Dinkytown, Connected: Try Signal a New Way to Share Safety Alerts

Imagining a faster, more connected way for UMN students to share safety information.

What Happens When Safety Alerts Aren't Fast Enough?

Walking through Dinkytown should feel like being part of a community—not wondering whether you are walking into an unsafe situation. Dinkytown is a vibrant area where many University of Minnesota students live, study, socialize, and work. Although crime rates in the Dinkytown and Marcy Holmes neighborhoods have generally trended downward over the past five years, students may still feel unsafe in certain situations. The University of Minnesota currently uses Safe-U alerts to notify students about criminal activity; however, information must be verified by police or emergency services before an alert is issued. This verification process can delay notifications, potentially leaving students unaware of a dangerous situation until they are already in or approaching an unsafe area. Additionally, Safe-U alerts have limited coverage in parts of Dinkytown and Marcy Holmes because much of the area is not university property. While the University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD) has partnered with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) to distribute Dinkytown Alerts to students in the surrounding area, delays in communicating safety information remain a concern to students.

Imagine a Faster Way to Connect

Imagine a space where students can look out for one another in real time. To make this possible, we have created a server on the platform Signal, a messaging app with end-to-end encryption and secure messaging. This server will allow students to anonymously alert peers of potential unsafe situations/threats nearby and allow them to provide context such as images/videos. A safe server like this will allow for much faster communication, saving students from unknowingly entering dangerous situations. Additionally, there is strict monitoring to filter out harmful speech or false reports in order to create a caring, community-building online environment. 

From Students, For Students

Community members have expressed frustration with delays in receiving Safe-U and Dinkytown Alerts, highlighting the need for a more responsive approach to campus safety communication. The Dinkytown Signal server would address this gap by creating a direct channel for students to share safety information with others in their community as events unfold. Rather than waiting for an official alert to be verified and distributed hours after it took place, students could receive preliminary reports from peers who are nearby, giving them additional time to assess their surroundings and make informed decisions about their safety. 

Building a More Connected Dinkytown

The platform could also help students identify developing safety concerns by allowing multiple users to share relevant updates about the same incident, creating a more complete picture of what is happening in the area. By combining timely, community-based information sharing with appropriate safeguards, our solution aims to strengthen students' ability to respond to safety concerns and navigate Dinkytown with greater awareness.