MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County School students said they were working with Memphis police to solve crime.
School Board member Stephanie Love said the Youth Crime Watch program is making a difference and could even be helpful in solving the rash of crimes taking place in our schools and communities.
Police told us when a student knows something is about to happen, they call police and give them a tip.
Love said the program helped prevent a lot of incidents from happening.
She got angry when she watched the video of students fighting at White Station.
MLK Prep senior T’Andre Morris was in the program last year when his school was known as Frayser High.
Students built relationships with police and often times helped investigators get leads.
“Last year a student was killed in Pershing Park Apartments; because that program was implemented in the school, the children trusted police officers when that child was murdered children called police and told them who did it,” Love said.
She said this program even helped stop a gang fight that was being planned this year at a school.
Students called police before anything could get out of hand.
“They do a good job of not only being police but being mentors but they make it easy for people to go talk to them instead of just being scared,” said T’Andre Prep who’s a senior at MLK Prep.
Love told WREG the program is only offered in a few schools like MLK Prep, Westwood and Mannassas, but said every school should be required to offer this program so fights don’t keep happening.
Love said it’s up to the principal and administrator to make the decision whether to offer the program.
Kids told WREG something has to be done because they’re afraid to go to school.
