SAN DIEGO [CBS 8] Homeland security officials are hosting a workshop at San Diego State Friday to prepare for a potential shooting or hostage situation.

Officials say thousands of students and staff become victims of on-campus violence every year, including the Virginia Tech, Columbine and Santana High School shootings.

The goal of Friday’s conference is to empower everyone to take direct responsibility for their personal safety with the help of a “mass alert tool.”

Officials will distribute 15 smart-phones with an application that will collect real-time information from mock students.

Students will report details about the shooter and their location to a database on campus.

Administrators will coordinate with local law enforcement to respond to the staged threat.

vizcenter displays showing app administration screen

Displays at VizCenter showing WhiteCanvas Group's incident administrative page.

 

vizcenter smart phone app demo

WhiteCanvas Group's Founders, Tim Newberry and Jon Iadonisi demo smart phone application.

close-up of screen

Close-up of incident administrative screen.