A Virginia Tech Survivor Created An App To Help Others Thwart Campus Crime

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Kristina Anderson VA Tech

YouTube

Kristina Anderson survived the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre that took the lives of 32 of her classmates and professors.

On April 16, 2007, a gunman entered Kristina Anderson's French class on the Virginia Tech campus and opened fire, killing 11 of her classmates and her professor. Thirty-two people died that day in total.

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Anderson survived three gunshot wounds - two to her back and one to her foot. Since that horrific day, she has been a dedicated advocate for college safety, the Washington Post reports.

Part of her advocacy was the creation of LiveSafe, a smartphone app aimed at stopping campus crime.

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Here's how it works:

Users can report non-emergency incidents, such as theft, car accidents, harassment, vandalism or mental health concerns, with the tap of a finger.

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Users can also send photos, audio or video to police through the app, or chat directly with a member of the campus police department.

Public safety officials collect all of the tips to get a more comprehensive view of what's happening on campus and interact with students who send in tips.

According to the Post, LiveSafe is already being used at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of New Hampshire, among other schools.

You can watch Anderson talk about her experience on that day in April below:

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