CMU launches safety app, updates Central Alert system
The app, called RAVE Guardian, allows users to receive information and chat directly with the Central Michigan University Police Department and Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity.
Central Michigan University launched a public safety app earlier this month as an extension of the Central Alert System.
The app, called RAVE Guardian, allows users to receive information and chat directly with the Central Michigan University Police Department and Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity.
“Instead of just us pushing information out, (students and staff) can send stuff back to us,” CMUPD Lt. Michael Sienkiewicz said. “It’s another way for us to get information to people in the way they want to receive it.”
In addition to the chat features, the app also enables users to:
- Set a safety timer when walking on campus
- Instantly share location, personal identification and emergency contacts with CMUPD dispatchers
- Call CMUPD for emergencies and non-emergencies directly from the app
- Opt into weather alerts and Central Alerts based on location
- A call and content directory of campus resources such as CMU Health, the counseling center and Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates (SAPA) support line, among others
Sienkiewicz said CMUPD looked into a safety app after receiving requests for more bluelights on campus. The Title IX committee also recommended an app that would allow students to easily chat with OCRIE.
“(RAVE) is another tool they have control of," Sienkiewicz said. "We’re offering it, and they can choose how they want to engage with it. Our goal is to keep campus safe and help people feel safe, and I think this will help them do that.”
Approximately 1,500 people have downloaded the app since it was first launched Aug. 6. According to Sienkiewicz, a number of students have already used the chat feature to ask about parking services and partying concerns in regard to COVID.
Since the Rave Guardian app is already bundled with the Central Alert System, the university is now saving $1,000 per year than they previously were with just the Central Alert.
To learn more about the app or download RAVE Guardian, click here.
