Western Washington University’s new Western Safe app was released on Oct. 18, 2024, 245 days after the deactivation of the LiveSafe app. Developed by University Communications, University Dispatch and University Police in association with a vendor, to be tailored to Western’s community.
Western Safe was originally scheduled for release in spring 2024, but was delayed and ultimately scheduled for the Oct. 18th release.
In the first week after its release, Western Safe had more active users than LiveSafe had at the time of deactivation, with more than 500 downloads, according to Monica Jackson, director of emergency management and business continuity.
Unlike its predecessor, this app’s development by Western allows for administrators to receive feedback from the community and create or change features accordingly, Jackson said. Students can send suggestions for improvements to the office of Emergency Management and Business Continuity through the preferences page within the Western Safe app.
Ethan Martez, a third-year political science major and former Western public safety assistant, assisted Western with beta testing the Western Safe app.
“[We tested] to see where it can be used on campus – to make sure from the crevices of Bond Hall, like in the basement, you can call for help if you needed it,” Martez said.
Resources on the app range from mental health resources, both local and national, to the virtual friend walk feature. This feature allows students to share their real-time location with a trusted friend and share their route and destination. In case of emergency, there is a feature to report an emergency, notifying your friend of the location of the emergency and prompting the walker to contact 911.
“I think one of my favorite things about [the virtual friend walk feature] is that, you know, not everyone wants to share their location with police or, you know, law enforcement or somebody else, even other campus administrators,” Jackson said. “This is one way to kind of create a safety feature where it's really just done locally between someone that you designate.”
While many of the app’s resources can otherwise be found on Western’s website, the app has been designed to maximize its compatibility with smartphones to provide a more organized and accessible way to access this information, according to Katy Potts, Western Chief of Police.
Western Safe gives students quick and easy access to a variety of resources that can help to reduce stress and provide assistance with campus life, Potts said. This is one way administrators can help to create a sense of safety on campus.
Cody Mills (he/him) is a campus news reporter for The Front this quarter. He is a third-year environmental journalism major. When he's not reporting you can find him skiing or climbing. You can reach him at codymills.thefront@gmail.com.
