Page 20 - Campus Security & Life Safety, July/August 2023

Video Surveillance
Hard Truths
In the world in which we live, a physical security system for a school can’t be just a checkbox item. Most schools don’t have the resources to monitor alarms or video surveillance 24/7. Even if they are lucky enough to have an allocated school resource officer (SRO), they are not going to be sitting in an office watching video cameras. There are too many existing duties and real interactions required. A big part of their job is to be physically visible. The rest of the school staff is equally busy, so they aren’t available to stare at a wall of video, either. So, the hard truth is, for the majority of video surveillance systems in schools, nobody is watching the video feeds in real time. No one is going to see an assailant coming.
Luckily, most of the use cases surrounding video surveillance in schools are centered around resolving behavioral issues that need to be verified and addressed. Video surveillance is great for forensic research because the camera never lies. It’s also a great deterrent because students know they will be held accountable for their actions.
How Can We Improve Our Use of the Technology?
If we accept the fact that no one is watching, how can we improve our chances of preventing an event from occurring? One way is to ensure that we are using all the capabilities afforded us by modern security cameras and video management systems (VMS). A VMS system
Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com
should not be so complex that only a trained SRO, principal, or IT person can use it. In fact, the more people on staff that are competently able to use the VMS, the more likely the system can be of help during an actual event. To facilitate that, the user interface has to be easy and intuitive.
One of the ways to ways to simplify the user interface is to utilize a live map interface that shows a bird’s eye view of buildings, streets, and cameras in place showing coverage and any alarms that are triggered. This gives staff who aren’t routinely using the system a way to quickly intuit any alarm while vastly improving situational awareness for all users. When seconds count, having familiarity and confidence in the system is crucial. Likewise, many access control systems are unusually complex, and integration with security systems is weak or non-existent. Schools and universities can benefit greatly from a unified access control system that is seamlessly integrated into the VMS. Some vendors provide access control and VMS in a single package.
If things really hit the fan, it’s likely that no one is going to feel comfortable sitting in front of a security system that might be in located in a vulnerable front office area. That means that the system must be accessible by a web interface and via mobile devices to remain useful. Make sure that any VMS deployed can be accessed remotely through a browser or mobile interface so that staff and first responders can easily access the system from a safe location.
20 campuslifesecurity.com | JULY/AUGUST 2023