BYU-Hawaii Security has created a profile on the Rave Guardian app to ensure students are able to study and live in a secure environment, according to Eseta Clanton, BYUH Security’s crime prevention specialist. It has a number of features like tracking and instant messaging to help students stay proactive in preventing and reporting crimes around campus.
If students are heading somewhere alone late at night or early in the morning, they can connect to Security on the app and request to be tracked to ensure they make it to their destination safely, according to the BYUH Security website. It also allows them to connect to Security instantly via telephone or messenger.
“You can call us directly through the app,” said Clanton. “You can report anything to us. It doesn’t have to be something that happened to you. It can be anything you see on campus. Anything that looks suspicious you can message us through this app, and we’ll get back to you right away.”
Kendall Pryor, a senior from Utah studying business human resources, said, “I feel most secure about the fact that Security is progressing. So for me, I feel pretty safe here. Other people might not, but it just gives me more confidence in knowing that they’re trying even harder to make it safer.
Theft is the main crime on campus, said Clanton; bike theft is the most common. “It’s what we call a ‘borrow for sorrow,’” she said. “Students just tend to take people’s bikes when they’re unlocked and then ride to class and then leave it there. It’s not intentional, it’s just, ‘Oh, I have to hurry to class,’ and they aren’t trying to steal, but it’s considered a crime.”
There are more than 600 cameras between BYUH and the Polynesian Cultural Center that help Security stay aware of what’s going on around campus, said Clanton. “We’re able to resolve 85-90 percent of those crimes,” said Clanton.
Pryor said, “My girlfriend actually had her bike stolen. Fortunately, we found it at the PCC.”
Hallie Greding, a freshman from Arizona studying elementary education, said, “I was thinking last night I wanted to go for a run, but I was kinda scared because it was dark and nighttime so [the BYUH security app is] something that would be good.”
The BYUH official website says, “After downloading the app, please make sure location and push notification services are turned on. This allows us to respond and communicate with you in the event of an emergency. Sign in using your BYUH email and password and make sure to input the correct personal credentials. We also suggest using your BYUH email as your username. After account creation, you will be asked to verify your account through your email. You are now set up to be safe! We strongly recommend students to use this app for their own safety.”
Clanton said there are a number of things students can do to ensure they’re safe on- and off-campus. These include being aware of their surroundings, not going anywhere alone or with they you don’t know, and downloading the new BYUH Security App.
Rave Guardian is available for free download in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. For more information, visit studentlife.byuh.edu/security/home.
Writer: Courtney Bow