Eye on You
Oct 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Paul Benne
Right-sizing today's security technology to better protect the next generation.
Justifying the expense
Return on investment and total cost of ownership for school security systems can be difficult to measure, but one way to examine them is by asking: How will the system be used? A dean of students using video surveillance at one school cut a typical three-hour investigation down to just 20 minutes — all from his desk. The real return on investment, however, comes from providing a safe haven where students and staff members can work and learn comfortably.
Benne is a senior security specialist and security discipline leader for Syska Hennessy Group's New York office. He can be reached at pbenne@syska.com.
Where is video surveillance allowed?
In today's information era, privacy can be a rare commodity. Some educational spaces provide privacy protection, but others are legally open to surveillance. A rule of thumb: places that have no expectation of privacy, including hallways, gymnasiums, study halls, cafeterias and entrances, are fair game for surveillance. Gray areas include classrooms, areas that have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and offices. Here's how they match up:
- Classrooms
There generally is not a problem with placing a camera in an instructional area, but it is problematic to use the footage for evaluation purposes, as cameras have a limited scope and only tell some of the story. For example, if a camera views the teacher at her desk while students are scattered around the room working together, it may look as if the teacher is not doing her job, or what may visually look chaotic may be a perfectly executed learning exercise. Therefore, it is not an adequate tool for evaluating performance. Surveillance cameras are appropriate, however, for a classroom where evaluating an incident is crucial, as may be the case with alternative education facilities and emotional-support classrooms.
- Areas with a reasonable expectation of privacy
Bathrooms, locker rooms and changing areas — areas that have a reasonable expectation of privacy — typically are restricted from monitoring, but can be placed under video surveillance in special circumstances in cooperation with local authorities and with a search warrant. If a school had ongoing trouble that involved possible criminal conduct in a bathroom, it couldn't legally place cameras in the bathroom independently, but working together with local law enforcement, a school could be given authority to monitor the area.
- Offices
Offices can be either public or private spaces, so surveillance within one is best conducted with the occupant's consent. A well-written school policy on video surveillance will help define what is allowable under an employer's discretion. Something to keep in mind: most offices offer some expectation of solitude.
Equipment procurement
Once a school district or university has determined its security needs, it's time to commission the equipment vendor to make it happen. What is the best way to go about it? Three ways education institutions can procure equipment:
- Request for proposal (RFP)
An RFP sent out to vendors informs them that your school is in the market for security equipment. Unfortunately, this general and often generic request typically is answered the way it is received — with the least amount of detail and therefore, a wide range of price tags. Vendors responding to an RFP understand that the school doesn't know the equipment, but is looking only for the lowest bid. RFPs can be a risk when the school isn't knowledgeable about what it is looking for or what it is about to receive.
- Public bid
A public bid differs from an RFP in that the requirements and parameters of the desired system are spelled out for the vendors; specific equipment and explicit systems tasks are already defined. The result is a more narrow scope of bidders and, therefore, a slim cost spread for the desired equipment.
- State contract/bid combo
Many states, including New York and Pennsylvania, have contracts with equipment suppliers that allow public institutions to purchase equipment at a reduced price without bidding. A consultant who knows how to write bid specifications using these contracts can save an education institution thousands of dollars.
NOTABLE
30
Number of frames per second viewed by the human eye.
5 to 7.5
Number of frames per second at which average public venues typically are recorded.
WEB 101
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