Student Government, UK Police Launch LiveSafe App at UK

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 9, 2015) — Safety is the highest priority on our campus. The University of Kentucky is a safe campus but is always exploring new ways to keep the campus community safe. Spearheaded by UK Student Government Association, in partnership with UK Police, a new tool is now available to put safety in the palm of your hand.

The university is launching LiveSafe — a revolutionary smartphone app that will notify UK Police of your exact location within seconds of activating an emergency alert.

As part of their platform statement, SGA President Jake Ingram and Vice President Mariel Jackson promised a commitment to working with UKPD and the UK administration to ensure a safe environment for students, faculty and staff both on campus and in the surrounding community.

"Our administration and UK Police are working hard to create an incredibly safe environment on our campus and the investments that have been made are helping ensure that," Jake Ingram, SGA president, said. "But last year, the number one concern I heard from students was off-campus safety. The 'blue light phones' help students feel safe on campus, but LiveSafe puts the power of a blue light tower right in their pockets. Arming students with LiveSafe on their smartphones will help everyone take responsibility for their own personal safety and the safety of the entire community."

"The UK Police Department is pleased to partner with Student Government on the LiveSafe app, which we believe will provide another layer of protection for our UK family," said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe. "The app gives users greater access to police when they need it for their immediate personal safety or if they want to anonymously report suspicious activity they might observe in the community. Our police personnel have worked with Student Government and the LiveSafe company to provide an easy-to-use app that incorporates a variety of elements to promote safety for our students, faculty and staff."

“UK’s top priority is the safety and security of our university family – their success in myriad research pursuits, academic programs and professional interests is contingent on a safe and supportive environment,” UK President Eli Capilouto said. “The new LiveSafe app – a creative solution reached with the leadership of our students in partnership with our campus police – is another component of our multi-faceted approach to safety. It builds on the millions UK has invested in technology and infrastructure on campus by extending our reach to the members of the UK family who live, work and socialize beyond the borders of the main campus.”

The mobile app company is based in Virginia and was co-founded by Virginia Tech shooting survivor Kristina Anderson. Though primarily focusing on higher education, the mobile app partners with high schools, sports arenas and military.

LiveSafe makes it easy for people to share information about potential crimes and unsafe situations with campus police using their smartphone. Through their devices, users will be able to report GPS-tagged information with added pictures, video and audio clips.

Phone calls and written reports will still be accepted and acted upon by UK Police; however, LiveSafe users can report tips in new ways and with more accurate location information.

LiveSafe allows law enforcement to push information out to its users, serving as a supplement to the UK Alert system. UK Alert will continue to expedite messages to the campus community via email, SMS messages and social media.

LiveSafe empowers both citizens and law enforcement to make their community safer. Through LiveSafe, law enforcement can better identify and assess threats, prevent crimes and save lives, thus enhancing overall safety.

As part of the campus launch, SGA hosted a contest for student organization and residence halls to download the app. Winners were Kappa Alpha Theta (Greek-letter organization), Wildcat Service Dogs (student organization) and Woodland Glen II (residence hall). Student organization winners received a $1,000 grant and the residence hall winner receives a pizza party.

UK LiveSafe is available as a free download from iTunes or Google Play for iPhone and Android devices. The UK LiveSafe mobile app can be downloaded to smartphones in just three easy steps.

1.          Open Google Play or the Apple App Store on your phone. Search for "LiveSafe" and download the option with the blue shield.

2.          Tap "Sign up." Fill in your profile information and create a password.

3.          The University of Kentucky may pop-up if you are close to campus. If so, tap "Yes." Otherwise tap "Change" to select your school.

MEDIA CONTACT: Kathy Johnson, kathy.johnson@uky.edu, 859-257-3155 or Katy Bennett, katy.bennett@uky.edu, 859-257-1909

SGA CONTACT: Blair Hoover, publicrelations@uksga.org, 270-566-3988