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SU reveals 10-year plan to install surveillance cameras across campus
By C.J. Lin
Posted: 10/17/07, 1:31 AM EST Section: News
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Be careful of public displays on the Quad; the university is going to be watching.
Plans to install a surveillance system at Syracuse University are under way, with the first group of cameras to be in place sometime next year, university officials said.
Officials developed a five- to 10-year plan during which SU will phase-in the system to offset costs and install the large volume of cameras.
"Especially after Virginia Tech, people are expecting universities with certain levels of protection running on campus," said Michael Kearns, the Department of Public Safety's manager of technology and security services. "A lot of these security initiatives were already under way, and Virginia Tech merely acted as a catalyst to speed up the process. It brought to the attention of the administration that we needed to get moving on this."
A university committee is beginning to plan where on campus the surveillance technology will be used, said Paul Gandel, who serves on the committee and is vice president for information technology.
The next step will be to bring in a consultant who will examine the logistics and offer suggestions. So far, eight or nine consultant companies have responded, Gandel said.
"It's moving along," said Drew Buske, DPS deputy chief.
The surveillance cameras will allow DPS to monitor public places such as residence halls, academic buildings, the Quad, parking structures and areas surrounding campus, Gandel said.
There are 11 priority locations, Kearns said. These include entrances and exits at the residence halls, garages and walkways.
Planners don't know how many cameras will be installed, but Kearns said it would depend on funding. He added that it would take more than 1,000 cameras to thoroughly cover the entire campus.
The exact number will be determined as the installation process continues, Gandel said.
"It'll really depend on, as we move forward in stages, to see how effective they are, how many cameras we need in various locations, so we haven't really come up with the final number," Gandel said. "It is dependent on how many cameras we eventually install, so it's hard for me to put a price tag. But the systems are not inexpensive."
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Giuliani
posted 10/17/07 @ 11:19 AM EST
Surveillance only helps after the fact. No one is safer because of cameras. If anything, you lose some freedom. In this case, however, it's a private institution who can do whatever they want, but remember, SU, this is a campus. (Continued…)
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