Middle School Student Brings Stun Gun to Campus

Parents used to think of schools as safe places to send their children – that traveling to and from campus was the most dangerous part of the day. Things have changed. Backpacks and book bags carried by all students are now capable of hiding a stunning array of weapons in addition to the ordinary range of campus contraband.

Alert students in a Jacksonville, Florida middle school probably averted the injury or death of a couple of their peers. Thanks to First Coast Crime Stoppers, who presented a program earlier in the year, they knew just what to do.

Although Crime Stoppers provided a phone number and students who call in tips are eligible for rewards in the form of cash, one young whistle blower searched out the School Resource Officer. As a result, a knife was unearthed in a girl’s book bag.

On the same day a stun gun was found in a student’s backpack. The discovery was the result of a student tip to the Student Crime Stoppers hotline.

According to Principal Ronda Cotter there was no incident during the recovery of either weapon.

“They found something was wrong and they told an adult,” Cotter says of the students who reported their information.

Students who bring weapons to school are subject to a ten-day suspension from classes. Both students, who are girls, received the full punishment.

Due to the rising campus crime rate in lower school settings, as well as middle and high schools, law enforcement officers, school administrators, and other community leaders are calling for increased awareness on the part of everyone in the community. They believe that heightened vigilance coupled with additional parental supervision will have a positive impact on safety both on campus and in the community.

First Coast Crime Stoppers is just one of many organizations working to prevent crimes by getting the students to take part of the responsibility for keeping schools safe.