Campus safety has been a longstanding priority at WVU Tech, where students enjoy a vibrant campus life in a safe, welcoming community. In an effort to enhance the security of that community, WVU Tech has partnered with WVU and LiveSafe to launch the LiveSafe mobile app, a free personal safety application for students, campus employees, parents and the community.
The LiveSafe app essentially turns the smartphone into an “emergency blue light,” enabling two-way communication between students and campus law enforcement. Using text, photo or video, students can share information about anything from suspicious activity and mental health concerns to sexual assault and acts of violence. Students reporting tips can also do so anonymously.
Using office-based and mobile LiveSafe Command Dashboards, campus police can monitor tips in real-time, allowing them to quickly and more efficiently respond to potential emergencies or illegal activity.
In addition to reporting tips, LiveSafe allows users to live-chat with campus police, directly dial 911 to receive immediate assistance and view a social safety map of the Montgomery area, complete with directions to nearby safety locations.
The app also offers SafeWalk, a feature where users can invite friends and family to virtually accompany them on a walk. While using SafeWalk, invited guests can view a real-time map with a blue dot that represents the walker, chat with the walker during their trip or directly contact local law enforcement in the event of an emergency.
LiveSafe is available to the WVU Tech community to download for free on iPhone and Android devices. Smartphones without a data plan can interact with LiveSafe over Wi-Fi.
LiveSafe users should allow “push notifications,” enable location services and be sure to complete the user profile with name, e-mail address and telephone number. This helps campus police better respond to reports by allowing them to retrieve the caller’s information and exact location (users are not actively tracked until they actually make an emergency call).
Visit WVU Tech’s LiveSafe resources page for more information, including helpful how-to handouts and FAQs. For additional questions, contact the Division of Student Life at techstudentlife@mail.wvu.edu or by phone at 304.442.3158.