Posted on: Friday, June 7, 2002

Wahiawa middle school top CrimeStoppers

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer

WAHIAWA — Wahiawa Middle School was honored yesterday as CrimeStoppers' middle school of the year for its efforts to lower crime on campus.

Detective Letha DeCaires, of the Honolulu police CrimeStoppers program, said Wahiawa Middle students were honored during a campus ceremony for providing 28 tips to police this year, the most from one school. Thirteen cases were solved from those tips.

"These cases involved contraband such as drugs and knives, and recovery of stolen property," DeCaires said. "We also solved a couple shoplifting cases at community stores through student tips."

James Jerviss, Wahiawa Middle's safety resource officer, was also recognized for running the school's CrimeStoppers program.

The Student CrimeStoppers program now includes 52 public and private O'ahu schools, but students from any school can submit tips. The program began in 1996 with five schools, but quickly expanded after the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

Ray Higa, safety director for the Central school district, said some of the tips are related to assaults, robberies, harassment and contraband on campus. Student tips to police are verified by each school's safety resource officer before police get involved.

Students can report a crime by calling either 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone. Anonymous tips can also be sent online at www.studentcrimestoppers.org.

Students leaving tips are eligible for a reward of up to $100 if their information leads to an arrest in a serious crime. Tipsters can choose to remain anonymous and needn't testify in court.

"Most of the kids in the program have declined the reward," DeCaires said. "We don't want to see kids singled out for reporting a crime, so student confidentiality is our biggest concern."

Moanalua High was named the CrimeStoppers high school of the year. Moanalua High's safety resource officer Kevin Ancog was recently honored and is a recruit at the Honolulu police training academy.

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.