Plans for new dorm security not final

The University's October announcement of a long-term contract with the Sensormatic Electronics Corporation brought with it visions of high-tech security equipment like hand scanners cropping up across campus. But Public Safety officials now maintain that such devices -- while still a possibility for the future -- are not part of any concrete plans. Security Director Chris Algard said the contract is just a buying agreement that gives the University purchasing options for all Sensormatic products. Algard said no one has developed any new security plans for residential locations -- despite expectations raised by the Sensormatic agreement -- and that even when the contract was announced, no plans were finalized. "There aren't any plans right now officialized by the University," Residential Advisory Board Student Chair and College sophomore Peter Wright said. And University officials have not finalized the financial components of the Sensormatic contract either. While the deal was first publicized as a $3 million contract, Algard insisted that this was not a binding commitment by the University to purchase Sensormatic equipment. He added that administrators had not yet spent that amount, and that estimating the equipment's final price would only be a "wild guess." And while officials spoke of installing security cameras across campus, Algard insisted that no such plans have been agreed upon. The only equipment the University has currently purchased from Sensormatic is a network of alarm systems and access control devices for campus buildings. The central controls for the network will be housed in the temporary police mini-station in the Hamilton Village shopping center on 40th Street, and will be moved to the new police headquarters on 40th and Chestnut streets when it is completed later this year. Public Safety officials are working to install "hook-up panels" which contain burglar alarms and will provide access control to buildings across campus. The hook-up panels -- which Public Safety officials hope to install within the next two months -- will allow security officers the potential to monitor everything from the security cameras to the alarm system from a centralized location. Although Sensormatic manufactures equipment such as biometric hand scanners, creating such a system for access to residences are not part of the University's primary security plans, according to Algard. "My most important time frame is getting everything set up in the mini-station," he said. "That is our immediate need." Director of Academic Programs in Residence Chris Dennis, who has been a leader in the new Department of Housing and Residence Life since its establishment, reported that Public Safety officials were in the process of evaluating a variety of security options for all campus buildings, including residences. "Right now they're still in the the studying and devising phase," Dennis said. Algard said there is an option to purchase equipment that reads biometric information such as fingerprints, hand geometry and iris scans, but he described such technology as "a futuristic vision." He added that Public Safety officials plan to work with Sensormatic to demonstrate examples of this technology across campus. And he said he hopes to introduce these examples later this semester, but that he has no definite time frame. After the technology is introduced, officials will evaluate its effectiveness. Review teams from the Residential Faculty Council and the Residential Advisory Board will test the devices and decide on what is feasible to install in University housing. Wright said many factors will determine the length of the testing, but next year is the goal for completion. There will be a similar testing process for evaluating the possibility of installing security cameras on campus, Algard said. "Our vision is to use cameras," he said. "But the first step is to put together a task force to build guidelines, policies and procedures for their use." He emphasized that there is no definite time frame for when students should expect to see the new security measures.