Four security cameras to be added in high risk areas on campus
Gnanna Simon
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: News
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Safety on the Union College campus has become a recent hot button issue as a result of the number of robberies over the last few years. This concern has sparked a new initiative in which four new cameras will be installed on campus, in areas identified as having high pedestrian traffic and moderate to high risk.
Cameras will be placed on South and North colleges so that the walkway between the two buildings can be carefully monitored. These cameras will have pan tilt zoom so that campus safety can visually follow and monitor suspicious activity and persons. These camera installations are expected to be finished in the coming weeks.
The other two cameras will be placed on the light poles on either side of the flagpole, facing the corners toward North and South Colleges. This way, the pathway leading to the Blue Gate (across from Friendly's) and the gate towards Mohawk are both monitored. These camera installations will commence once the ground thaws and will be in effect by spring trimester. The overall cost of purchasing and installing these four cameras is approximately $25,000.
The locations for these four cameras were chosen because of their high pedestrian traffic, especially since this traffic is often not Union students. Although campus safety has tried to increase parameter security by closing the Blue Gate, some local pedestrians jump over the gate to take a shortcut through the campus. In addition, a number of the robberies have occurred in front of either North or South.
This is the first initiative in which cameras will be placed in areas other than parking areas. While both students and campus safety have long been in favor of placing cameras to monitor other areas of the campus, some in the administration were concerned about the issues of privacy. The same concerns were raised when card access was first introduced in monitoring and limiting access to various buildings. However, such concerns were quickly assuaged, as card access became immensely popular with both students and faculty.
Campus safety hopes that these camera installations will be faced with the same kind of success and that eventually, more cameras can be placed in other areas with high pedestrian traffic. In addition, campus safety is in discussion with the City of Schenectady about installation of cameras to monitor the parameter of Union College, another issue raised by recent robberies and Union's open campus status.
Cameras will be placed on South and North colleges so that the walkway between the two buildings can be carefully monitored. These cameras will have pan tilt zoom so that campus safety can visually follow and monitor suspicious activity and persons. These camera installations are expected to be finished in the coming weeks.
The other two cameras will be placed on the light poles on either side of the flagpole, facing the corners toward North and South Colleges. This way, the pathway leading to the Blue Gate (across from Friendly's) and the gate towards Mohawk are both monitored. These camera installations will commence once the ground thaws and will be in effect by spring trimester. The overall cost of purchasing and installing these four cameras is approximately $25,000.
The locations for these four cameras were chosen because of their high pedestrian traffic, especially since this traffic is often not Union students. Although campus safety has tried to increase parameter security by closing the Blue Gate, some local pedestrians jump over the gate to take a shortcut through the campus. In addition, a number of the robberies have occurred in front of either North or South.
This is the first initiative in which cameras will be placed in areas other than parking areas. While both students and campus safety have long been in favor of placing cameras to monitor other areas of the campus, some in the administration were concerned about the issues of privacy. The same concerns were raised when card access was first introduced in monitoring and limiting access to various buildings. However, such concerns were quickly assuaged, as card access became immensely popular with both students and faculty.
Campus safety hopes that these camera installations will be faced with the same kind of success and that eventually, more cameras can be placed in other areas with high pedestrian traffic. In addition, campus safety is in discussion with the City of Schenectady about installation of cameras to monitor the parameter of Union College, another issue raised by recent robberies and Union's open campus status.
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