March 11, 2024
This article was originally featured here.
SAN ANTONIO - The State of Texas has spent millions of dollars on a system where you can report threats, but our analysis shows that over the past two years, fewer people have been using it.
WatchTexas gives you the option to submit a report to the Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network and School Safety Network (Texas DPS)
Several of our local districts are using other threat-reporting resources to bolster safety.
iWatchTexas is a public site where you can enter reports to the Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network and the School Safety Network. It helps law enforcement combat and centralizes reports about terrorism, crime, and school safety-related suspicious activity. Texas DPS says these reports are combined with information from regional and out-of-state fusion centers, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and school districts in Texas to give a more holistic picture of safety.
The school safety part of iWatchTexas allows officials and law enforcement to get involved with students early if there's a risk of crisis or targeted violence.
Here is a look at the numbers.
Total reports, which include entries to both the Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network and School Safety Network, are down 46% from their peak in 2021.
School threat reports have risen on the platform in recent years, but those still only made up about a fifth of all 2023 entries.
We obtained records showing lawmakers have funneled more than $8 million into this technology so far.
In June 2022, Governor Greg Abbott directed several state agencies to promote the iWatchTexas reporting system as a way to report suspicious activity.
The governor's office even recruited Chuck Norris to help promote it.
"If you see something, say something," Norris says in the public service announcement.
Even though reports are down overall for iWatchTexas, the opposite trend is happening for STOPit Solutions, a company that hundreds of Texas school districts use for threat reporting.
"This school year versus last, our emergency incidents are just way up," said Parkhill Mays, the of STOPit Solutions. "They're up about 50%."
Almost 10,000 reports have come in from Texas so far this school year.
"What's driving that trend tends to be more on the mental health side, more suicide ideation, cutting, and self-harm," Mays said. "Obviously, that's just an incredibly tragic statistic."
STOPit Solutions reports more usage in Texas this school year over last year. They serve more than 300 schools and districts. (STOPit Solutions)
STOPit Solutions operates in three states that have a system like iWatch, and it's not uncommon for their platform to get more reports.
They say outside apps allow districts to personalize their programs, making it easier for staff and students to use. Plus, they get the threat alerts first. State programs often filter through fusion centers and state police first.
Mays says STOPit will notify law enforcement for the school districts they serve, so those entities are still getting the information if the situation calls for it.
Students can also report anonymously and then continue with anonymous communication, which company leaders say is key.
"If you do not give them that ability, the chances are, they're not going to step forward to send that information," said Teresa Reuter, SVP of Customer Success for STOPit Solutions.
You can leave your name out using iWatchTexas, but that means authorities won't be able to follow up with you for information.
But Mays stresses that all reporting should be considered a success, a sentiment Texas DPS shares about iWatchTexas.
Many districts use a layered approach where both methods are offered to students.
"The important thing is that districts do something,' Mays said. "If iWatch works for them, they should use it."
State and company officials agree the most important thing is speaking up when there's a threat, no matter what platform that's on.
"The more kids speak out, speak up, and reach out for help... That's really what we're all after, us included," Mays said.
