedures established by Safe2Tell for receiving and forwarding tips guarantee the anonymity of every caller. The Hotline has received an average of 600 calls per month requesting information, with about 180 of the calls since the program's inception resulting in "hard tips" that were acted on by law enforcement and school officials. The calls have come from 55 communities in 31 counties across the state. To date, reports of bullying accounted for 46% of the calls, 41% were reports of threats or assaults to youth, and the remainder were reports on weapons involvement, alcohol and substance abuse, gang activity, fights, Internet misuse and various other forms of harassment.

"Safe2Tell has also resulted in 16 successful interventions for teens who were threatening suicide," said Payne, stating that suicide is a leading cause of death among Colorado youth.

To further raise awareness and empathy levels among youth, Safe2Tell has partnered with Companies for Kids. The nonprofit organization produces multimedia presentations to motivate youth to be proactive in preventing threats to their safety or the safety of others - an ideal complement to the Safe2Tell presentations that outline the resources available to youth and adults in addressing such problems. The powerful combined presentation has been made in schools across the state, and was demonstrated at The Colorado Trust's March Learning Lunch.

Detective Payne also notes that while the program is unique to Colorado, other states are increasingly looking to the Safe2Tell model to develop similar anonymous reporting programs.

Click here for media coverage about Safe2Tell.