2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: News
Patrolling the campus - from a camera
CCTV camera use continues to expand in Penn patrol zone
Thomas Himes
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Penn is continuing ongoing efforts to expand its use of surveillance cameras on and around campus, though outside groups have expressed concerns about the cameras' effectiveness in crime prevention and the potential for privacy violations.
Currently, the University has approximately 500 surveillance - or CCTV, cameras in place, said Rick Sanfilippo, the Division of Public Safety's assistant director of Security and Technical Services.
Of those 500 cameras, 86 are "point-tilt-zoom" devices, which are able to be remotely operated.
Costing about $32,000 each, the University plans to continue adding seven PTZ cameras a year as crime-prevention devices, Sanfilippo said.
"It's a proactive tool that's been proven very successful in crime prevention … and investigation," Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.
Still, some dispute the ability of surveillance to prevent crime.
"This is a drain on resources that doesn't work," said Matt Faiella, a lawyer for the New York City chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Ann Franke, president of Wise Results, a firm that advises colleges on legal risks, said, "There's the possibility that cameras will deter crime, but those reductions can then be offset by increases outside the camera's range."
But crime at Penn has experienced an overall decrease of about 40 percent from 1996 - when the University first began installing cameras - to 2007.
Rush said it's difficult to ascribe a drop in crime to any single factor, but said CCTV cameras have been used to stop potential crimes and aid investigators.
After "suspicious behavior" draws the attention of an officer remotely monitoring an area, police can intervene when they "know they're going to do something," Rush said. Most individuals arrested in these scenarios have warrants for previous crimes, she added.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Give me a break
posted 2/07/08 @ 10:21 AM EST
Reading text messages off your phone? Profiling and secret government conspiracies? First of all, cameras with resolution that high cost much more than $32,000, so it is extremely unlikely that they would be installed on Penn's campus. (Continued…)
Student
posted 2/07/08 @ 2:41 PM EST
I wish these ACLU douchebags would get off their asses and do a ride-along with the Penn Police or get a radio scanner and listen to how effective cameras are on campus. (Continued…)
ACLU irony
posted 2/07/08 @ 2:44 PM EST
Isn't it ironic that the ACLU (rightfully) comes out in defense of a Penn student taking photos of other students having sex in plain-view in the high-rises but criticizes the police for using CCTV cameras to survey open, public spaces? You can't pick and choose when to apply the First Amendment. (Continued…)
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