CBS Atlanta 46Georgia Tech rolls out "Jacket Guardian" phone app to combat crime

Georgia Tech Police hope a new smart phone app will give students an easy option to reach police when they find themselves in trouble on campus.

The program is called "Jacket Guardian," and requires students to sign up and create profiles so police can easily identify them during an emergency.

The arrival of the new technology, which allows police to track students' cell phone signals by GPS, comes after a rash of assaults and robberies on campus late last year. One of those assaults included an alleged rape near Bobby Dodd Stadium, before a football game.

However, Police Chief Teresa Crocker said the new technology, which also includes a new mobile surveillance camera system, is not in direct response to a specific rash of crime last year. She said police are always trying to upgrade their services, regardless of what happens on campus.

"If I were 19 years old and I had an opportunity to press a button to get police assistance in a rapid fashion, I think it's a great thing," Crocker said.

The Jacket Guardian allows students to easily activate an emergency call to campus police, and be located by the tracking device on their phone. The technology also shoots their 911 calls directly to campus police, rather than to Atlanta Police.

School officials said about 3,500 students, or 10 percent of the overall student body, had signed up for the Jacket Guardian, which came online last month. They hope to ultimately get every student signed up for it.

"I think we're doing everything we can do," Crocker said. "We've certainly got a staff of dedicated officers that are working 24/7 to keep campus safe."

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