Spring Break
Cell phones can call campus security for?help
Issue date: 4/30/09
American University is taking new steps in campus safety. Students can use their cell phones to call campus security instead of looking for the closest blue-light emergency phone.
By pressing a certain key on the phone, a student at American University can activate loud alarms in the public safety office and display his or her location on the campus on security monitors along with a photograph of the owner of the phone and his or her physical description.
Students decide how much identifying information to give officials when they sign up for the AU Campus Connect Service. All of that private information is kept on servers off the campus.
American University currently also has a "guardian" system in place. Students who have signed up for the service can call for a virtual police escort late at night. They call in and set a timer and if the student does not call back to deactivate the service at the end of the time limit, campus police are notified and given the student's location. Students can also leave a voice message detailing their route, to help police track them down should trouble arise.
By pressing a certain key on the phone, a student at American University can activate loud alarms in the public safety office and display his or her location on the campus on security monitors along with a photograph of the owner of the phone and his or her physical description.
Students decide how much identifying information to give officials when they sign up for the AU Campus Connect Service. All of that private information is kept on servers off the campus.
American University currently also has a "guardian" system in place. Students who have signed up for the service can call for a virtual police escort late at night. They call in and set a timer and if the student does not call back to deactivate the service at the end of the time limit, campus police are notified and given the student's location. Students can also leave a voice message detailing their route, to help police track them down should trouble arise.
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