Rossen Reports: Campus crime alert, these gadgets could protect you
It’s happening across the country right now. For the first time ever, teens are moving out to live on their own on a college campus. Safety should be one of the first things on their minds as they navigate this.
Rossen Reports is testing out a few products that can help prioritize safety for college students. The products and links to them are listed below, plus a couple we couldn’t get to.
Watch the full report in the video player above.
We sat down with Sgt. Matthew Scott from the UCF Police Department’s Community Partnerships Unit to talk about safety on college campuses.
He says the most important thing you can do is call 911.
“People can buy as many tools as they want to, but nothing can truly replace 911 and law enforcement coming on scene to enhance that safety on campus," Scott said.
For students, there’s never a wrong time to call for help. There are emergency and non-emergency lines near every college campus and he says, law enforcement wants to come out and help alleviate fears or problems.
Note: The University of Central Florida was kind enough to let us come on campus to talk about safety. They provided us a space to test the products out (they don’t have any affiliation with the products) and a student to test them out with.
Sabre door and window alarm: $24
This kit comes with a few safety devices. The door alarm fits underneath like a doorstop. If someone tries to come in, the metal piece on it will be pushed down and the alarm will sound. Sabre says this alarm can be heard up to 1,500 feet away! The kit also comes with a window alarm. It has a receiver that can be placed on the base of the window and a sensor that’s placed on the window itself. When the two separate, the alarm goes off. This alarm can be heard up to 1,300 feet away.
Flare bracelet: $129
These bracelets come in a variety of styles and have a couple features. If you click the hidden button underneath the bracelet, it will send you a pre-corded phone call that sounds realistic. You can choose whatever it says. That way, if you’re in an uncomfortable situation but don’t want to draw attention to your exit, you can fake a phone call that could get you out of the situation. This could signal to the unwanted person near you that you’re talking to someone who knows where you are as well. If your situation is more dire, the second feature can save you as well. If you hold down the button for three seconds, the bracelet will send a secret text to your designated crew of friends and family that you’re in an unsafe situation. It will urge them to reach out to you. It will also give them your exact GPS location. You can also toggle on a switch in the app settings that also sends that alert to 911 as well. Emergency responders will then reach out to you to see if you need help. These texts will not show up in your text messages.
Birdie personal safety alarm: $30
This is a keychain alarm. If you feel unsafe, you can pull the top of the keychain off. A loud siren will sound and a flashing strobe light will also go off. The alarm can be heard 100 feet away. This creates a diversion and could help deter an attack. To deactivate it, you just put the top back on, which means the alarm is reusable.
NightCap drink cover scrunchie: $13
This is a scrunchie you can wear in your hair or on your wrist. Tucked inside is a hidden drink cover that you can put over a glass. This could deter someone from slipping a pill or powder into your drink. On a less serious note, it could also keep bugs, debris and other particles out of your drink as well. There’s a hole for your straw too. The material is nylon/spandex so it can stretch over more cups and glasses. It’s also machine washable.
It's important to remember, that products like these can’t guarantee safety. There are still things you should do to keep safe. For example; locking doors and windows, be aware of your surroundings, taking a cab rather than walking alone at night, never leaving your drink unattended or accepting one from someone you don’t know, calling 911 if you feel unsafe, etc.