4 Questions to Help You Assess and Improve Your Campus Surveillance Camera Strategy

Surveillance cameras have become a critical component of many schools' safety and security plans. Just by their mere presence on a campus, video cameras often help deter criminal activity, harassing behaviors, and violence. Furthermore, they help school staff stay informed of who is on campus and what they are doing, may quicken the appropriate emergency response to a threat or incident, and often provide valuable information that can facilitate a post-event investigation.

To achieve these safety and security outcomes, a school's video surveillance system must be thoughtfully and properly designed, deployed, and used. In addition, successful implementation requires the support of all key stakeholders within the campus community. However, it's not unusual for faculty, staff, students, and parents to push back on the use of security cameras. Their concerns typically center around the intrusion of privacy that can come with being recorded and monitored, as well as not knowing who has access to the footage and how it will be used.

Whether your organization has previously installed campus security cameras or is about to invest in video surveillance, it's important to assess if the system and any associated policies and procedures strike the critical balance between effectively protecting your campus and preserving privacy. Following are four assessment questions that may help you achieve both of these priorities while developing or improving your campus surveillance camera strategy.

1. Where should security cameras be located on campus?

Although every school has a unique physical makeup, with varying environments, there are some general guidelines that most educational institutions can use when trying to determine the most effective—and least intrusive—security camera locations. Privacy rights must always take priority, so cameras should never be installed in sensitive areas, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, counseling and health services offices, faculty lounges, and private meeting spaces. Instead, schools should identify areas where surveillance cameras can be strategically used to:

1. Monitor who enters and exits the campus, e.g., all campus entrances, especially building doorways.
2. Quickly detect potential trespassers and suspicious activity in perimeter areas, parking lots, and fencing.
3. Track movement and objects inside buildings, such as hallways, corridors, and classrooms.
4. Enhance visibility in high-traffic, large spaces, such as cafeterias, playgrounds, gymnasiums, auditoriums, and sports fields.
5. Prevent theft and unauthorized access, e.g., loading docks and delivery entrances.

2. What type of security camera is best for your campus?

This is a bit of a trick question because no single video surveillance camera can optimally monitor every exposed area on your campus. Instead, the preferred security approach is to use a suite of fixed and pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera types to effectively cover everything from your school's blind spots to high-traffic locations, wide open spaces, and more. It may be helpful to consider the following factors when evaluating which camera style may be the best choice for a specific campus environment:

1. What is the desired image quality?
2. What size is the required field of view?
3. How much lighting is available, and does it vary throughout the day and night?
4. Will the camera be installed indoors or outdoors?
5. How frequently will the camera footage be monitored?
6. Will the camera be susceptible to damage by vandals, weather, or other hazards?
7. Do you want the camera to be subtle and discreet or clearly visible?

3. Do you have a comprehensive policy for campus surveillance cameras?

While campus surveillance cameras are generally legal across U.S. states, it's essential to collaborate with your school's legal counsel to ensure your institution's video security system and policy comply with relevant state and federal legal standards. Beyond mitigating the potential legal ramifications of video camera usage, a school's security camera policy can go a long way in alleviating common ethical concerns, suspicions, and distrust people often have about video surveillance equipment. We recommend bringing together a team of key stakeholders to develop protocols for the following:

1. How the video surveillance system will be used and what is outside its scope.
2. How administration, departments, programs, or organizations can request installation or removal of a video security camera.
3. Who has access to the video feed and recorded footage, and how this may differ for criminal versus noncriminal investigations.
4. How video security system operators will be trained on applicable technical, legal, and ethical considerations.
5. How students, faculty, employees, parents, and visitors to campus will be informed that video camera surveillance equipment is being used.
6. How long surveillance data will be retained and how it will be protected from unauthorized access, tampering, and duplication during this period.
7. What the process is for getting rid of video security records after the holding period.
8. How marginalized students and students with disabilities will be protected from discriminatory practices associated with video camera surveillance and recording.
9. Who will monitor developments in the law, security industry practices, and technology to ensure that the application of video security is consistent with preferred practices and remains in compliance with federal and state regulations.

4. Will adopting modern camera technology impact campus safety, security, and privacy?

There's no question that using security cameras on campus is a more proactive and effective approach to risk management than not using cameras at all. To fully maximize their impact on campus safety and security, cameras must be continuously monitored. Otherwise, suspicious activities, individuals, or objects may go unobserved for extended periods; emergency response to a situation or incident may be significantly delayed; and aggressive behaviors, such as bullying, fighting, vandalism, and theft, may be less likely to be deterred. However, most educational institutions lack the resources to continuously monitor all their security cameras 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As with many problems today, technology may offer a simple and cost-effective solution. When enhanced with AI-powered software, school security cameras can become intelligent, round-the-clock campus surveillance devices with minimal limitations. This advanced security technology also provides real-time threat analysis and recognition, instant alerts to school administrators and authorities if a threat is detected, and data-driven insights that may help a school continuously improve its security strategies and stay ahead of emerging vulnerabilities.

Integrating intelligent software is likely to enhance most schools' camera system capabilities, but only if the technology and vendors they choose align with their institutions' requirements, budgets, and values. Before making a final investment decision or signing a vendor contract, consider asking the following questions:

1. Will the software integrate with the existing camera models and network capabilities?
2. Will current school hardware support the software's full functionality, or will we need to make an upgrade?
3. Will the software integrate with other school security technologies, such as an access control system or an intrusion and fire detection system?
4. Does the software's video surveillance and data collection practices comply with all relevant laws and regulations on privacy and video surveillance?
5. How much training will staff need before they are comfortable with software-specific features?
6. What level of technical support and maintenance will be provided?
7. Is the software customizable to specific security concerns?
8. Is this solution designed to be scalable and adaptable to future technological advancements, an expansion of the surveillance system, or a new threat type?

As effective as security cameras can be in helping protect people and physical assets on campuses, they are just one piece of a school's safety puzzle. A broader risk management strategy may include installing perimeter fencing; adopting systems for emergency communication, intrusion detection, and access control; employing security personnel; and more. If you would like assistance with developing this plan, please reach out to our Education Practice Group. We collaborate with a wide range of educational institutions and specialists in the field of campus security to help schools identify their top risks and address them with solutions that assure all community members they are both protected and respected.