Emergency blue light boxes, stations that allow pedestrians to alert authorities of an emergency with the click of a button, are an outdated campus expenditure.
These blue light boxes are abundant on UCA’s campus but when met with an actual emergency, would an individual remember these boxes, or would they instead reach for the emergency box that resides in their back pocket: their cellphone?
Sgt. Michael Hopper, public information officer for UCAPD said, “When the first call boxes were put up on campus … cellphones were not really a thing. They served as a way to summon assistance or help as quickly and easily as possible.”
However, in the approximately 30 years since emergency blue light boxes were implemented on college campuses, the world has entered the digital age.
In a 2016 article from the Indiana Daily Student, Nyssa Kruse said, “Light should be a source of safety in times of danger, but the 56 blue light emergency phones adorning the Indiana University campus are just a distraction for police and a plaything for students.”
Kruse said that in an interview with an IUPD Capt. Andy Stephenson, Stephenson said he only recollected four legitimate calls being placed using the emergency blue light stations in his 20-year employment with the campus.
According to ravemobilesafety.com, some college campuses have even taken action to decrease the number of these boxes due to fraudulent use, dwindling use or maintenance costs.
New Mexico State University, University of California, Davis and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln were all cited as examples of schools that removed their emergency blue light towers.
While UCA may not deal with a lot of false reports through the emergency police boxes, many of the calls that come through are accidental or non-emergency calls.
Hopper said that at UCA, the emergency stations used most frequently are the wall-mounted ones placed in the residence halls and elevators.
“People assume the resident hall boxes are intercoms to the office. They have either locked themselves out of the building or they know a resident and have come for a visit. The elevator calls are usually accidental,” Hopper said.
Hopper added that emergency phones are often used to summon UCAPD for vehicle assistance or unlocks.
In addition to the nature of the majority of the calls, the cost of these towers is also a strike against them.
Kevin Carter, Associate Vice President for Facilities at UCA, said that, on average, each emergency blue light box unit costs $15,000.
Carter said the phones do not break often, and while only two to three break down in a year, he said that repairs on the phones can cost a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
Hopper said, “Generally, water intrusion is the biggest maintenance issue, I would think. Rain can seep into the electronics and cause problems. We’ve had the line in the ground accidentally cut before as well.”
Given the phones’ infrequent use in emergency scenarios and their cost to the campus, I wonder if there may be a better alternative.
Already, UCA has an official safety app called “Safe@UCA” which allows students to use a “Mobile BlueLight” feature. The app also provides emergency contact speed dial, tip reporting, emergency procedure information, campus alerts and “Friend Walks,” which can share the user’s location with a friend if they feel unsafe.