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Black Bear Safe

What is Black Bear Safe?

Black Bear Safe is a free application for students and other members of the campus community to use. It provides quick and easy access to on-campus safety resources.  It is now available on all of the campuses we provide police coverage for:

  • Orono (UM)
  • Machias (UMM)
  • Augusta (UMA)
  • Bangor (UMA)
Introducing Black Bear Safe

Click THE IMAGE BELOW TO LEARN HOW TO USE THE APP

A: Black Bear Safe is for UMaine, UMaine at Machias, and UMaine at Augusta students, staff, faculty, and any other members of the University of Maine community.

A: This application is only available for the campuses listed above.

A: Absolutely! We would love to hear your feedback. Email us at um.policedepartment@maine.edu with the title, “Black Bear Safe Suggestion.”

A: Anywhere in the State of Maine. We use geofencing to limit the app to the boundaries of the state. If outside of the state, please contact local emergency services in the event they are needed.

EXCEPTION: The Friend Walk and Social Escape can be used anywhere.

A: Some limited circumstances may prevent a dispatcher from responding to your request. If a dispatcher does not respond within 3 minutes, you will be notified and can either try again or call 207.581.4040.

If your situation is an emergency, dial 9-1-1 immediately.

A: No. Black Bear Safe is a supplemental program intended to promote campus safety. Part of the app includes the ability to call emergency services using your phone’s 911 capabilities.

A: 9-1-1 calls placed from the University’s phone system or dialed directly from your cell phone are routed directly to the nearest Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The Panic Button tile dials UMaine PD dispatchers directly and transmits your real-time location which can improve response times.

A: The user’s location is only transmitted when the Panic Button, Friend Walk, and Virtual Walkhome features are used. The user’s name and phone number is required for Chat, In-App Crime Tip, and Virtual Walkhome functions to provide the UMaine PD dispatcher with a point of contact for dispatching an officer or other emergency services.

Upon completion of those features, there is no capability for anyone to track the user’s location. At that point, we only have historical information…meaning where you were when you activated the specific feature. For peace of mind, a notification is given to the user when they begin sharing their location, and when they are no longer being tracked.

A: Students, faculty, and staff are automatically subscribed to UMaine emergency alerts. For more information or to opt-out, please visit umaine.edu/emergency.

Other users can sign up within Black Bear Safe by tapping the More tile, then tap Emergency Notifications and tap “Sign up for Text Alerts” near the bottom of the page or by visiting umaine.edu/emergency.

A; No. 9-1-1 and 207.581.4040 are both available 24/7/365 with or without Black Bear Safe. The application simply provides extra features including location services, chat, and reporting options. We highly encourage you to install Black Bear Safe as an added safety tool available to you, even if you never need to use it.

A; Absolutely! We love promoting the app and are more than willing to help set you up for sucess. To request a demonstration, email um.policedepartment@maine.edu with the title “Black Bear Safe Demonstration Request.”

University of Maine Police Department patch.

University of Maine Police Department

81 Rangeley Road, Orono, ME 04469
um.policedepartment@maine.edu
Phone: 207.581.4040
Fax: 207.581.1702