West Virginia University is furthering its commitment to campus safety with the launch of the LiveSafe App, which provides students, faculty, staff, community members and visitors an on-the-go way to connect with authorities.
LiveSafe is a free mobile application for Apple and Android devices that empowers the campus community to expedite the identification and response of any actions in progress, safety concerns or potential threats in order to ensure the safety for all members of the campus community. Kristina Anderson, a survivor of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting that killed 32 students and injured 17 others, created the App.
WVU Student Government Association and the WVU Police Department collaborated to bring the mobile safety app to campus.
“One year ago, I ran on a platform of campus safety, and it was my goal to bring a mobile safety application readily accessible to students through a collaborative effort with University Police, and we were able to make this idea a reality for our University,” said Jacob Evans, student body vice president. “We are starting the implementation phase, and in order for it to be as successful as possible, we highly urge all students to download, install and use this app to help keep you as safe as possible.”
LiveSafe, which is used on around 10 other campuses across the country, enables increased safety by creating a new two-way channel of communication between the community and safety officials. LiveSafe provides users a suite of emergency services, including options to:
- Report an anonymous tip (photo, video and text options) about a suspicious act taking place.
- Call campus police or 911 in an emergency situation.
- View a map of Morgantown with the latest information on crimes that have been reported over a specific length of time.
- Notify friends in real-time of your location and safety through a one-button monitoring service or an electronic escort service.
With LiveSafe, safety officials are able to better identify and assess threats, prevent crimes and save lives, said WVU Police Chief Bob Roberts.
“The LiveSafe App will help to open the communication lines between WVU Police and our community to help prevent crimes across campus,” Roberts said. “LiveSafe allows every community member with a smart phone the opportunity to have a direct connection with police at all times to help assure the safety of our citizens.”
The University community is encouraged to download the app and use it to report crimes, safety hazards or suspicious activity. This service, however, will not replace the current WVU Alert text message system, which is the best way for the University to report emergencies to the community. The app will work in collaboration with other current services WVU in an ongoing effort to maintain and provide a safe academic environment.
To download the app:
- Click the following links for your respective mobile device: Apple or Android –or– search “LiveSafe” in the App Store or Google Play Store.
- Download the app to your mobile device.
- Open the app.
- Select “West Virginia University” from the list of schools.
- Fill-in your name and contact info so we can get in touch in the event of an emergency.
For more information on the LiveSafe App, visit http://livesafemobile.com.
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td/05/21/14
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