For next spring, Public Safety is considering placing security cameras in the High Rise and Low Rise area, in the lobby of Exley Science Center, in front of the Public Safety building, and on Vine Street.
“The question on everyone’s mind is that if someone underage is filmed carrying a 40 into High Rise, will they be in trouble,” said Inslee Coddington ’10, member of the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) and chair of the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC). “The answer is absolutely not.”
Live feed from the cameras will be received by the Public Safety dispatch office. However, the film will not be monitored by a Public Safety officer at all times.
“It’s really for safety, not for surveillance,” Coddington clarified.
According to Coddington, Public Safety officers will refer to the film only if it is known that an assault or an act of theft was caught on camera. Public Safety will then use the tape in order to identify the individuals involved.
“It’s more if someone calls PSafe and says, for example, they’ve witnessed some kind of incident in the Science Center lobby, then Public Safety can bring up the feed and identify if it’s a resident who’s caused problems in the past,” Coddington said.
After PSAC votes on the policy of camera use, the issue will go to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC), chaired by Mike Pernick ’10. Along with Dean of the College Mike Whaley, SAC will vote next semester regarding what kind of function the cameras will have and how they will be set up around campus.
“Right now, the real discussion isn’t whether or not we’re going to get the cameras, but what the policy around camera use will be,” Pernick said.
Director of Public Safety David Meyer brought up the possibility of installing a camera system in order to address safety issues during the WSA meeting on October 21st. Meyer was not immediately available for comment.
A camera will be placed in the Science Center Lobby because it is the only building on campus open 24 hours. Cameras will also be placed near High Rise, Low Rise and on Vine Street due to recent crimes that have taken place in that area.
“There’s been thefts [on Vine Street] in the past and damage to cars,” Coddington said. “It’s a dark creaky lot.”
Signs will also be erected, announcing that the areas in question are under surveillance. This is also expect to deter crime. An October 5th shooting that took place in Traverse Square, outside unit 23, was one such notable incident this past semester.
A camera will also be placed outside the Public Safety building.
“Usually late at night there’s only one Public Safety dispatch officer there,” Coddington said. “There’s such a lack of lighting, sometimes there’s been people passed out on the steps and the dispatch officer just doesn’t know about it.”
According to the 2006 Campus Crime Report, in 2006 there were a total of 50 on campus burglaries, 40 in dorms or other residences, and 4 on public property. There were a total of 205 larcenies, 81 taking place in dorms, and zero acts on public property. The full report is accessible at www.wesleyan.edu/publicsaftey/clerystats.html,
It is extremely unlikely that the Middletown Police Department (MDP) will be able to access live tape footage.
“I don’t think so,” Coddington said. “They’re not going to have live access to it. It would have to be requested by a court.”
WSA members remained aware of student concerns over privacy issues.
“I would strongly oppose it,” said Pernick, on whether live feeds of camera footage would be made accessible to the MDP.
Students can currently voice their thoughts regarding the placement of surveillance cameras through the WSA’s Winter 2007 all-campus survey, currently open for voting at http://wsavoting.wesleyan.edu/ until midnight, Friday, Dec. 7th.
“Ultimately it’s up to PSafe how they do it,” said Izaak Orlansky ’08, WSA Coordinator. “But the WSA will reflect what students think… If we get a strong negative reaction towards the policy, I think the WSA should consider the way we go about constructing a comprehensive policy.”
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