Oswego Police, District 308 Partner on Tip Hotline for High School Students

High school students witnessing criminal activity at school is nothing new.

But a way for Oswego Community Unit School District 308 students to anonymously report those crimes that occur on district property to Oswego Police is new. 

The Police Department, in partnership with District 308, has created a tip line for students at both Oswego High School and Oswego East High School to report crime directly to the police without having to provide their identity. A $50 reward will be given when those tips lead to an arrest.

"We think this is an untapped resource to find out about criminal activity in the high schools," said police media relations officer Rob Sherwood. "Students know who the students are that are involved in criminal activity. This gives them a way to report it."

According to a District 308 news release, after a student reports a crime they will receive a unique tip code number. Information will be investigated by the police department and forwarded to high school officials.

Once an arrest is made, the student will be able to use that code to collect the cash reward. The money will come from a combination of drug forfeiture funds and appropriated funds within the department's budget.

Sherwood said the idea was the result of discussions with a student advisory board made up of Oswego Police Chief Dwight Baird, one student representative from each grade level at OHS and OEHS, student resource officers from both schools and the police department's criminal investigations commander. The group meets four times a year, Sherwood said.

Sherwood stressed that when a student calls the tip line they will not be leaving a recorded message, rather they will speak with department personnel trained in asking specific questions to further an investigation. 

Reports of criminal activity at the schools are random and show no real pattern, according to Sherwood. He said the department may go two to three weeks without a report, but in some weeks more incidents occur. 

The tip line number is 630-551-7300.