You've been hearing about it for over a year now, but the day has finally arrived; the cameras are coming.
Larry Banaszak, head of Otterbein Security said it's, "to promote campus safety and security."
Installation of the 15 cameras will begin this summer. Security hopes to have some installed by the end of June.
Cameras will be placed on the entrances and exits to the academic buildings, computer labs and all of the residence halls.
The purpose of the cameras is not to watch the students smuggle in the opposite sex after visiting hours or stagger up the stairs after a drunken night.
The primary purpose is to prevent theft. "They [the criminal] will leave toward the camera and it will get a good shot of the people," said Banaszak.
Last year, there were 39 counts of theft and property damage on Otterbein's campus, according to the Westerville Police Department.
The cameras aren't going to be under constant surveillance- a fact that upsets some students and pleases others. "We will look at the tapes only after a crime happens," Banaszak said.
"If the footage isn't watched then it isn't being preventative. The cameras aren't going to make me safer," said sophomore, art education major Michelle Anderson. "It almost seems like there is a different reason for investing in the cameras."
Security is hoping for a positive attitude despite the fact that the cameras won't be under constant surveillance.
"It's necessary. For a building like the communication building, which houses groups like the radio and television station, it's important to have an extra eye watching everything like our equipment," said senior broadcasting major Andy Chow.
Jes Hansen, sophomore and RA of Davis Annex, echoed Chow but mentioned she would be displeased if the camera craze went too far.
"I don't think it is an invasion of privacy, I understand it is for security purposes. However, if cameras were put directly in my residence hall or somehow mistakenly angled into someone's room then I have a problem with it," she said.
Other schools near Otterbein have also added cameras to the list of campus technology updates.
Baldwin Wallace has had 50 cameras installed around campus in the last year. Their cameras are all digitally recorded with no tapes and all the security workers can watch the cameras from their wireless laptops.
"We can view the cameras live at dispatch and show them to the police if ever necessary. Our cameras are mostly outside and are general view cameras," said Doug Chatfield, head of Baldwin Wallace's security.
With the installation of the cameras, Baldwin Wallace also has inferred illuminators in their parking lots, which act as big spot lights and help out the cameras' view. Since then, there has been a marked decrease in crime, said Chatfield.
Otterbein's cameras are also general-view cameras, and are stationary, meaning they will not move with robotics or show a different view of their location.
Banaszak is hoping for more resources to fund the project and have them completely installed for fall of next year.t&c;
