News

Official says "Trust Pays" helps weed out guns and drugs
Reported by Nick Paranjape, WMCTV 5

Oct 25, 2007

The Manassas High shooting was not the first time a gun was found in a Memphis classroom this year.

In 2007 from January to October, there have been 31 guns found inside Memphis and Shelby County schools.

Buddy Chapman, the head of Memphis CrimeStoppers, is the head "Trust Pays," a program designed to fight crime in schools.

"It's getting worse and worse," he said.

Basically, any student who has information about weapons or drugs at school can tell an adult they "trust." That adult will pass along the information to the principal, who then tells police.

The student is PAID anywhere from $50 to a$1,000 for the information, and remains anonymous.

"Guns and drugs in school...that's not snitching," Chapman said. "That's being responsible, because we're talking about danger here."

Since the program's inception in January, there were 62 weapons, including knives, razors, and guns, found in area schools.

"It used to be an unusual year when we found 2 or 3 guns for the whole year," Chapman said. "Well, what have we done, we found four in two months, and in the six months last (school) year we found 27."

And, Chapman said, there are a handful of students who didn't want the reward. Those incidents are not recorded in the Trust Pays program.

Chapman said not all the schools in Memphis and Shelby County participate in Trust Pays, but he believes they should.

"I can't say Trust Pays could've prevented Manassas, but I can tell you this: Somebody there, some responsible student, knew that kid had a gun, besides the one that got shot," he said.

Trust Pays students to fight campus crime
Reported by Nick Kenney, WMC TV 5
Oct 9, 2007

Inside a tiny conference room, eyes are peeled to the flat screen while a small group reviews a video. The purpose is to expand a program attempting to fight crime in schools.

It's a division of CrimeStoppers called Trust Pays. "Then we wound up finding, as I say, two loaded weapons in grammar schools," says Buddy Chapman.

The idea is simple. Any student who knows about illegal activity on campus can tell an adult on campus.

That adult tells the principal and the principal tells police. If successful in stopping that illegal activity, CrimeStoppers pays the student anonymously through the adult originally told.

Trust Pays started in January 2007. 34 schools participated and the program paid out 222 different times; 62 for weapons, 160 for drugs.

East High School Principal Fred Curry participates, calling the program necessary. "It's almost a godsend. It's a no-brainer because when I came to east High School and saw the way it was, I knew that I could not fix it myself," says Curry.

In an attempt to fix crime on other campuses, CrimeStoppers is making that video, preparing to show parent organizations. They're hoping all 239 schools across Memphis and Shelby County get on board.

Chapman adds, "We're getting there, let me tell you what, they've realized is what a tool it can be fro them, It is a principal run program so therefore it doesn't run unless the principal runs it."

Fourth Person In Custody For Taylor Bradford Murder
Three Arrested for Football Player's Murder
Monday, 08 Oct. 2007

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com) -- A fourth person is in police custody for the murder of University of Memphis football player Taylor Bradford.

Daeshawn Tate, Victor Trezevant and Courtney Washington, all 21-years old, were arrested after anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers, none of those arrested were students at the University. The fourth suspect's name has not been released

All three men are charged with murder in the perpetration of attempted aggravated robbery. Investigators believe that Bradford was specifically targeted in this crime.

MPD Director Larry Godwin stated that the investigation is still ongoing, and at least one more arrest could follow.

WHBQ Ch. 13: "Third Suspect Arrested in Tattoo Shop Murder"

According to police reports, a tip called in to CrimeStoppers led investigators with the Memphis Homicide Bureau to a residence in Hickory Hill, where they arrested Jeremy Young.

View the report