Courtesy of Shelinka Cunnigham
The Florida A&M University Police Department will launch the LiveSafe App Feb. 25 making it available to all students, faculty and staff.
The LiveSafe app is a free application that can be downloaded from all smartphones and is designed to help make the campus a safer environment.
Chief of FAMU PD, Terence Calloway, said the university invested in the app because of its effectiveness.
“We saw this application and seen how it was functioning and what it was doing for other universities and we decided to take a closer look at it,” Calloway said. “When we took a closer look, it fit perfectly with what we are trying to accomplish in terms of safety for our faculty, staff and students.
Calloway said the app will enhance the students’ access to the police.
“We decided to take the technology that we have and put it on their phones so they can have better access to the police department, better access to information and a since of security,” Calloway mentioned.
LiveSafe originated at Virginia Tech after a fatal on campus shooting back in 2007.
Jessica Johnson, computer system control specialist for the department of campus safety at FAMU, said the app is intended to create a better relationship between the department and the campus community.
“If you see anything and you’re in a situation where you can’t be on your phone, you can text information. If you see something suspicious you can take a picture or video, send it to us and we can investigate it,” Johnson said.
Johnson also mentioned that the app allows FAMU’s community to request escorts.
“If it’s late in the evening and someone requires in escort they can request escort rides through the app,” Johnson said. “Say you’re in the library and no one can walk with you and your friends are on the app, you can text your friend through live safe and they can watch you walk through the app.”
The police department can also track app users through LiveSafe.
Chelsie Cleaves, first-year pre-nursing student at FAMU said the LiveSafe app will help her feel safer on campus.
“I feel like the app is necessary because I don’t feel safe anymore, especially after the shooting at El Patron,” Cleaves said.