THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610260080
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: FACES AND PLACES
SOURCE: Susie Stoughton
LENGTH: 83 lines
The Nansemond River High School fire alarm sounded recently, and quickly the students, teachers and administrators emptied the building.
This wasn't a drill, faculty members said.
But firefighters, who arrived within minutes, could find no evidence of fire or smoke.
The evacuation had been needless, the call a false alarm.
But school officials and policeman Tony Boone, the school's liaison officer, were helpless to find the culprit.
The person who had pulled the alarm likely had been swallowed up in the crowds, unnoticed, leaving no trace.
They had nothing to go on. Or so it seemed.
By the next day, Boone had made an arrest in the class one misdemeanor, which is punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 or 12 months in jail, or both.
The tip came from a Crime Line caller, a student seeking anonymity through the confidential line.
Many times, crime witnesses are afraid to report something openly. Sometimes, they fear retribution. Other times, they just don't want to be labeled a snitch.
By calling Crime Line, they can relay information without the risk of being known.
Crime may not pay, but Crime Line does - in more ways than one.
The confidential line brings rewards - up to $1,000 in cash, or gifts for the students - for the caller, if the information provided leads to an arrest. The line also pays big dividends to the police, who often cannot solve a case without such tips.
Mike Simpkins, the city's Crime Line coordinator, and the two school coordinators - Boone at Nansemond River and A.L. Weaver at Lakeland High School - are trying to encourage more calls.
Simpkins and Boone recently attended a weeklong international Crime Line conference in Mobile to learn more about the program.
There were representatives of Crime Line programs from Guam, Hawaii, Germany, London and Essex, England, and several provinces in Canada as well as cities across the U.S.
``Interestingly enough, their problems - with the distance in between countries - are the same as ours,'' Simpkins said. ``We're all fighting the same battles.''
Like the United States, England is having problems with guns, he said.
``And when the British community - well, it's unheard of,'' he said. ``The police there don't even carry guns.''
And schools in the other countries also have problems such as gangs and students who act like bullies.
``They all have the same problems, just on different levels,'' he said.
Simpkins, who has attended the conference for three years, said the training sessions are helpful, but the information exchange between the participants is even more important.
One of the things he hopes to incorporate into the city's Crime Line is a child abuse prevention program that was featured at the conference. The ``Knock, Knock . . . Who's There?'' program is produced by Regina Marscheider of Virginia Beach, director of Spectrum Puppets and national director of Children's Performance Workshops.
Simpkins hopes the Crime Line can raise the $1,200 needed to bring the program to John Yeates Middle School.
One of Crime Line's biggest success stories in Suffolk was a recent drug bust - the largest drug confiscation in the city's history, Simpkins said. Police recovered more than $200,000 worth of narcotics in the case, thanks in part to a Crime Line caller, he said.
Crime Line, which is nonprofit, is not a police program, Simpkins insisted. ``It's a citizens' program.''
Members of the board of directors serve voluntarily, meeting once a month to determine who qualifies for rewards and how much they should get. Callers are identified by a number, not a name.
``We pay out about $5,000 a year,'' said Simpkins, also a volunteer.
The difference between a snitch and an informant who helps police crack a case quite often is simply money. MEMO: For more information or to report information concerning any
recent crime, call Crime Line at 539-1222. You do not have to give your
name or testify in court on the information you provide. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SUSIE STOUGHTON
Tony Boone, left, a school liaison officer, and Mike Simpkins, Crime
Line coordinator, are trying to encourage more students to call
Crime Line. by CNB