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“Just some areas and buildings,” ASG President Chris Covo said in a tweet two days after the alleged assault.
Covo said the incident did not initiate the camera increase. Plans to implement more security cameras have been in the works for a couple of years, he said.
Jeb Thomas, supervisor of Access Services at the University Police Department, said security cameras are not required in the Master Plan, but are included in the construction standards for all projects.
“These are the standards we send to builders and contractors,” Thomas said. “They come up with a customized plan for what video surveillance installations are needed.”
Thomas said the construction standards were updated last year to include cameras.
“With any building, a lot of that is determined by funding,” Thomas said.
Thomas said a building’s use and security concerns factor into the need for cameras.
Thomas said camera installation costs range depending on the type of camera, mounting options and power needed.
“We don’t have network connections in parking lots or (the) power,” Thomas said. “It’s not just the cost of the camera, it’s the cost of the infrastructure to be able to see the video and record it.”
A project is underway to put cameras in entrances to existing buildings and is being completed by Network Installations, Thomas said.
Thomas would not disclose how many cameras exist on campus or where they are located. He stressed video cameras are not monitored by the dispatch office at all times because “there’s just too many of them.” However, the office does watch the monitors in response to reported problems and can review documented footage.
“Just because there’s a camera doesn’t mean there’s an actual human watching it at that time,” Thomas said. “I want people to have the appropriate expectation of why the cameras are there. They need to have the appropriate understanding of what a camera does for them security wise.”
Charlene Berger, exercise and sports science senior, said she feels safe on campus because her dad equipped her with pepper spray. She said she was not completely surprised to learn there are no cameras in the Pleasant Street garage.
“It is a parking garage and cameras may help with theft prevention as well as safety, but it is costly to place that technology everywhere,” Berger said.
Thomas said construction on the new Matthews Street parking garage will include camera installation.
“The older garages are going to be more difficult to install cameras because they were built when you didn’t have a lot of network infrastructure in garages,” Thomas said.
Covo said he feels additional security cameras will benefit campus theft and robbery cases while also providing peace of mind.
“I think it will be better for the university, especially help parents feel at ease and students who may feel like they can’t protect themselves,” Covo said.
Thomas said the university continues to consider camera usage in the future.
“It’s definitely going to be an ongoing project over years as money is available,” Thomas said.
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