A smartphone in your hand can quickly become a mobile safety device on the Baylor campus, thanks to the Baylor University Department of Public Safety. The BU Campus Guardian smartphone app provides a number of of safety features available to all members of the Baylor community and connects individuals with the resources of the Baylor University Police Department (BUPD) right at their fingertips.
The app is the No. 1 used campus safety app in the nation and is custom fit to Baylor University Department of Public Safety resources and the needs of the Baylor community. The BU Campus Guardian app is available for download in the Apple or Google Play app stores by searching for “Rave Guardian” and then customizing the app to connect to Baylor.
One of the most popular features of the app is the Safety Timer. This option allows students to choose friends, family and even the Baylor Police Department to be their “guardians” through the BU Campus Guardian app. Once the student starts their safety timer to travel from one destination to another – for example, from Moody Memorial Library to their campus residence hall – their chosen contact will be notified, allowing the user to travel across the campus and surrounding area with their “guardians” at their side.
If the person feels unsafe at any point, they can choose to be immediately connected to the Baylor Police Department by pushing the emergency call button in the app. The Baylor Police Dispatch Center will be in instant communication and can send officers to their exact location based on the GPS coordinates of their mobile devices.
“The BU Campus Guardian is a great tool to provide a ‘virtual escort’ and keep you connected to the Baylor Police until you reach your destination,” said Don Rodman, assistant chief of police at Baylor. “Baylor community members should download and use the Baylor Campus Guardian app on their smartphones when traveling across campus, particularly at night and when walking alone.”
Additional features of this dynamic smartphone app provide the user with various tools to aid an individual's sense of safety and security. These tools include:
- Call directory – List of direct phone lines for safety and health services across campus.
- Safety timer – Creates a virtual guardian or escort as the user moves from one location to another.
- Content directory – Provides details on various BUDPS resources, including Baylor Alert, Baylor Shuttle schedule, parking information, bicycle registration and emergency guides, as well as other campus resources such as Title IX.
- Submit tip – Allows the user to submit anonymous information and text directly to a dispatcher.
- Call 911 – Initiates a direct call to a 911 operator and can share your location with the operator.
- Baylor Police – Places a direct call to BUPD and can share your location with the dispatcher.
The submit tip feature of BU Campus Guardian provides the ability to send anonymous tips to the Baylor Police Department.
“We have had users report suspicious activity through the app’s confidential reporting text portal with BUPD police dispatchers,” Rodman said. “This feature has allowed officers to respond to areas of concern without users ever needing to speak to the police.”
This is an example of how the “See Something – Say Something” approach allows the individual to report suspicious or concerning activity.
"If a student sees something in the residence hall or on campus, they can easily report it anonymously,” Rodman said.
In addition to the BU Campus Guardian, Baylor Police patrol campus and the surrounding area 24 hours a day , 365 days a year. Baylor has 87 emergency call boxes and 123 emergency telephones across campus that can initiate emergency response from BUPD to that location. With a broad network of nearly 1,800 cameras, the Baylor University Department of Public Safety monitors building entrances, parking garages and other public areas to support the safety of the Baylor community.
For more information on downloading the BU Campus Guardian smartphone app, visit the BUPD website.
ABOUT BAYLOR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
The Baylor University Department of Public Safety serves as an umbrella department for the Baylor University Police Department, emergency management, fire safety, global safety and security, technical security and parking and transportation. The DPS is set on providing students, faculty and alumni with excellent security and safety through instant notification systems, extensive surveillance cameras and highly-trained staff.
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