As a new measure to keep students safe, LSUPD may update emergency call boxes around campus.
The current call boxes work like telephones. Users dial 911 or the police department to speak with an officer. But newer options reach 911 or the University police department with the push of a single button.
These “code blue poles” can be found on many campuses, including Auburn and Texas A&M Universities.
The University has approximately 40 call boxes, most of them outside residential halls. LSUPD spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said 70 to 80 percent of the boxes are in working order.
Lalonde said LSUPD is working on repairing the boxes, but because some are equipped with outdated technology, the cost may outweigh the benefits. Instead, LSUPD is researching options to upgrade the boxes.
“One of the issues is that it is an older technology, so therefore the cost increases when trying to take on that older technology,” Lalonde said. “They have a lot of new technologies out there, a lot of new features and things of that nature, so that’s something that we’re looking at.”
Lalonde said LSUPD is considering the new technology for the University, as some poles include video recording and audio broadcasting.
But, he said these features come at a hefty price.
“Depending on what type of specific equipment that you purchase and have installed and what features are on that, on the high end they can go up to $40,000 per pole,” Lalonde said.
Though Lalonde said a price cannot be put on safety, LSUPD has to make sure the features are feasible to implement.
Lalonde said the department rarely gets emergency calls from the boxes. Instead, people use them when looking for directions or dial in as a prank.
“We don’t want to put these things out there to give people a false sense of security, although that doesn’t rule out the fact that we wouldn’t implement additional ones on campus,” Lalonde said. “It is a situation where there is no one thing that is going to absolutely, positively, 100 percent guarantee someone’s safety.”
LSUPD recently launched the LSU Shield app to keep students and faculty safer and aware of their surroundings, Lalonde said.
While the app does not rule out the possibility of expanding the call box system, Lalonde said it is an additional safety measure already in place.
“There is no one thing out there that is going to be the 100 percent cure to becoming a victim of a crime,” Lalonde said. “So, we want to make the community as safe as possible, and these types of things are an option.”