Florida Gulf Coast University launched a new system Monday, designed to alert police in an emergency. University Police Chief Steven Moore explained that the Threat Alert System allows faculty to discreetly notify police if they perceive a threat by hitting two keys on their computer.
"We're training people that this is for an extreme situation," Moore said. "This isn't for a routine call."
Moore said that more than 2,000 computers on campus are now equipped with Threat Alert System's software.
"That can be at a finance office, at a cashier's office," Moore said. "There's any number of places that people can get a little hostile, so there's always been that demand for panic buttons, but it seemed to be growing."
Some students told Fox 4 that being able to call police covertly is a good idea, especially in the event of an active shooter situation.
"If an armed gunman comes in, they could just do that before they get to the classroom," said senior Harrison Mariano.
Others said that while they like the idea of the Threat Alert System, campuses shouldn't necessarily be gun-free zones.
"I honestly think that the best way to defend citizens is with guns, and exercising your Second Amendment right," said student Christian Bumstead.
Chief Moore said that while the new system is considered a last resort option fr notifying police, they can also use it to alert the rest of campus in an emergency.
