SDSU Police Debuts Mobile Safety App
Aztec Shield is a new mobile safety app that enables the campus community to reach the university police department from their smart phones.
The San Diego State University Police Department is releasing “Aztec Shield,” a new mobile safety app that enables students, faculty, staff and visitors to reach the university police department from their smart phones. The app can be used in both non-emergency and emergency situations and is free to Android and iPhone users.
Once downloaded, Aztec Shield summons help with just two touches — one to open the app and one to select the red “Get Help” button. If the user takes no other action, the app summons help from SDSU Police. If activated off campus, the app routes the call for help to the nearest 911 call center and the user’s location is provided to emergency responders.
“Aztec Shield is intended to be just one more way for our community to get in touch with us,” said SDSU Chief of Police Lamine Secka. “With today’s evolving technology, we are always looking at ways to maximize that technology in the name of safety,” he said.
The app should not be considered a replacement for dialing 911, said Secka, but provides another option for communicating with the police department.
Aztec Shield offers six major functions:
- Emergency calling
- Live tracking of campus safety shuttles
- iReports (mobile text reporting with pictures/video)
- Friend Watch (virtual safety escorts)
- Access to campus emergency procedures
- Interactive crime mapping
The iReports feature, which can be used anonymously, allows users to send text messages along with photos and videos directly to SDSU Police.
Friend Watch is a peer-to-peer safety service that allows users to designate a group of friends to receive updates as students walk across campus, to be sure they arrive safely at their destination.
Emergency procedures are also available within the app and are regularly updated.
The interactive crime map is updated in conjunction with the campus crime log and shows locations of recent crimes on and around campus.
And lastly, the campus shuttle tracker allows users to track the locations of the Red and Black and Library shuttles as well as the Late Night Safety Escort vehicle.
Aztec Shield is a system developed by 911 Cellular. It is one of several options for communicating with SDSU Police. Other ways to access information include the department website, Facebook, Twitter and other campus emergency communications channels.
