Students gather in Beaumont for Texas Crime Stoppers Campus Conference

Hundreds of students from all over the state, joined by school faculty, law enforcers and other skilled specialists, gathered at the MCM Eleganté Hotel & Conference Center and the Event Centre in Beaumont for the three-day Texas Crime Stoppers Campus conference from Feb. 7-9. Participants learned more about Campus Crime Stoppers programs, were schooled in the dangers of drugs and vapes, and even got to try hypnosis and self-defense techniques through breakout sessions over the course of the conference.

Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas Administrator and Campus Coordinator Jeremy Raley and the Board of Directors welcomed approximately 250 participants to Beaumont for the statewide event, which also featured a Texas Best Awards banquet honoring organizations, board members and law enforcement for community improvement efforts though their local Crime Stoppers programs.

“People came from all over the state – La Joya ISD, Amarillo, Odessa and from local schools. It was great! The participation really impressed me and made me very, very happy,” Raley remarked. “What made it so cool is that we offered a lot of different classes. The participants could pick from one of four tracks to attend, and each track offered its own set of classes, like your power as a difference maker, self-defense tactics, cyber safety awareness/human trafficking, human trafficking 101 and active shooter prevention, among others.

“The purpose of the conference is really to educate and empower students, faculty and the Crime Stoppers organizations that serve their communities every day. We don’t want Columbine; we don’t want Santa Fe; we don’t want Lakeland. We don’t want any of those things happening here. Santa Fe was already too close.”

Several classes offered information to assist Campus Crime Stoppers leaders and coordinators, with information on the organization’s bylaws, the roles and responsibilities of board directors, paying rewards and tipster anonymity.

Texas Government Code 414, Texas Crime Stoppers Council, defines the state council and local Crime Stoppers organizations, establishing guidelines that must be met in order to form local chapters. It also establishes Crime Stoppers’ complete anonymity, which is vitally important to its programs, Raley explains.

“There’s a saying, ‘Snitches get stitches,’ and, especially with Campus Crime Stoppers programs, the students don’t want to tell on the other students. But doing what is right does not make you a snitch. It is doing what is right,” he asserted. “Because we’re completely anonymous, tipsters don’t have to worry that someone at school is going to find out that they are the one giving a tip on a crime or a potential crime. They can earn up to $1,000 for tips, and our software creates complete anonymity.

“Parents and faculty know things, kids know stuff, but they’re afraid of retaliation. There are a lot of good kids out there, way more good kids than bad kids. If we can get the good kids to call in, we can win.”

Another course offered at the recent conference highlighted the need for anonymity. Maurine Molak told students who attended her class about bullying, cyberbullying and David’s Law, named in memory of her son, who committed suicide after he was the victim of malicious cyberbullying.

David Bartlett Molak, age 16, took his own life on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016, in his hometown of San Antonio. According to his family, David, who was an Eagle Scout, loved hunting, fishing, football and playing games with loved ones, but he became the target of relentless cyberbullying from a group of peers. Though the Molak family tried to stop the attacks and his school made an effort to intervene, the harassment continued. Because cyberbullying had not been addressed by the Education Code or legal guidelines, the law was not on the victim’s side and disciplinary powers were insufficient or nonexistent.

After David’s suicide, the Molak family championed cyberbullying laws to the Texas Legislature, resulting in David’s Law, which has empowered schools and parents to seek legal remedies against perpetrators of cyberbullying activities, creating civil and criminal implications for such activities. Aggressors can now be punished for cyberbullying, regardless of the location and time of day those communications occur.

Among other things, David’s Law requires each public school district to include cyberbullying in its district policies and to adopt and implement districtwide policies and procedures that will prohibit bullying of a student; prohibit retaliation against anyone who provides information about a bullying incident; create a procedure for notifying parents and guardians about bullying incidents; and create a way for students to anonymously report bullying.

While all schools are required to provide anonymous tip lines for reporting bullying, only schools using Crime Stoppers software can promise complete anonymity to tipsters, Raley explained. According to him, some schools have purchased their own software from companies promising anonymity; but, he said, if someone subpoenaed those recorded tips during a court case, they could likely access them because those companies aren’t protected by Government Code 414.

“If someone tries to subpoena the tips we receive, we refer them to Government Code 414,” Raley stated.

According to Government Code 414.008, with very rare exceptions, “Evidence relating to a communication between a person submitting a tip… and a person who accepted the tip… is not admissible in a court or an administrative proceeding and may not be considered in a hearing regarding the expulsion of a student… or any other student disciplinary proceeding.

“A record of the council, a crime stoppers organization, a law enforcement agency, a school district, or an open-enrollment charter school concerning a tip… may not be compelled to be produced before a court or other tribunal except on a motion.”

Raley says he is thrilled the statewide conference was held in Beaumont this year, and he feels students learned a lot while having a great time in the city. As an extra bonus, the local Crime Stoppers chapter walked away with a Texas Best Award of its own for the Television Competition for best Public Service Announcement. The group also received recognition from Governor Greg Abbott, U.S. Representative Randy Weber, Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan,  Texas Representative Joe Deshotel,Texas Senator Brandon Creighton and Beaumont Mayor Robin Mouton.

“It’s an honor, and I am proud to represent Southeast Texas Crime Stoppers,” said Raley. “As long as you utilize it, Crime Stoppers is one of the best tools available to law enforcement.”

If you have information about a crime, contact Crime Stoppers by calling (409) 833-8477 (TIPS), online at www.833TIPS.com, or download the P3TIPS app. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.