Page 8 - TIPJar Winter 2018

personnel departments and the Blount recommended that school cameras may raise could save IT
district’s administration. They districts that choose to employ departments a lot of work.
worked together to determine video cameras on campus ensure
which policies would govern that everyone who comes on “A wise IT director will ask a lot
various uses such as proactive campus knows they are being of questions about the process
monitoring during the school day recorded. before putting cameras in or
and the review of video depicting they will be caught in the middle
vandalism and break-ins. “You have to be ready to have of warfare between different
those conversations,” he said. groups,” he said.
“Each group helped bring their
‘lens’ to the problem so that the Blount indicated that a school Lozano Smith’s Technology &
solution was more comprehensive district’s IT department should Innovation Practice Group can
than would have occurred if be able to focus on technical answer your school district’s
one department had embarked questions like how long the questions about the potential
on its own version of solving cameras should record and at legal issues cameras pose and can
the security problem,” Blount what resolution, and how much also help your policy makers craft
said. “The team approach is the server space should be set aside clear policies for their use. 
healthiest approach when building to store the footage they produce.
something this complex.” Ideally, the answers to those Harold M. Freiman is a Partner in
questions would be guided by Lozano Smith’s Walnut Creek office.
Ultimately, Blount opted to place district policy. hfreiman@lozanosmith.com
cameras outside only and to
avoid recording audio, though he An IT department can facilitate
said the district might consider this policy discussion, Blount
expanding its use of cameras in said—avoiding arguments and
the future. So far, he said, the allowing the department to
cameras have been effective. maintain its proper niche as
caregivers of the equipment and
When students see that they are the data it produces. He said that
being monitored, he said, “That is getting people together to talk
a surprisingly good deterrent.” about the issues that on-campus

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