Education
New app connects Denver youth to resources they need – without law enforcement stigma
A new app created by Denver youth and University of Colorado Boulder scholars allows users to anonymously report safety and wellbeing concerns to community organizations trained to help, without immediately involving law enforcement.
The app, Power of One, was inspired by the 20-year-old Safe2Tell program that allows Colorado students and community members to report issues to local law enforcement anonymously. The new app offers an alternative for young people reluctant to talk to police.
“Some historically marginalized communities have been reluctant to use Safe2Tell due to a strong code of silence, stigma associated with ‘snitching,’ concerns about possible retaliation and cynicism toward police,” said Beverly Kingston, director of CU Boulder’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. “We need ways to reach them, too.”