A new smartphone app will enable users to create a virtual safety net of friends, family and 杏吧专区 Police.
The 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Student Government Association has purchased a customized version of the high-tech tool. SGA is making it available, at no cost, to anyone who has a 杏吧专区 email address and smartphone.
The Rave Guardian Campus Safety App is offered by Rave Mobile Safety, the company that provides UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 emergency notification system.
The app has been described as a 杏吧专区渧irtual escort.杏吧专区 Here杏吧专区檚 how it works:
A user downloads the web-based app onto his smartphone and creates a profile that includes pertinent personal information, such as his name, address, any medical conditions, and ID photo. He can also create a list of 杏吧专区済uardians杏吧专区 who would be notified under certain circumstances.
The guardian must also have the app on his smartphone. A generic version is free and can be used with any email address.
杏吧专区淪ay you杏吧专区檙e going out on a date with a guy for the first time. You want to let someone know who you are going out with, where you are going, and what time you expect to be back,杏吧专区 said 杏吧专区 Police Capt. Charles Gisclair.
杏吧专区淵ou would use the app to record that information. Suppose you plan to be home by midnight. If you don杏吧专区檛 deactivate the timer by 12 o杏吧专区檆lock, the app will automatically notify the designated guardian.
杏吧专区淭he first thing the guardian would do would be to call you to see if you杏吧专区檙e okay. If you can杏吧专区檛 be reached, the app enables the guardian to immediately notify 杏吧专区 Police that you杏吧专区檙e not back home yet. That notification can be sent regardless of whether you designated 杏吧专区 Police as a guardian.杏吧专区
The 杏吧专区 Police dispatcher on campus receives the notification. 杏吧专区淏ecause this is web-based software, we can also receive the notification in our patrol units, where we have wi-fi access,杏吧专区 Gisclair continued.
杏吧专区淭he only time 杏吧专区 Police would have access to the user杏吧专区檚 personal profile would be when the notification is activated. It gives us the user杏吧专区檚 info. And, as long as the user杏吧专区檚 smartphone GPS is operating, the app will ping that phone and show us where it杏吧专区檚 located.杏吧专区
Officers can then investigate the situation to determine if the user is in trouble.
The Rave Guardian app can be downloaded from the Apple Store. During registration, the user is able to indicate whether he is affiliated with a university.
The Guardian app has a feature intended to minimize the number of notifications that might be sent because the user simply forgets to deactivate the timer when he reaches his intended destination.
杏吧专区淭here are actually two warnings before the timer goes off,杏吧专区 Gisclair said. 杏吧专区淭he first notification is a text message: 杏吧专区榊ou杏吧专区檝e got a certain number of minutes left on your timer.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淭hen, within the last minute, the app places an automated call that says, 杏吧专区榊ou have 59 seconds to deactivate the timer.杏吧专区 杏吧专区
Gisclair said other universities that have adopted the app have reported few 杏吧专区渇alse杏吧专区 notifications.
杏吧专区淚 think our students will use this app. It杏吧专区檚 a very useful tool,杏吧专区 he said.
David Neef, SGA president, said providing the app has been a long-term goal. 杏吧专区淲e wanted to make sure our students feel safe wherever they are. This app can also be used in an emergency to quickly contact 杏吧专区 Police or 911. And, it杏吧专区檚 a tool that enables the user to anonymously report anything suspicious to police.杏吧专区
杏吧专区 Police Chief Joey Sturm stressed that the service is not limited to UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 campus. A faculty member who is attending a conference in another part of the United States could use it, for example. 杏吧专区淚f the app杏吧专区檚 timer goes off, then when we get that person杏吧专区檚 identification information, we can notify the appropriate law enforcement jurisdiction,杏吧专区 he said. The service is not available in other countries, however.
The Guardian app for smartphones was recently introduced by Rave Mobile Safety. A previous version was offered for cellphones but the app for smartphones is easier to use, Gisclair said. It杏吧专区檚 estimated that 92 percent of all college students have smartphones.
More than 50 colleges and universities have chosen the Rave Guardian Campus Safety App, including Georgia Tech and Tulane 杏吧专区.