Iowa State’s Department of Public Safety has ventured onto the vast World Wide Web.

The campus community was recently granted access to the new “DPS homepage,” created by Jim Garber, a senior in aerospace engineering.

The program, which can help users with questions and complaints about the department, is accessible to all students, faculty and staff.

The DPS homepage adds a safer, more positive experience at ISU, said Lisa Safaeinili, health and safety coordinator for DPS.

If a person has been sexually assaulted, for example, he or she can use the DPS homepage for information about his or her options or what can be done by reporting the incident, Safaeinili said.

Anybody can use the DPS homepage to anonymously report an incident, whether it is witnessed firsthand or heard through someone else.

“That’s how this homepage is different from others offered. Anybody can report an crime on campus and it can be totally anonymous,” Safaeinili said. “The only thing is that DPS can not follow-up with the person. They would have to come forward.”

DPS will not track those who link on to the homepage, but will respond to as many questions as possible from people who provide e-mail addresses.

All computers on campus with a modem and access to the Internet can use the DPS homepage. It can be found using Netscape, which works on any platform, Garber said. The homepage can also be located on Project Vincent. The address is: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~dps_info/.

The DPS homepage includes campus crime safety tips, statistics, information on DPS and the services they provide such as the help van and a campus map with locations of emergency phones.

The DPS homepage will also include some surveys and opinions from the community.

“The home page uses color photos, it’s friendly and easy to use,” Safaeinili said. “Another convenience of the program is that the DPS homepage can be accessed at any time of the day.”

Not all of the department records will be on the homepage because it is too difficult to keep the system up to date with all the daily arrests and reports, but Safaeinili said the advantages are still prevalent.

“Any Web browser get to the DPS homepage. ISU is linked all over the world,” she said.