Fact Sheet

BACKGROUND

The School Violence Hotline will provide a means for students to anonymously report specific threats of imminent school violence or other suspicious or criminal conduct. The toll-free hotline will be operational 24-hours per day, 365-days a year, by the Michigan State Police Operations Center.

When discussing this School Violence Hotline with your child or students, please reinforce the following:

You should understand the difference between those incidents that require a 911 Emergency call and those that would be appropriate for the hotline. ANY RISK OF IMMEDIATE HARM SHOULD BE REPORTED TO 911 IMMEDIATELY. Example: A student has pulled out a gun in the cafeteria.

The School Violence Hotline has been created to give you an anonymous way to report any threats of violence ("I'm going to kill someone tomorrow"),
or weapons that you may know about ("I saw a gun in someone's locker'). However, you should call this hotline only when you feel you cannot talk to a trusted adult first. Confiding in an adult that you trust is by far the best way to
deal with information about school violence.

In the event you feel threatened, know of a possible act of violence, or have information regarding a weapon, but are unable to confide in a trusted adult, this hotline is an anonymous way to relay the information on to law enforcement and know that you did everything possible to protect yourself, other students, teachers, and administrators from possible violence.

When you call the School Violence Hotline, a trained law enforcement professional will document the information and forward this directly to the appropriate Emergency Dispatch Center in the state that can initiate immediate and appropriate action by law enforcement.