A new smartphone app will enable users to create a virtual safety net of friends, family and 小蝌蚪APP Police.
The 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP email address and smartphone.
The Rave Guardian Campus Safety App is offered by Rave Mobile Safety, the company that provides UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 emergency notification system.
The app has been described as a 小蝌蚪APP渧irtual escort.小蝌蚪APP Here小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP済uardians小蝌蚪APP 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.
小蝌蚪APP淪ay you小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP said 小蝌蚪APP Police Capt. Charles Gisclair.
小蝌蚪APP淵ou would use the app to record that information. Suppose you plan to be home by midnight. If you don小蝌蚪APP檛 deactivate the timer by 12 o小蝌蚪APP檆lock, the app will automatically notify the designated guardian.
小蝌蚪APP淭he first thing the guardian would do would be to call you to see if you小蝌蚪APP檙e okay. If you can小蝌蚪APP檛 be reached, the app enables the guardian to immediately notify 小蝌蚪APP Police that you小蝌蚪APP檙e not back home yet. That notification can be sent regardless of whether you designated 小蝌蚪APP Police as a guardian.小蝌蚪APP
The 小蝌蚪APP Police dispatcher on campus receives the notification. 小蝌蚪APP淏ecause this is web-based software, we can also receive the notification in our patrol units, where we have wi-fi access,小蝌蚪APP Gisclair continued.
小蝌蚪APP淭he only time 小蝌蚪APP Police would have access to the user小蝌蚪APP檚 personal profile would be when the notification is activated. It gives us the user小蝌蚪APP檚 info. And, as long as the user小蝌蚪APP檚 smartphone GPS is operating, the app will ping that phone and show us where it小蝌蚪APP檚 located.小蝌蚪APP
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.
小蝌蚪APP淭here are actually two warnings before the timer goes off,小蝌蚪APP Gisclair said. 小蝌蚪APP淭he first notification is a text message: 小蝌蚪APP榊ou小蝌蚪APP檝e got a certain number of minutes left on your timer.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淭hen, within the last minute, the app places an automated call that says, 小蝌蚪APP榊ou have 59 seconds to deactivate the timer.小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP
Gisclair said other universities that have adopted the app have reported few 小蝌蚪APP渇alse小蝌蚪APP notifications.
小蝌蚪APP淚 think our students will use this app. It小蝌蚪APP檚 a very useful tool,小蝌蚪APP he said.
David Neef, SGA president, said providing the app has been a long-term goal. 小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP Police or 911. And, it小蝌蚪APP檚 a tool that enables the user to anonymously report anything suspicious to police.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP Police Chief Joey Sturm stressed that the service is not limited to UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 campus. A faculty member who is attending a conference in another part of the United States could use it, for example. 小蝌蚪APP淚f the app小蝌蚪APP檚 timer goes off, then when we get that person小蝌蚪APP檚 identification information, we can notify the appropriate law enforcement jurisdiction,小蝌蚪APP 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小蝌蚪APP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 小蝌蚪APP.