The University of Kentucky Student Government Association and UK Police said the LiveSafe smartphone app is available as a free download from iTunes or Google Play.
"Last year, the number one concern I heard from students was off-campus safety," SGA president Jake Ingram said. "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 app also allows students to anonymously report suspicious behavior.
LiveSafe is a mobile app company based in Virginia that was co-founded by Virginia Tech shooting survivor Kristina Anderson.
UK will pay a flat fee of $25,000 annually for the app. The cost is being shared between the UK Student Government Association and UK's central administration.
The UK LiveSafe mobile app can be downloaded to smartphones in three 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 logo might pop up if you are close to campus. If so, tap "yes." Otherwise tap "change" to select your school.
©2015 the Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Ky.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
