Email

By Greg Bartlett

Every day, it seems there is news of a campus shooting or a co-ed raped on a college campus somewhere in the country. Often these occurrences could have been avoided, but sometimes, options are incredibly limited at the time. One new technology stands a very good chance of reducing crime on college campuses. That technology is GPS tracking. GPS actually improves the personal safety of college students.

Many people do not realize that some cellular phones have a GPS tracking system built right into them. The purpose of including GPS tracking in cell phones is making it possible to pinpoint the location of the phone in case of a call to 911. This makes it possible to route the 911 call to the nearest emergency services. If the person calling 911 is unable to speak, the call can still be tracked using GPS technology and help dispatched to the proper location.

In the rare event that a person does not carry a cellular phone, there are other devices that can be purchased that make use of GPS tracking to improve personal safety. One such device that can truly be a lifesaver for college co-eds is a personal alarm device that has both a loud audible alarm and a GPS tracking signal that are activated at the press of a button. The audible alarm should be enough to deter a would-be attacker, yet if it isn’t, the GPS tracking signal can guide authorities to the location quickly enough to prevent major harm.

Either device, a cellular phone, or a personal alarm, could be used to activate a GPS tracking signal that could help guide police to a trouble spot in the event that a person shows up on a college campus with a gun. Notification of authorities before the shooting starts can be enough to save several lives in such cases. GPS tracking can guide authorities to the location much more quickly than a person who is frightened can give understandable directions.

It seems that almost every day, there is news of problems involving shootings, rape, or other violent crimes on a college campus somewhere. GPS tracking is one technology that can actually notify authorities and guide them to a scene quickly enough to prevent major personal harm, thus GPS tracking systems improve personal safety for college students around the country.