Step 4: Determine the Threshold for Law Enforcement Intervention

vast majority of incidents or concerns that are likely to be reported can be handled by school personnel using school or community resources.

For example, the most common types of reports submitted to Safe2Tell Colorado during the 2016- 2017 school year were related to suicide, bullying, drugs, cutting (self-harm), and depression.

Some of these common reports may not require the involvement of law enforcement.

Those that do warrant law enforcement intervention include threats of violence and planned school attacks, which constituted Safe2Tell’s sixth and seventh most common types of reports, respectively.

Reports regarding student behaviors involving weapons, threats of violence, physical violence, or concerns about an individual’s safety should immediately be reported to local law enforcement.

This is one reason why including a school resource officer or local law enforcement officer on the Team is beneficial.

If a school resource officer is not available to serve on the Team, schools should set a clear threshold for times and situations when law enforcement will be asked to support or take over an assessment.

For example, it might be necessary to have law enforcement speak with a student’s parent or guardian, search a student’s person or possessions, or collect additional information about the student or situation outside the school community during the assessment.