This week in class we talked about video surveillance. I read an article called Analytics Makes Fast Work of Video Surveillance Searches. This article was about video surveillance on college campuses, specifically the University of Tulsa. It talked about how it looks like any other university with security officers patrolling the grounds 24/7 and a control room where they can monitor what is going on and answer any incoming calls. I was surprised to read that they have over 600 surveillance cameras placed among campus. Although I'm not quite sure how big the University of Tulsa is, that seems like a lot of cameras. I'm not sure how many we have here at the University of Minnesota, but if its close to that many I know I would probably feel really safe on campus. It's also nice that everything the security officers are seeing is live, so that if something were to go wrong they could get there as fast as possible.

One thing that was little bit concerning, at least to me, was that "over 90% of higher education institutions use or plan to use video surveillance." I think it's great that over 90% uses it or plans to use it, but what about the 10% that doesn't? Should there be concerns about student safety at institutions that don't use this technology? I know I would be a little bit uneasy if I was on a campus without surveillance because even though they have security officers, how are they going to get to you, and get there fast enough, when you are unable to contact them? I did also like the fact that this university had video surveillance in their parking lots. I feel like parking lots are one of the most under-surveillanced areas anywhere, including schools and businesses, so I liked that they accounted for that. It would be nice to pull into a dark lot at night and know that someone is watching to make sure you're safe, and if you aren't they can be there as quickly as possible to check on you.

Another article I read called "Do Security Cameras Really Make Campuses Safer?" offered a lot of helpful information as well. According to this article, 96% of respondents with video surveillance cameras say that these systems frequently or sometimes help provide evidence for investigations. Four in Five respondents also said that they think these systems prevent crime as well.

While most universities have campus security, the University of Minnesota has both campus security and campus police. Campus security can be seen around the libraries and residence halls. They also provide a walking service where they escort students, staff, and faculty around campus when they feel unsafe or would like someone to walk with them. The UMN police are made up of 22 officers. These officers respond to crimes in progress, traffic accidents, reports of suspicious activity, and will also assist when someone locks their keys in their car. Although the UMN campus safety website offers a lot of helpful information, their website doesn't talk about video surveillance or where it is used on campus. Overall, I believe campus surveillance and security is a really important part of students safety and it should be included in every campus' safety program.

Photo Source: https://www.clipartmax.com/middle/m2i8K9i8K9K9K9Z5_authority-clipart-cartoon-police-hat/

Hayhurst, C (2017). Analytics Makes Fast Work of Video Surveillance Searches.

Hattersley-Gray, R (2018). Do Security Cameras Really Make Campuses Safer?https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/technology/security-cameras-campus-safety/