LOGAN, Utah – Utah State University has released rolling out a new app that campus police say will help put safety resources, right at their fingertips. It could also help them find people who need help faster, through GPS tracking.

The fall semester is just under a week away, but incoming freshmen have already been busy preparing and getting more familiar with the campus. Coming from the state of Washington, Kelli Munn said she just happened to come across one unexpected tool that might help her – the Utah State Safe App.

“I was looking at apps that I needed to download for school and I thought it’s probably a really good thing for me to have as a freshman, and just anyone on campus,” she said.

Safe Utah State launched earlier this week and is similar to the statewide safety and crisis app, Safe UT. A publicity campaign designed to get more students signed up in the app will start as classes begin.

Earl Morris, USU Director of Public Safety, pointed out the app does not replace their existing code blue alert system. All registered students will get those alerts.

“Utah State has chosen to go above and beyond what the federal requirements are and actually put in place an app that not only allows us to put out mass notifications, or alerts, but also puts us directly in contact with our customer, who’s our student and faculty,” he said.

Once registered on the app, people can call 911 or campus police directly, or text in tips. As calls or texts for help come in, campus police can immediately find out where the caller is located through their phone’s GPS. Users can also share that location data with a friend if they want someone to monitor their walk home and don’t want to call for a police escort.

“They can reach out to somebody else who’s on the app, let them know where they are, and be tracked from their starting point to their finish point,” Morris said.

The Utah State Safe App also has links to counseling, and support, as well as resources for faculty and staff who may need to help a student in distress or who might be exhibiting mental health concerns. Campus Police will be out telling students about the app as classes begin next week.