Parking lot safety? There’s an app for that

Shorter days and the end of daylight saving time causes more USA Health faculty and staff to walk to their vehicles in the dark, which can create safety concerns. But University of South Alabama Police Chief Zeke Aull wants employees to know that security is only an app away.

USA offers the LiveSafe app to all students and employees, whether they are located on the main campus or at a USA Health facility. The free app enables the mobile user to reach campus police or other emergency responders immediately, report suspicious activities and connect with family and friends who can monitor their whereabouts.

“The app adds an extra layer of security for students, faculty and staff,” Aull said. “With the emergency feature, you can press a button that notifies campus police, and we can dispatch our officers located on both hospital campuses.”

The free app can be downloaded by employees or their family members from Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. They must create a profile and choose the University of South Alabama as their school or employer.

LiveSafe allows mobile users to:

• Message or call USA police or 9-1-1 for immediate response during an emergency.
• Report crimes, suspicious activities or send non-emergency tips including messages, photos, videos or audio files.
• Access the SafeWalk feature that enables friends to “watch” you reach your destination.

“With SafeWalk, you can have someone follow you or you can follow them as a GPS dot on a map,” Aull said. “If there’s a problem, they can press the emergency feature, and we will dispatch officers to that location.”