Pranks aside, IU emergency phones seldom used

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Phones installed on the Indiana University campus two decades ago are seeing little use for their intended purpose: to report emergencies.

Campus police Chief Keith Cash tells The Herald-Times that officers have never responded to an assault reported through the devices, which are marked with the word "emergency" and provide a direct line to the IU Police Department in the event of an assault or other emergency.

But officials say the more than 40 phone boxes, with a total cost of more than $400,000, still get used.

Along with the direct 911 line to the IU police department, the boxes also feature a full keypad so users can place local telephone calls. This function can be used to call a roommate if a student is locked outside her apartment or to call the Safety Escort service for a ride.

Police say the boxes also help deter crime. Whenever an emergency call goes out, the blue light on top of the box becomes a strobe, flashing repeatedly until officers respond to the scene.

But nearly half of the 314 calls police have received from the emergency phones since January 2011 have been hang-ups, Cash acknowledged, and some students question how effective the phones really are in an era of widespread cellphone use.

"I don't see how they would really make a difference," said junior Doug Read, who often walks on campus after dark because of an evening Spanish class.

Senior DeAmber Jaggers said she doesn't think there would be time to stop and use an emergency phone in the middle of being followed or assaulted.

"If you do have time to use them, the emergency can't be that much of an emergency," Jaggers said.

IU Parking Manager Doug Porter defended the phones, which cost $5,000 to purchase and another $5,000 to install. He noted that cellphone batteries can die and that the emergency phones could come in handy if a student's car has a flat tire.

"A driver may not need to call 911, but they can call a friend or AAA, and that makes the situation much safer," Porter said.