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Safe to Say handled 34,000 tips; AG says 12% were life-safety matters and asks for continued resources
Summary
Lawmakers asked about the Office of the Attorney General's Safe to Say program after representatives reported 34,000 tips in 2023-24; AG Sunday said 12% were life-safety matters and supported continued funding and training for analysts who triage electronic tips.
Representatives pressed Attorney General Dave Sunday on the Safe to Say school-safety program, which lawmakers reported handled more than 34,000 tips in the 2023-24 school year.
Sunday told the committee that roughly 12% of those tips were designated life-safety matters and that the leading categories among those were bullying and cyberbullying, drug distribution/possession, suicide ideation and inappropriate behavior or gestures.
Bridal Klein, identified on the record as the director of Safe to Say, described the unit's staffing model: a director with a team of agents and analysts who triage electronically submitted tips, attempt engagement with tipsters and coordinate with child-predator and victim-services units when necessary.
The governor's budget proposal includes a $93,000 increase for the school-safety line to maintain current staffing and a $69,000 (2.6%) increase proposed for a following fiscal year. Sunday said the program likely will need future increases tied to rising juvenile mental-health needs and the expanding role of cyber-based threats.
"I would say...that answer is yes," Sunday said when asked whether the office anticipates needing additional resources; he noted that saving lives through early reporting justifies continuing investment.
