Western Washington University’s new campus safety app, Western Safe, has reached over 850 downloads.
This number already surpasses Western’s old app, LiveSafe, said Monica Jackson, director of emergency management and business continuity. When the app launched in October 2024, it got over 500 downloads in the first week.
Despite the improvement, Jackson knows there is room to expand Western Safe’s reach.
“We are a long way off from campus-w(ide) community adoption,” Jackson said.
Jackson acknowledges those apprehensive about using the app for privacy reasons, asserting users must permit Western Safe to access their location.
The app streamlines services and information to one interface, including emergency procedures, campus maps and non-emergency numbers for on-campus and off-campus police.
For Lynne Walker, the executive assistant to Vice President of Student Affairs Melynda Huskey, the app is an improvement from the “panic” button that used to sit on her desk. The app stays open on her phone throughout the work day.
Before the app, Walker said staff would have to log into Microsoft Teams Phone to connect with campus emergency services. Now, she can immediately connect with someone using one of the 13 buttons on Western Safe’s home screen.
Western Safe is a part of Western’s “mandate to develop policies, programs, services and informational resources to promote and address student safety,” according to the “About” section of the app. Users of the Western Safe application can send feedback through the app under the “About/Preferences” page.
This year, Western has shifted other aspects of its emergency response. Besides the app’s launch, since January, campus emergency dispatch is now streamlined through the countywide service What-Comm 911.
Walker said recent emergencies on campuses nationwide are part of the reason for changes.
Furthermore, Walker cites the many protests on campus last year as another consideration for emergency protocol.
“Tensions were high,” Walker said. “We just try to be prepared.”
Down the line, Western may see more additions to safety measures on campus. Chief of University Police Katy Potts confirmed to The Front that UPD is looking at revamping the Green Coats program, also known as Public Safety Assistants (PSAs). When the program was active, UPD would enlist students to help in its parking enforcement and police divisions.
However, Potts said students' needs now are significantly different from when the PSA program was first created. She hopes to work with other campus organizations to gauge what students might want from a PSA program, similar to the process administration took to develop the Starlight Shuttle app that was released early 2024.
Other universities are workshopping their own ways of navigating safety on campus.
In 2024, the University of Washington shifted its focus to increasing the reach of its emergency communication efforts. Katherine Schiffner, UW’s director of strategic and crisis communications, helped add thousands of student numbers to their emergency alert system, ensuring students get notified in an emergency. Before, only 8% of students had opted in to receiving alerts. Now, half of the student population gets alerts.
“That's good progress, but we would like alert texts to reach many more students and employees, so they get critical safety info during an emergency,” said Schiffner.
Hailey LeRoy (she/he/they) is a campus news reporter for The Front. She is a third-year environmental journalism major. Outside of the newsroom, you can find her skating with the Bellingham Roller Betties, singing choral music, or perfecting elaborate eyeshadow looks. You can reach them at haileyleroy.thefront@gmail.com.
