'We Tip' Launch Lets Brick Students Report Threats Anonymously

BRICK, NJ — As the new school year starts with a heightened focus on school security, the Brick Township Police Department has launched a new tip reporting system that aims to give students and adults a way to report concerns and potential threats to schools.

The system, called We Tip, allows people to make anonymous reports about suspicious activity to the police department. The system is paid for by funding provided to the Brick Township schools by the New Jersey School Insurance Group.

At a Board of Education meeting in August, Brick Township Police Chief James Riccio said the impetus behind adding the system is because of some of the lessons that have been learned about school shootings, including the shooting at a Parkand, Florida, high school on Valentine's Day.

"You always hear after the fact that everyone knew someone was a threat," Riccio said. He wants students and staff to feel they can report someone without fear of repercussions so real threats can be thwarted. He acknowledged that some people may use the system to try to harass others, but has said he would rather his officers have to sort through false accusations than miss one real threat.

"The U.S. Secret Service conducted the Safe School Initiative, a study of school shootings and other school-based attacks and found that usually 'at least one other person had some type of knowledge of the attacker’s plan,' " Brick Sgt. Neal Pedersen said in a news release about We Tip. "Most of those individuals who had prior knowledge were peers of the perpetrator. This suggests that peers often know about potential threats to their safety and risky behaviors of their friends and classmates. Often it is this failure to alert authorities on their suspicions which affects our ability to prevent the violent act before it occurs."

That's where "We Tip" comes in. The system has a toll-free nationwide hotline and internet lines that are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all tips sent to it are distributed to law enforcement so authorities can investigate.

It's hoped that in addition to We Tip being a resource where people can anonymously report threats, the knowledge that it's in use in Brick will be a deterrent to those considering making a threat, as well as deterring other school crime as well.

Anonymous tips can be phoned in at 800-782-7463, and can be reported anonymously online as well via the WeTip.com website.

"When you leave a tip, the operator will route the information to the appropriate division depending on the urgency of the information provided," the company said. While the concerns about school security and finding ways to address potential threats were the impetus for joining the system, police said any kind of suspicious activity can be reported.

The tipline is not for emergency calls, Pedersen said. In emergencies, dial 911 or call the Brick police department at 732-262-1100.

Stickers and posters were being spread in the high schools to let students and staff know about the new tipline.

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