UC Launches LiveSafe Mobile App to Enhance Campus and Community Safety

On Thursday, May 1, the University of Cincinnati is launching a new mobile safety app that provides students, faculty, staff and the wider community a new tool to get in touch with

UC Police

.

Called

LiveSafe

, the mobile application is available as a free download from

iTunes

or

Google Play

for iPhone and Android devices, with the goal of providing a fast and efficient means to reach university police with a report.

“The new LiveSafe app is just one part of a number of strategies being implemented to enhance public safety on and off campus," said UC interim Public Safety Director Robert Ambach. "Collectively, public safety measures have proven effective in reducing crime off campus, and this app is one more tool, one more channel of communications."

He added, “The purpose is not to replace other means of communication, but to supplement what already exists.”

The app’s user-friendly interface allows users to share their location with family and friends in real-time as they walk and report information to UC Police, anonymously if needed.

Jeff Corcoran, interim police chief at UC, explained that the LiveSafe app will allow users to contact campus police in a discrete manner with information that is GPS tagged (providing the precise location of the user) and with information that can include a picture, video or audio clip.

“The level of detailed information that can be sent quickly and easily via the app provides a new safety enhancement that can only help ensure greater awareness and greater interaction with UC Police. It’s a communications means that may be the preferred method by many students and community members given the high rate of use for smartphones and other mobile devices,” he stated, adding that LiveSafe is a new way to follow the old motto: If you see something, say something.

UC’s LiveSafe app allows users to

• Report tips anonymously.
• Send UC Police your location in an emergency.
• Provide information that can include an image, video or audio.
• Let friends or family monitor your walk to a destination.

How to download

• Search for “LiveSafe” in the iTunes or Google Play app stores for a free download. The app has a blue shield icon.
• Enter your user profile information.
• Select “University of Cincinnati” as your agency.