SIU students and faculty can now feel safer walking across campus at night while accompanied by Saluki Patrol officers with the new SIU Safe Walk app.

The app, which launched this fall, allows students, faculty and staff to request a Saluki Patrol officer to meet the user and escort them to any destination on campus. The patrol officers are SIU students working with the university police department to gain experience in law enforcement.

SIU police Sgt. Chad Beights said the officers will also walk people to their off-campus residence, so long as it is south of Walnut Street, west of Lewis Lane, north of Pleasant Hill Road and east of Oakland Avenue.

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Saluki Patrol officers will escort people during the times listed below, according to their website.

Monday: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Tuesday to Thursday: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Friday: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Saturday: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Beights said he hopes people see the app as a resource.

“Depending where you grew up, you may not be used to walking alone at night,” Beights said. “This app will help boost the confidence of knowing you will get from point A to point B safely.”

Alvin Gonzales, a graduate student studying computer science and student worker at SIU’s police department, was approached by the staff about creating the app a year and a half ago.

He said he has built mobile apps in previous classes and wanted to apply his knowledge to something that could benefit the university.

“It provides another way students can keep themselves safe on campus,” Gonzales said.

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Gonzales said so far, no one has used the app because not many people know about it.

You can download the app here for Android and iOS.

Staff writer Shannon Allen can be reached at 618-536-3326, [email protected] or on Twitter @ShannonAllen_DE.

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