HOUSTON – There has been an increase in violence surrounding college campuses over the last few days, sparking several campuses to review their emergency plan and how students and staff members could report crime.
Last week, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student was found dead near a lake at the university after going for a run.
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An examination on Friday revealed she died from blunt force trauma.
RELATED: Georgia university town is shaken by the killing of a nursing student who was out on a run
Since the incident, KPRC 2 wanted to check with our local colleges and universities to identify what safety measures they had in place for students and staff.
At the University of Houston - Downtown, the university’s police department said it’s using technology to improve response times and help its community report crimes.
Police Chief Casey Davis has pushed for students to use the Safe Zone app, which allows them to check in and report a crime, emergency or mental health crisis.
Over the years they have also installed several blue light call boxes on bike and hike trails throughout the campus.
“When you press the button, it goes straight to dispatch, and they’ll pick up and ask what your emergency is. We don’t need your location because it’s tied into the system, we just need to know what your emergency is and what’s going on so we can respond,” said University of Houston Downtown Police Chief Casey Davis.
Davis added that there are about 250 call boxes located on the campus that come in different sizes and are located in several areas such as parking lots, buildings and on the hike and bike trails.
“I actually went to the University of Houston Downtown for a year, this campus is a little different than say U of H main campus, Rice University, and TSU,” Davis said. ‘We have the traffic of downtown, the events, the bars, the homeless population, but anyone we are dealing with we make sure treat them equitably.”
What is a blue light call box?
A call box is a direct line of communication to the university or campus police department. Students, staff and visitors can use the boxes for obtaining information, seeking assistance, and reporting emergencies.
Call boxes can also be used to request police assistance, escorts and assistance with vehicles. They are used to provide an added measure of safety for the campus community.
Other Houston-area colleges and Universities with blue light call boxes:
The University of Houston - The campus has 148 call boxes placed at strategic locations all across the campus. For the location of all the call boxes, click here.
Houston Baptist University - “HBU’s security system includes numerous emergency call boxes located in different areas on campus. They are generally identified by a blue light on top. These call boxes are available in an emergency situation. As soon as the button on the call box is PUSHED, the University Police are alerted and will respond through the speaker on the call box.”
The University of St. Thomas-Houston said it had emergency call boxes located throughout its campus.
Texas Southern University - According to a 2020 annual safety and security report, the campus is equipped with 32 emergency call boxes throughout the campus.
Rice University - “Ensuring the safety and security of our students and campus community is a top priority at Rice University. Our dedicated Rice University Police Department (RUPD) patrols campus around the clock to deter and detect crime. We are proud of our comprehensive approach to student and campus safety that includes over 900 security cameras, a night escort service, electronic access control on all residential colleges and a 24-hour emergency dispatch number. In addition, a safety app is available for students to connect to the police dispatcher with one button to request emergency assistance. Moreover, RUPD regularly conducts crime prevention training programs for our community.”
KPRC 2 is working to get responses from other local campuses and will update this list as more information becomes available.