Page 62 - Security Today, July 2017

DATA STORAGE
ENHANCING SURVEILLANCE
How intelligent storage enables effective campus surveillance By Wayne Arvidson
THE STORAGE PLATFORM YOU SELECT FOR YOUR SUR- VEILLANCE SYSTEM CAN EITHER ENHANCE CAMPUS SURVEILLANCE OR LIMIT IT.
When it comes to safety on college campuses, video surveillance is a critical tool. It has a force-multiplying effect, and campus security officers rely on the technology to help them monitor activity and stop violence, crime, and other threats, which are important considerations for prospective students and their families.
SAFETY IS TOP-OF-MIND
Picking a college can be stressful. So much information is available to prospective students that the evaluation process can feel overwhelming. Although the relative importance of each factor will vary by student according to their preferences, all are important to the institutions.
One factor, however, that ranks high on nearly every list is safety. According to a 2015 survey conducted by Noodle, 74.5 percent of par- ents ranked a safe environment as “highly important” when evaluating college options. In addition, the higher education information website CollegeAtlas.org lists safety and security among their top ten factors to consider before making a college selection.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsec- ondary Education, Campus Safety and Security (CSS) survey, a compi- lation of statistics based on information supplied by participating
institutions, the number of criminal offenses reported on college cam- puses has decreased steadily since 2005. Though the trend is good news, there were still 36,248 criminal offenses reported on campuses in the U.S. in 2015.
Shocking news incidents and social media have heightened our awareness of campus violence. While improving security is a top prior- ity for university officials, so are student privacy and freedom. Those in charge of keeping people safe strive to maintain a delicate balance between increasing security and creating an environment that is per- ceived as being “over-policed.”
Protecting students, staff, visitors, and property is the mission of campus security departments, but given today’s campus settings and societal expectations, it’s not an easy job.
COLLEGE CAMPUSES FACE UNIQUE
SURVEILLANCE CHALLENGES
Today’s college campuses resemble small cities. Many are sprawling environments, covered with housing units, recreation areas, and aca- demic buildings, with many footpaths and public use spaces. There are high traffic areas and low traffic areas. Every building has multiple entrances and exits to monitor. At night, there are well-lit places as well as dark, secluded spots. Change is a constant with street maintenance, building renovations, and new construction taking place. There are
CS28 WWW.CAMPUSLIFESECURITY.COM | JULY 2017
A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY TODAY AND THE JOURNAL
CAMPUS SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY
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