Safe2Tell, the state’s anonymous tip line for violence intervention and prevention for students, is continuing to grow, according to state officials.

In October, the program received 2,622 tips, a 15% increase in monthly tip volume compared with the same time last year.

“By reporting any information that could be a threat to themselves or others, our Colorado students and families are helping keep our schools safe,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a news release. “Safe2Tell aims to encourage students to speak up and to know their tips are taken seriously.”

In the 2019-20 school year, Safe2Tell has received 6,790 actionable tips, a 36% increase from the 2018-19 school year. Suicide threats (417), bullying (208) and drugs (182) continue to be the most common categories of tips reported to the program. Of the tips received this school year, 614 were duplicate tips and only about 2.5% were false tips — which contain untrue information or were submitted with the intent to harm, injure or bully another person.

Given the success of the tip line — officials expect more than 20,000 tips this school year — Weiser prioritized the services as one of his budget priorities for the 2020-21 fiscal year, requesting $129,906 to address ongoing training and materials distribution to keep community partners aware of the most effective ways to keep schools safe.

The tip line requires law enforcement and school officials to investigate and take appropriate action on each report, but it doesn’t have any specific criteria for reports. Instead, students and parents should feel free to use the service to report any safety concerns.

“Students and parents regularly ask us what they can and cannot report to Safe2Tell, and they are often surprised with our response: They should report anything that is a safety concern to themselves, to their peers or to their community,” Safe2Tell Director Essi Ellis said.

To make an anonymous report, individuals can call 1-877-542-7233 from anywhere, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Reports also can be made at safe2tell.org, or through the Safe2Tell mobile app available on the Apple App Store or Google Play.