Idaho launches ‘worrying behavior’ reporting system
By Eric Valentine and Kurt Liebich
Two recent crime-prevention efforts at the state level—one a confidential phone number and app for reporting worrisome behavior, the other a set of research studies on crime—suggest how a little more communication could have made past efforts a lot more effective.
The Number & App
Offered by the Idaho State Board of Education’s School Safety and Security Program, See Tell Now! is a confidential reporting system that can connect people who have information, with people who can intervene and prevent a tragedy like what happened three months ago in Uvalde, Texas.
“We have seen a lot of studies that show that prior to committing an act of mass violence, most perpetrators exhibited behavior that was worrying to those around them,” said Mike Munger, the school safety and security program manager. “The failure seems to be very common that people who observe that behavior don’t have the means to communicate that to people who have the ability to change the situation.”
People can send an email, text via a dedicated app, or they can call (888) 593-2835. See Tell Now! is staffed 24 hours a day.
“They will always answer the phone, they will answer the text, they will answer an email and get that information routed from the person who has the concern to the right parties at the local level,” Munger said. “That could be a local school official, a school resource officer or local law enforcement depending on the nature of the information.”
Munger encourages parents to reach out to administrators at their students’ school to see if they are involved. “If your school is not participating, you can visit our website or call our office at (208) 615-6768 and we would be more than happy to talk you through how the process works.”
School administrators interested in enrolling in the See Tell Now! tip line can contact the Idaho School Safety and Security Program via email at chris.thoms@osbe.idaho.gov. See Tell Now! is paid for by the state, so there is no cost to schools to enroll and make this resource available to their campus community. And there are safeguards in place to keep the confidential tip line from being misused.
“The key safeguard is this information is given to local school officials and authorities who have the context. They know the difference between whether this is bullying, an interpersonal conflict between students, and if someone is trying to use See Tell Now! inappropriately,” Munger said.
We’ve seen way too many times how these tragedies play out. A troubled student signals intentions but no one takes them seriously, or perhaps their friends just don’t know where to go with concerns. “That’s really what the goal of See Tell Now! is,” Munger said. “To be able to collect and connect the dots so that we can intervene in situations before they go critical rather than waiting to see it on the evening news.”
The Crime Studies
The Idaho Statistical Analysis Center (ISAC) has released two new research reports and one new data dashboard on topics related to violent crime victimization in Idaho.
Offending Patterns Among Domestic Violence Offenders in Idaho presents results from a study of the criminal history records of more than 56,000 individuals who have been charged with a domestic violence crime in Idaho over the last 35 years.
Key findings in the report include:
• The average person arrested on their first DV charge was a male in their early 30s. Nearly half (48%) had previously been arrested for other violent, property, or drug crimes.
• The criminal history database indicates that just over 45% of DV charges ended in a conviction. The remaining cases, for which data was available, ended with charges amended, pled to a non-domestic violence charge, dismissed, or acquittal.
• Data indicates that 17% of DV offenders were rearrested for a new DV charge, with 40% of them offending within one year.
• Almost 40% of DV offenders were rearrested for a new misdemeanor or felony charge within five years of their first DV arrest.
The findings also showed that three factors increased the likelihood of being rearrested for additional DV crimes.
- Males were nearly twice as likely to be arrested more than once on DV charges;
2. Younger offenders were more likely to be rearrested on additional DV charges; and
3. Those previously arrested for a violent crime before their first DV arrest were 55% more likely to be arrested on DV charges multiple times.
Crime Victimization in Idaho: An Overview of Available Data, and its companion data dashboard, were developed in partnership with the Department of Criminal Justice at Boise State University (BSU) for their Idaho Victimization Clearinghouse website. BSU and ISAC sought to report on the status of victimization data in Idaho and examine data regarding risk and protective factors that may impact victimization. The data dashboard displays data concerning various types of victimization in Idaho, as well as data regarding services that have been provided to victims in the state.
Key findings in the report include:
• Two measures of violent crime victimization are trending in opposite directions. Both the number and rate of violent crime victims known to law enforcement decreased between 2016 and 2019 (1% and 6%, respectively). However, the number of victims served by federally funded victim service programs in Idaho increased by 38% over the same time. These opposing trends emerged during a time in which Idaho’s population grew by 3%.
• There are three major gaps in the existing data:
- Existing data does not explain why the opposing trends are occurring;
2. Existing data cannot measure how many crime victims never report the crime to law enforcement and why not, leaving the state with a gap in its knowledge about the true prevalence of crime in Idaho; and,
3. Existing data cannot measure how many crime victims never receive services and why not, or how many access services from programs other than those that are federally funded.
• ISAC makes three recommendations for filling these gaps in knowledge:
- Develop new and expand existing data sources to include more regional and local data;
- Implement a statewide victimization survey similar to the old Idaho Crime Victimization Survey, last conducted in 2012, and survey on a regular basis; and,
3. Implement a statewide standardized data collection system to collect data on services provided to crime victims.
Editor’s Notes: Portions of this article pertaining to school safety were reported and written by Kurt Liebich of IdahoEdNews.org. Reports used to produce this article are available online in the ISAC Publication Library (https://isp.idaho.gov/pgr/sac/library/). The Idaho Victimization Clearinghouse data dashboard is accessible from both the ISAC Data Dashboard repository (https://isp.idaho.gov/pgr/sac/dashboards/) and the Idaho Victimization Clearinghouse (https://idvch.com/).
SEE TELL NOW!
What: A confidential reporting system
How: Call 888-593-2835
When: 24 hours a day
Visit https://app.seetellnow.com to enroll.
