Since the installation of the Code Blue emergency system, most of those yellow boxes have been scrapped. These boxes were hung on various telephone polls around campus. Prior to Code Blue, Temple’s emergency system consisted of a phone installed inside a rectangular yellow box. The gleaming blue light that flashes when the red emergency button is pushed increases the beacon’s visibility.

Each beacon is a tall blue structure with the word “emergency” printed in bold white letters down its base. “The old ones were not noticeable enough.”īittenbender said the Code Blue emergency beacons are easier for pedestrians and police to notice. “Most students don’t even know that there has been an emergency system for the past 12 or 13 years,” Bittenbender said. “There is one located wherever there is a high traffic route of pedestrians,” Bittenbender said.Īlso, the campus security system needed improvements because of its lack of visibility. Now, students regularly walk back and forth from those dormitories. He said two years ago Temple did not offer student housing at the Kardon or Elmira Jefferies residence halls.

Temple Police Lieutenant Bob Lowell, said that Temple needed so many Code Blue emergency beacons because the campus has expanded. “We tried to put one wherever there was property owned by Temple,” Bittenbender said. Of the 90 beacons, 66 are located on Temple’s Main campus. “It is geared towards all pedestrians, not just Temple students.” “They are here to provide safety,” said Carl Bittenbender, the head of campus security. The installation of the towers started this past summer on Temple’s three campuses and will be completed next week. In an effort to enhance campus safety, Temple University has upgraded its security system by installing 90 new Code Blue Emergency beacons on the Main, Tyler and Ambler campuses.

The red button prank