A TapShield White Paper 618 E. South St., Suite 600 Orlando, FL (877) TapShield.com

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1 A TapShield White Paper 618 E. South St., Suite 600 Orlando, FL (877) TapShield.com Guide to Mobile Inbound Emergency Alerting on College Campuses TapShield 2014

2 How can we make college campuses safer? Campus safety and security plans have become increasingly important as colleges continue to provide additional services for students and evolve into 24/7, year- round operations. When parents or students are seeking the best college to attend, campus safety plays a major role in their final decision. Technology advancements have led to an upsurge in the number of safety options available to college campuses. With the rise in mobile smartphone adoption, many campuses have begun to integrate outbound mass notification messaging as a way to alert students, faculty and staff via text message and/or in the case of an emergency. Outbound mass notification messaging is only one among many methods available that use smartphone and mobile technology to enhance campus security. Traditional Inbound Reporting is Expensive, Inefficient When referring to first responders in any emergency situation, we typically think of law enforcement or fire personnel. In reality, the first responders are the people at the scene. They have access to the most information and can assess the situation at hand immediately, helping to save lives and minimize losses. Current inbound emergency reporting methods, including ten digit phone numbers and fixed blue light structures, are outdated, expensive and inefficient. Research has shown that crime rarely happens at the Blue Light structure, it happens in various locations across campuses that have limited access to emergency reporting.

3 Figure A. Where Campus Crime Happens Mobile Inbound Emergency Reporting Mobile technology offers a less expensive complement or replacement to the existing Blue Light structures seen on campuses today. Having grown up with smartphones, students expect campuses to provide a variety of services in the cloud such as the ability to report an emergency at anytime, anywhere on campus, using the devices they already own. When combining mobile technology with inbound emergency alerting, students, faculty and staff are able to report an emergency using their smartphone device rather than relying on fixed Blue Light structures or trying to remember a nine digit phone number. Inbound emergency alerting mobile platforms often include two main technology components: a mobile application and an incident response portal. Some platforms are more sophisticated than others and often include varying features. A number of platforms rely on remote mobile emergency call routing centers, while others provide a platform that can be easily deployed and monitored by an institution s internal campus safety personnel. Many of the inbound emergency alerting mobile applications require users to register a personal profile on a separate web interface, while others offer a one- stop solution. In addition to differing registration processes, the mobile applications also vary in regards to functionality and ease of use. It is important to find a mobile application that is easy to use and intuitive in order to provide the best experience for the user during times of distress. Colleges and Universities Choose TapShield TapShield helps universities and colleges maintain a safe and secure campus by allowing students to use their smartphones as personalized mobile safety systems so they can instantly send relevant information to emergency responders in the event of an emergency. One- tap of the TapShield app transmits caller identity, real- time GPS location, and nature of the emergency call to campus police. Inbound caller information, including picture, allergies, current medications, emergency contact and other relevant information, is sent to campus police, so they re better prepared and can respond within the first five seconds of the emergency being reported - instead of wasting precious moments getting basic caller information. Users personal information is not shared or stored anywhere.

4 Shield Command, TapShield s web- based incident management platform helps campus dispatch or 911 personnel monitor, manage and respond to emergencies both within and outside campus boundaries. TapShield Benefits: Fastest way to alert campus authorities in an emergency. Automatically sends real- time GPS location and critical user profile information to responders so help arrives more quickly and better prepared. Fast deployment and activation; no new hardware or software installation necessary. Dramatically reduces overall response times up to 47 percent. Provides campus safety administrators with advanced data analytics to help stop crime before it happens. TapShield offers several unique features that help ensure the personal safety of students, faculty and staff, regardless of the situation. Emergency Mode Figure B. Emergency Mode Launches Alert Once Timer Runs Out Emergency mode automatically begins if the user does not select a mode within eight seconds of launching the application. The user can simply stow their phone away without further action, knowing that when the timer runs out, their personal profile information and most importantly their real- time geolocation will be transmitted

5 automatically to authorities. The user is also provided with the ability to launch a direct phone call to the authorities or chat in real- time directly from the Emergency screen. In the case of a false emergency, the user also has the ability to enter their personal disarm code to deactivate the alert before the timer runs out. No- touch emergency alerting with Yank Technology Figure C. Sends Alert if Headphones or Smart Dongle Pulled from Device The patent- pending Yank technology makes TapShield the only mobile application to allows users to signal an alert without unlocking their device. This feature provides students, faculty and staff with an added measure of protection while in Timer mode. The user can simply Yank their headphones from their device when in Timer mode, automatically signaling an emergency alert to the authorities when faced with an immediate emergency without ever having to unlock the device. Real- time Messaging

6 Figure D. Discreet, two- way Communication During and After a Crisis Real- time messaging gives students, faculty and staff the ability to chat in real- time with authorities during situations where they do not want their voice to be heard. This allows the dispatcher to communicate with the individual, obtaining more information about the situation and assuring them that help is on the way. Entourage Using TapShield Entourage, users can alert their contacts when they depart one location for another location to ensure that they arrive safely at their end destination. If the user does not arrive at his/her scheduled destination within the allotted time, authorities are alerted to the users precise location enabling them to respond effectively. SafeCircle : Community- based Security Instead of relying solely on Blue Lights, call boxes or nearby authorities, TapShield is the only mobile app to crowdsource emergency reporting and response, essentially expanding security forces into a pervasive, campus- wide network of potential responders. SafeCircle alerts other relevant responders in the surrounding area as to whether their help is needed or whether they should evacuate the area. Cloud- based Incident Response using Shield Command

7 Figure E. Shield Command Incident Response Portal The Shield Command dashboard for campus emergency responders is a cloud- based command and response center portal where incoming alerts can be viewed and managed. When a user initiates an alert, a flashing notification will appear in the dispatcher s queue along with a pin displaying the user s real- time location on the portal s map. At this time, the mobile safety application will automatically launch a VoIP phone call into the dispatch center. On Shield Command, a new alert will continue to flash within the New Alerts drawer until a dispatcher accepts the alert, upon which the alert moves into his/her My Alerts drawer. Shield Command automatically displays the real- time location of the user along with the user s complete personal profile information, allowing dispatchers to react faster and smarter when dispatching first responders to the scene of the emergency. The portal also provides reverse- 911 functionality, allowing for dispatchers to send out emergency push notifications to all users. Summary Student safety is of the highest concern on college campuses today. With advancements in technology, college and university administrators are provided with myriad options to

8 make their campuses safer and more secure. Mobile- based inbound emergency alerting is one of the many options available to campus safety personnel as they begin to move towards a more unified security plan. With TapShield s enhanced mobile inbound emergency alerting platform, smartphones are transformed into personal mobile emergency systems, providing safety and peace of mind to students, faculty and staff at anytime, anywhere. Learn more at About TapShield TapShield is the market leader in mobile personal safety. We design, develop and market enterprise grade mobile solutions for emergency notification and response. Learn more at TapShield.com. TapShield.com hello@tapshield.com