The ISU Guardian app is one of the university police department's newest programs to make students feel safe on campus.
In October, ISU Police Chief Michael Newton said the program will allow a person's smartphone to become an instant safety device.
Students will be able to connect to a group of friends or their family, and then can establish the student's location at any time. The group can help the student walk home through the app or the individual can alert their "guardians" if they are in danger.
Newton said the program will also provide a one-touch access to law enforcement and a feature to allow individuals to anonymously report crimes.
According to Newton, the app's launch was expedited following the death of former Iowa State golfer, Celia Barquin Arozamena on Sept. 17, 2018.
Newton previously said a variety of community members voiced their concern about the safety in Ames. They sent him numerous letters asking for the police department's plan to make Ames safer.
He said that Iowa State Police were already working on these safety initiatives, such as the ISU Guardians app, before Arozamena's death. Due to the timing of the incident, they hastened their deadline for the app's launch.
"People felt uneasy and had concerns," Newton said earlier this fall.
One of ISU's first initiatives to increase student safety was to extend SafeRide program hours for students. SafeRide allows students to call and request a ride between the hours of 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. This program is available throughout the school year to students who do not feel safe while walking on campus.
"We encouraged students to also use CyRide if they needed that service since it is a safe transportation environment," Newton said in October. "We decided to add those hours due to accommodate a higher demand."
The department increased in their SafeRide hours earlier this fall by adjusting the times for services to 6 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. They also have promoted a SafeRide app that can be used like a ride-sharing service to request rides from any location, and track when their ride will arrive.
Newton said the department will continue to update their services and create new programs in order to make community members feel safe in Ames.
©2018 the Ames Tribune, Iowa. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
