SpeakOut Hotline History
On September 29, 1995, a fourteen-year old Tavares
Middle School student was shot by another student. During
the investigation it was determined that several students
attending the Lake County school were aware of a conflict
between the victim and shooter and yet never spoke with
school administrators or resource officers. It was also
discovered that several students were aware that the
student had brought the gun to school. This incident
was the catalyst brought about the development of the
SpeakOut Hotline.
How are CRIMELINE and SpeakOut related?
CRIMELINE was established in 1977 as a non-profit
organization whose purpose is to furnish law enforcement
agencies with information on unsolved felony crimes,
on wanted persons, and other criminal activity that
has been unavailable through normal investigative methods.
The organizers of SpeakOut Hotline felt that CRIMELINE’s
extensive service history would be beneficial to the
Hotline. SpeakOut calls are received in the CRIMELINE
office and tips are taken by CRIMELINE operators. Unlike
CRIMELINE, SpeakOut does not pay monetary rewards. The
goal of the program is to empower young people to positively
affect their school and community through the anonymous
reporting of criminal activity. SpeakOut Hotline was
created to give students, adults and law enforcement
a voice in the fight against school violence and juvenile
criminal activity. The Hotline is available twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week. SpeakOut tips, like
Crimeline tips, are handled with the upmost security,
sensitivity and seriousness. SpeakOut Hotline has no
voice recorders or caller ID. A Hotline operator will
never ask your name, age, school, address, or phone
number. Your call is completely anonymous.
What happens to my call? How will I know if or when
action has been taken?
When you call SpeakOut Hotline you will always speak
to a live operator. When you have finished with your
tip you will be issued a number that the operator enters
along with the information you give… You will
never be asked your name, phone number, or location.
If later you have more information you can call the
Hotline back and use your tip number to update your
tip or check on the status of your tip. Remember, you’ll
only need your tip number—not your name.
What we need to know when you call? |
| Who? Who is involved in the incident?
Age? Grade? What school do they attend? |
| What? What are you reporting? What type of criminal
activity? |
| When? When did this occur? Is
the activity on-going? |
| Where? Where did the incident occur? On campus? |
| Why Call SpeakOut? Your information
can stop bad things from happening. Silence is acceptance. |
Have you witnessed any of the
following on your school’s campus? |
| Weapons (guns, knives,
etc.) |
Fighting |
| Drugs |
Physical Abuse |
| Gang Activity |
Tampering with School Computers |
| Explosive Devices |
Improper Use of Fire Alarms |
| Graffiti Activity |
Sexual Misconduct |
| Theft |
|
|
