LiveSafe – Like a blue phone in your pocket

Five years ago, Yale Public Safety introduced the LiveSafe app to the campus community. During that time, over 16,000 Yale and New Haven community members have downloaded the app–turning their phones into mini safety devices. LiveSafe gives students, staff, and faculty on campus an effective way to communicate with Yale Police (YPD) via a mobile device. At the touch of a finger, you can call the YPD, text in tips, schedule a walking escort, and much more.

Over the years, the team has worked with the vendor to customize the app. Recently, updating the four clickable buttons to seven scrollable cards. The top card currently has CDC information about COVID-19. Another new option is “Track Campus Buses,” which allows you to click to live tracking of Yale’s shuttles. The “Resources” card is updated regularly to include information on Yale Student Counseling and Sexual Assault Assistance. Recently, New Haven resources were added that include information on the New Haven Police Department and Yale New Haven Hospital.

The two most popular features of the app are the Text Tip and Walking Escort. Anyone who has downloaded the app can send an anonymous text tip directly to the YPD and include a photo or video—almost 650 tips have been received to date. Often these photos and videos are used in investigations. Students use the app to schedule a walking or driving escort at any time of the day or night.

During safety presentations and new employee orientation, the LiveSafe app is introduced and explained by either police or security officers. The app is free to anyone in the Yale community and late last year was made available to New Haven residents also.

Future innovations include the use of analytics to better understand how the app is used to help enhance it. Also, this data can be used to deploy officers in areas of need or understand the type of crimes to provide more support to the community.

For more information on the LiveSafe app, visit the Public  Safety website.