After the completion of the Department of Public Safety’s latest long-term project, the Hill has eyes.

A video-surveillance system was installed in all Syracuse University residence halls and one academic building this past summer after two years of planning.

The surveillance system has been used in at least one investigation so far this year, said Michael Kearns, DPS technical service manager. Kearns declined to comment on the specific instance that the footage was used.

There are 168 new cameras on campus, said DPS Chief Tony Callisto in a recently released statement.

The cameras, which are positioned at each residence hall’s entrance and exit, and at Hinds Hall, are recording at all times, Kearns said. However, they are not the result of the recent spike in criminal activity on campus, he said.

Kearns said a system like this one is important to have, especially in light of recent situations.

‘It’s a known deterrent and it also is a huge investigative tool for trying to solve crimes that have occurred and tracking suspects down,’ he said.

DPS met with SU’s Risk Management Department and Information and Technology Services approximately two years ago and realized there was a need to enhance the awareness of physical safety needs for the student population, said Jenny Gluck, director of academic applications and service centers for ITS.

Gluck said that after surveying a dozen different colleges about video surveillance programs, the three groups did an analysis of what it would take to implement one at SU. After coming up with a master plan, they realized they could not afford a complete system.

‘We thought, ‘OK, what’s most important to us? What matters most is the safety of the students, so what would it take to do this part?” Gluck said. ‘Our students live here, so we want to make sure they’re safe, and we can address things as is possible.’

The university settled on a phase-in approach, with residence halls getting first priority.

The entire approach includes 12-14 phases.

‘What they did was they broke it down into priority locations: residence halls being priority one, pathways and walkways being priority two, and then it goes from there,’ Kearns said.

However, he said that they have not received funding or authorization to begin planning phase two, and Kearns does not know when that will happen.

After funding was approved for phase one, Kearns said the next step was hiring North American Video, a consulting company, to assist them with picking out a system best suited for SU’s environment. The company set up the cameras, the software to back up the video and the servers that relay the video to DPS at the campus data center.

DPS Cpl. James Hill said that the new system helps them have a more clear idea of who exactly is coming in and out of residence halls, deterring what he calls ‘piggy backs’ – people leaving the door open for others to walk through without swiping for entry.

Although the cameras are on at all times, there is not someone constantly watching the footage. In fact, Gluck said this would be nearly impossible because of the number of DPS dispatchers.

‘We have a certain number of dispatchers who are with DPS, and it would be impossible for them to review every camera and not miss something,’ Gluck said. ‘They’d look at one and miss something on another.

‘You really can’t expect people to do that day in, day out and expect that they’re going to catch something,’ she said.

But Gluck said the system is still effective. An officer is now able to go back and review footage to make investigations easier. She said they can use the cameras to look at video of previous events to see what happened and who was involved.

Gluck said they will review surveillance footage based on when something happens and when they hear about it.

‘We can be more active in addressing issues that happened and more effective in preventing them in the future,’ she said.

Though phase one is currently complete, phase two – which includes installing surveillance cameras in parking lots and walkways – should not be expected in the near future, said Kearns, technical service manager at DPS.

Gluck admitted that she’d love to see phase two installed, but it is too expensive for the university’s current budget. Installing cameras in parking lots and walkways involves digging up the lots to run network cables to the cameras.

The cameras are connected to network devices, and it costs money to power the devices and operate the heating and cooling control systems required for the devices.

‘It hasn’t been an approved project yet, but it hasn’t lost our radar screen,’ Gluck said.

For now, phase one works to create a feeling of safety on campus.

Allie Umlah, a sophomore communications and rhetorical studies major, said that she thought the only safety measure at dorm entrances and exits was a DPS volunteer who sits at a desk.

‘I don’t really feel like the person at the desk could really stop any immediate harm if there was any,’ Umlah said. ‘But now that I know there are cameras, I definitely feel more safe.’

And though Gluck highlights the many positives of the new video surveillance system, she also said it doesn’t assure a student’s physical safety just because it is there.

‘Knowing there is a video surveillance doesn’t make you safer,’ she said. ‘But we know if an incident happens with the cameras there, our central DPS officer can now look at the video to see what’s going on in that event. … They are no longer blind when they walk in.’

mequalte@syr.edu

Published on October 10, 2009 at 12:00 pm