Nicholls State University police department releases a new app to give students easier access to police resources.

The “Nicholls State University PD” app provides students with easy access to emergency contacts as well as campus resources.

The app was released Friday, Feb. 16, and by Sunday the app already had around 4,000 users. The app has many features that students can find useful during their time on campus and in the Thibodaux area.

“We were looking for another solution for students to be able to access us and get the help they needed in emergency situations,” University Police Chief Alex Barnes said.

On the app’s main dashboard, students have the opportunity to:

• Call 911, university PD or other local police departments (Thibodaux, Laforche, Terrebonne, Houma, etc.)
• Share their location with a family member or friend (“tag-along”)
• Submit a tip relating to an ongoing investigation
• Access to the “Colonel Comfort” Brochure (resources for victims and witnesses of crime)
• Look over emergency preparedness plans (hurricane, active shooter, COVID-19, etc.)
• Access to information, classes, or forms provided by the campus police department (under “About Us”)
• See upcoming university events
• Access campus resources (tutoring and counseling centers, career services, campus maps, handbooks, etc.)

Barnes, after noticing how the call boxes around campus were going unused, decided to find a new way for students to access emergency services.

“My goals for the app,” said Barnes, “is for students to have access to us if they need it, but more so overall just for them to have every resource available to them from the university, from us and local law enforcement at their fingertips.”