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It was September of 1981 when local officials seeking to put a dent in crime launched the Memphis CrimeStoppers program. It was a success from the first day, with tips coming in that led to arrests.
Twenty-five years later, in September of 2006, seeking to bring more safety to schools in the wake of the Columbine High School tragedy, CrimeStoppers launched a student-oriented program called Trust Pays. It too proved fruitful. Just one indicator of efficacy would be the number of guns removed so far from dozens of area schools: 207 up to the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
Now the program has a new and informative website to help the program continue its work uncovering weapons, thefts, drugs and other problems. And the site keeps a constant count on weapons removed from schools, including elementary grades.
Visit the new site here.
“Trust Pays has proven to be an important tool to help school officials and public safety personnel keep schools safer for students who are in school to learn,” said E. Winslow (Buddy) Chapman. He and school superintendents put the program to work in 2006 with the help of funds from the Plough Foundation.
The program’s premise is simple: urging students who know of illegal or dangerous activity to tell an adult they trust on campus — teacher, principal, coach, et al. The principal, school guards and the police take care of the rest while keeping the student’s identity a secret.
The site will promote the program, educate the public, and keep track of illegal activities uncovered over time. This newsletter to stakeholders will appear each month as well.
Awards to be paid on what students reveal are determined each month by the CrimeStoppers Board of Directors Citizen Awards Committee.
It’s all in the name
Trust Pays got its name after a meeting between Buddy Chapman and then-superintendent Carol Johnson of the Memphis City Schools in the summer of 2006. Once she understood how the program works — see Frequently Asked Questions here — she suggested the name.
Once a student reveals an illicit activity in school to a trusted adult, the situation is investigated. The student if she or he wants, can later be paid a cash award up to $200. The time and place is depends on the student and the trusted adult.
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