Security & Safety

Seattle U Rolls out Panic Buttons, Mobile App and More for Campus Safety

• By Rhea Kelly
• 08/30/16

Seattle University is enhancing safety on campus with new software and devices to help identify incidents, shorten response times and document security events. The institution has implemented the React Dispatch Console, software that combines alert management, computer aided dispatch and incident reporting in one central application, which will be used in conjunction with the React Mobile App and React Sidekick wearable "panic button" device.

Seattle U is the first U.S. customer to fully integrate the entire React safety platform, according to Robb Monkman, founder and CEO of React Mobile. "The React Dispatch Console will serve as a hub for the university's emergency dispatch center, allowing them to quickly respond to React SOS alerts, and to better understand the crisis situations that may arise."

When a student is in distress, he or she can activate a React SOS alert by clicking the button on the React Sidekick, a wearable panic button that pairs with the React Mobile safety app via Bluetooth. The alert triggers a request for immediate emergency assistance, even if the user's phone is locked or out of reach. Security personnel are notified with the user's location on a GPS-enabled map in real time, "enabling quicker response and greater visibility during critical events," according to a company statement. "Once incidents have been identified, responded to and documented, the React Dispatch Console's advanced analytics also help security professionals identify location-specific incident trends or patterns, strengthening preventive safety measures."

"Our use of the React Dispatch Console will allow us to capture more detailed intelligence on the safety of our students," said Craig Birklid, director of public safety for the university, in a press release. "We can use this information to not only respond more quickly to safety concerns, but to be more proactive in our overall safety efforts."

For more information, visit the React Mobile site.