Washington University has released a safety and security app called “WUSTL Sentinel” for students on the Danforth and Medical School campuses.

In cooperation with the Social Sentinel, a service that aids public officials with social media to improve their reach regarding safety and security, the app was recently introduced in the iPhone App Store and the University plans to release it in the Android Play Store.

The Sentinel app includes contact and safety information, as well as details about how to respond to extreme weather. Students can also submit anonymous tips and access daily crime logs. However, several students were disappointed to find that the app’s features were not incorporated into the preexisting WUSTL Mobile app.

Chief of the Washington University Police Department Don Strom said that the app would be most helpful for students who have been overloaded with information without keeping track of it all.

“[New students] come in with a lot of new information…[like] how to contact the police, how to get an escort if you need one…they go to orientation sessions and they hear a phone number and may or may not download that into their phones,” Strom said.

Strom added that it was important to have the Sentinel app online and downloadable—a more effective approach than a paper with contact information. With the Sentinel app, Strom said that students are guaranteed quick, collated access to such phone numbers and information on the go.

In addition to crime information, the app contains an Emergency Preparedness section, which contains information about what to do in the case of an earthquake, fire or tornado.

Strom noted that because St. Louis is an area prone to tornado warnings and watches, the app could be comforting to students unfamiliar with such disasters.

“By having the app on hand, if it happens…it tells them what [to] do in a tornado warning, just as a reminder,” he said.

Even though the Sentinel app has been out for a few weeks, many students have yet to hear of and download the Sentinel, and some students wondered why they needed a new app for these features.

More commonly known to students is the WUSTL Mobile app, which is a combination of stand-alone apps provided in the past, including a campus map, WebSTAC link, and a Campus Circulator tracker. Despite the WUSTL Mobile app being updated in August, the information in the Sentinel app was not incorporated.

Strom said that there was too much safety and security information to include in the WUSTL Sentinel, which led to the University’s partnership with Social Sentinel.

Junior Vincent Ann felt that the app would be a nice addition to campus security.

“Security-wise, Wash. U. is a pretty safe campus…but it’s nice to have the added precaution of having the information all together with you wherever you go,” Ann said.

Freshman Nick Gaudio thought the app might be better utilized if it was part of the larger packaged WUSTL mobile app.

“The app is a useful resource. But it would be so much easier and probably would be used more if it were a part of the [WUSTL Mobile] app,” Gaudio said.