Public Safety deploys new blue-light phones

The first new blue-light phone was installed on campus this week -- five months after Division of Public Safety officials had first announced plans to install additional phones to increase campus security. Approximately 61 phones with upgraded technology are scheduled to be added to the 260 existing blue-light phones on and around campus. The first of the new phones -- installed Wednesday morning -- is an example of the upgraded model, which run on solar power and use cellular technology to test themselves for defects. Security Director Chris Algard explained that Public Safety officials hope to "to get everyone's opinion on [the new model]," which was installed at the corner of 40th and Locust streets. Algard said that he hoped remaining installations would be completed quickly, adding that the phones being placed near the athletic fields would be installed within the next few weeks. But he explained that the blue light phone installation at off-campus locations has proceeded slowly, and the new phones will "go in one at a time west of 40th [Street]." All 61 of the upgraded phones were originally slated to be installed by the end of December. In an interview last month, Public Safety Managing Director Thomas Seamon said he was "impatient" with the slowness with which the phones have been installed off campus. "The permitting process from the city was not as quick as we hoped," he said then. "And we need to work through some community opposition." Several neighborhood residents are concerned that the appearance of the new models will make the neighborhood look and feel unsafe. Algard -- along with Community Relations Director Glenn Bryan -- met with community residents Wednesday night to demonstrate the new phones and answer questions. In addition to the cellular features, future blue-light phones might feature additional technology such as a model equipped with a high-speed camera demonstrated at this week's Public Safety Exposition. A pamphlet written by Algard and Sensormatic Account Manager Dick Saunders said the "University is looking into the use of very high speed rotating cameras" for increased campus security. The pamphlet goes on to say that one application of the cameras would work in conjunction with the blue-light phones -- a camera would be placed at a location where it could view two or three blue-light phones. Officials would then be able to immediately see the area around the phones after each unit was picked up, and would know what kind of response would be best suited for each call. But Algard stressed that installing such cameras is "just a possibility" at this time. Public Safety Security Project Coordinator Domenic Ceccanecchio explained that he hopes to eventually integrate the cameras with the blue-light phone system, but added that "there's a process we want to go through in terms of the campus community looking at it, and hopefully accepting it."