We hear all the time, if you see something say something. But for children struggling with peer pressure, trying to fit in, and bullying it can all become too much. Now some students are working with the police to make sure they always have an outlet.
In high school, there's often more than meets the eye.
"There's a lot of home situations that like walking down the hall that you wouldn't normally like know if you didn't know the person," says student Alexus Spinks.
Spinks says some friends ask her about those situations. And others?
"I feel like they keep it to themselves and have like these questions," Spinks says. "And usually probably like ask Google about it."
Some may ask their school resource officer, but not all.
"A lot of students feel like that the police are not approachable," says school resource officer Dana Gerber.
So the Arvada, Colorado Police Department came up with a way for students with questions to talk with an officer online. "That was what our department's goal was is to try to meet students with the technology that they're using and with the information that they need right at that moment," Officer Gerber says.
On kidsncops.com, formatted to look and work like an app, students can share their concerns anonymously, and get answers to questions on everything from dating and bullying, to their rights as minors.
"All these things happen all the time and you need to talk with somebody about it at least just have somebody hear you and so you can know what to do," says student James Cama. "And I feel like this app can really help out with that."
Cama is one of several students officers worked with to determine what would be on the site, one he believes can have a big impact.
"It would cause people to find out that other people have the same problems. It's not just them," Cama says. "They're not the only person out there who needs help."
Cama and the officers who helped develop the site, are hopeful this becomes a model for other schools across America. It's designed not just for high schoolers, but middle and elementary as well.
A digital age effort to break down the walls between law enforcement and the community. Especially its youngest members.
