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Point Park University Launches New Safety App For Students

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Today was move-in day for hundreds of students at Point Park University.

One new thing this year is an app, which will help keep their students safe.

There was music, volunteers and moving bins - lots of them, filled with all the essentials for the first year of college. Move-in day brings many emotions for the freshman students at Point Park University.

"Nerve-wracking," said Dianela Gill from Fort Myers, Florida. "But, it's very exciting. It's exciting to move to a new place."

Emily McIntyre, from Pittsburgh's South Side Slopes neighborhood said, "It's a little sad, but I mean, my mom is just a 5-minute bus ride away."

While students get ready for their first days on campus, and parents get ready to say goodbye, the university wants to make sure safety is a priority. This year, Point Park launched Point Park Police Tips - a smartphone app for students to communicate with university police.

"They can download the app," Point Park Police Sgt. Matthew Mays said. "It's an anonymous tip texting service and we are able to call them back, but we don't have their contact information at the time."

Students can decide if they want to share their name and personal information. Parents and students agree the free app is an extra layer of security.

"That's one of the first things that I was really excited about, to make sure that it's such an urban environment…that we're safe and we can walk around be award of our surroundings and know that we have someone looking out for us," Gill said.

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