As the University struggles to deal with the ever-present threats to safety on campus, it is looking to security cameras for help. The devices will likely be installed across campus by the end of the fall semester.
As the University struggles to deal with the ever-present threats to safety on campus, it is looking to security cameras for help.
Video cameras will be installed at the entrances to dorms, academic buildings and student gathering spaces—likely by the end of the fall semester, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask said. He hopes to consult students before the details are finalized, but student opinion will not be the primary basis for the decision. “Security isn’t really a voting matter,” he said. “It’s a judgment matter.”
The challenge of campus security, administrators said, is that two types of areas are of particular concern: places where crime tends to occur and places where people tend to be. Limited resources hamper the University’s ability to police both regions of campus simultaneously.
Cameras would aid police in their investigations, as well as help prevent crime from occurring.
“When it comes to dorms and buildings, if you have cameras covering those areas, you have a concrete resource for investigating incidents,” said Shawn Flaugher, manager of crime prevention and security projects for Duke University Police Department.
Multiple University buildings—including Randolph Dormitory—already utilize surveillance cameras. Flaugher noted that the digital equipment, which stamps the video with the time and date, will make detection of crime more efficient. “You can e-mail the video to the people who need to see it within minutes,” he said. Security officers could also watch live video from the recorders.
Several other electronic and mechanical security improvements are also being considered, but officials declined to elaborate on those potential options.
In 2002, a proposal to place security cameras outside dormitory entrances split student opinion. Many students rose up against the measure, objecting to the potential invasion of privacy. Students also feared that the cameras would be used to implicate them for possession of alcohol and underage drinking.
Although it is possible that the cameras could be used to identify violations of the alcohol policy, that would not be their intent, Trask said.
Still, Anthony Vitarelli, president of Campus Council, said the residential life consulting body would likely advocate other security measures over cameras because surveillance deteriorates the community of residence halls. “It’s not a trusting environment when a camera’s watching your actions 24 hours a day,” he said.
He added that security improvements over the past few years have not been coordinated. “It seems that this has been done piecemeal in the past and we haven’t really taken a big look at issues like access,” he said. “There are big-picture issues that haven’t been examined holistically.”
Campus Council and Duke Student Government have worked this summer with other campus organizations to develop security measures students endorse, such as increased lighting and an escort service. Jesse Longoria, DSG vice president of athletics and campus services, said cameras might be an option, but he echoed concerns of two years ago that the cameras might be used to monitor student behavior.
“As long as they use the cameras in order to deter crimes and protect students instead of surveillance of student activities, cameras could accomplish a lot for campus security,” he said.
Since last year when several alleged assaults on campus drew attention to security issues, Duke has implemented several improvements. Additional officers, contracted from an outside firm, now supplement University security on the weekends.
Posters reminding students of safety precautions are scattered through campus and on University buses. All freshmen also received a letter prior to their arrival on campus explaining safe behavior, such as walking in groups and locking doors to dorm rooms.
Eddie Hull, executive director of housing services and dean of residence life, is in the process of assembling a student-administrator task force to examine safety in the residence halls. The committee began last spring but has been slow to finalize its structure. Hull said it has not met recently.
All improvements to campus safety will likely double the cost of the $300,000 allotted for security in this academic year’s budget, Trask said. The additional funding will come from the budget for Trask’s office.
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