Page 6 - TIPJar Winter 2018

Cameras,

Questions and

Collaboration

BY
HAROLD M. FREIMAN

hen Greg Blount “It’s not just (about) getting a intended to deter unwanted
embarked on a project camera in place,” said Blount, the activity), public access to video
Wto install cameras in Merced district’s director of IT can depend on how long a district
the Merced City School District’s and support services. ordinarily retains it and whether
schools in an effort to quell a tide students are depicted in it.
of vandalism and break-ins, a host While the goals of installing
of legal questions greeted him. cameras on campus—curbing Allowing police to control,
theft and vandalism, safeguarding view and record data under
Could cameras be used to record students and staff—may be noble, the auspices of a grant raises
threats of violence made in a efforts to deploy the technology another set of policy questions
school office, or would a right have raised legal issues with about how they will use video the
to privacy shield the person respect to student and employee cameras produce, Blount said, so
who made them? Could audio privacy, public access to records it’s important that before such
recordings be made on campus at and the right to be free from a program gets underway, clear
all? How long should the cameras’ unreasonable government expectations are set.
recorded footage be kept, and searches.
who would have the right to view Blount said it’s important for
it? Would the district be required Whether a camera runs afoul of IT departments considering
to bargain with its employees a student or teacher’s privacy cameras to be aware that they
before cameras could even be rights, for example, can depend on pose many legal questions and
installed? Similar questions would where the camera is placed and that there must be solid policies
be raised by most public agencies whether it records audio. While in place before they are in use.
considering the acquisition of Blount recommended installing He said that the district’s process
cameras or other surveillance actual cameras that record video relied on “a lot of collaboration”
devices. (instead of “dummy” cameras between its IT, facilities and

TIPJar - Winter 2018 6