Universities across the country have installed call boxes on campus for reporting crimes or unsafe situations. However, LSU does not have many call boxes still in use.
The University once had call boxes around campus, but their use has significantly declined over the past 20 years, said LSU Chief of Police Bart Thompson.
“We talked to some of the people who’ve been here a long time,” Thompson said. “They couldn’t remember an incident where someone used a call box to notify the police.”
While the call boxes were installed to increase campus safety, many were installed outside residence halls to aid students who couldn’t enter their building. Now that many students living on campus use their Tiger Cards to enter residence halls, the call boxes are no longer used.
After meeting with police departments at other universities and learning that their call boxes are seldom used, LSUPD decided to pursue other options that would increase the number of crimes reported.
Three years ago, LSUPD, in partnership with LSU Student Government, tested four companies’ safety apps to determine which was the best fit for LSU. After securing free contacts with the apps, LSU detectives tested the apps around campus. Three months later, LSUPD chose an app developed by 911 Cellular, and the LSU Shield app was created.
The LSU Shield app is a free safety app available on iOS and Android operating systems, and is a new and improved version of the stationary call box. The app allows users to contact the police like a call box would, but it allows users to keep moving while doing so.
“The technology has changed,” Thompson said. “We don’t want a person who feels uncomfortable to have to stop and use the phone.”
Users not only can call LSUPD using the app, but also also send text messages through the app to LSUPD.
“We know the majority of students don’t want to talk to police, but they’ll text,” Thompson said.
The app also includes an emergency button. When pressed, it sends the user’s location, including the building and floor information, to LSUPD. Information about suspicious persons or situations, including pictures and videos, can be sent directly to LSUPD.
LSUPD has seen a significant increase in the amount of crimes reported with the LSU Shield app versus the call boxes.
LSUPD encourages all students, faculty and staff to download the LSU Shield app.