Emergency Blue Lights set to be removed from KU after 50 years

Alex Moore | @alex_moore04

After five decades of use, the 68 emergency blue lights dotted around the KU campus will be dismantled after the spring 2026 semester. 

“The blue light phones came to KU in 1975,” Jill Hummels said, chief of staff and director of internal communications for the provost’s office. “There was an initiative of student senators at the time to improve campus safety. Since then, the phones have been used for a variety of purposes that don’t really relate to improving safety on campus.”

From 2021 to 2023, the KU police department reported 279 emergency calls from the call boxes in that three-year period. Of those calls, only six were for valid emergencies.

“The vast majority of the blue light calls in my career have been false alarms,” KU police captain Jack Campbell said. “Not even in terms of someone using them for things that aren’t emergencies, just simply pushing the button and then not being there.”

One of the main reasons the boxes have become so obsolete is the widespread use of cell phones among college students. According to the PEW Research Center, 99 percent of students between the ages of 18 to 29 own a cell phone. Cell phones allow emergency services to locate someone to within 30 feet, even if they are on the move.

The dismantling also comes from a cost-saving perspective for the university. The provost’s office discovered that over $5,000 worth of staff hours is dedicated to regularly testing each box. 

The university police department implores anyone who may need assistance to call them at any time. For non-emergency contact, the phone number to call or text the public safety office is 785-864-5900.