Video cameras to aid police

Penn Police hope the cameras will serve to prevent crime and help detectives apprehend offenders. In an effort to increase safety and security on and around Penn's campus, the Division of Public Safety has installed eight closed circuit video cameras on major street corners on the western end of campus that officials hope will both help Penn police prevent crime and aid police detectives in catching criminals after crime occurs. The eight cameras will connect to a closed circuit television system located inside the Penn Police headquarters at 4040 Chestnut Street, where they will be recorded 24 hours per day. In addition, trained security personnel will monitor the cameras and alert officers to crime scenes, although not all cameras will be monitored at all times, Penn Director of Security Services Stratis Skoufalos said. Security officials are currently testing the eight cameras and preparing to train the personnel that will staff the CCTV system. Officials would like to have the entire system up and running by this coming fall. Signs announcing the presence of the video cameras will help to deter potential lawbreakers from committing crime in the area, Skoufalos said. "The goal is to prevent crime, not catch criminals after they perpetrate crime," said Penn Police Chief Maureen Rush. "To that end, perpetrators realize that when they commit crimes in certain areas they will be videotaped." But Rush and Skoufalos said they recognize that the presence of cameras cannot prevent all crime, noting that the cameras will also serve as a valuable tool in helping identify perpetrators after crime occurs. "Even if the street patrol officers do not apprehend the perpetrator immediately, the detectives have an excellent leg up on their investigation if the individual is on film," Rush said. The cameras are located atop poles resembling street lamps or on buildings at 40th and Locust streets, 40th and Walnut, 40th and Spruce, 39th and Walnut, 38th and Walnut, 38th and Spruce, 39th and Spruce, and in a parking lot located at 38th and Walnut streets. The eight installed cameras are only the first phase of a project that, if successful, will include the installation of many more cameras on and around Penn's campus. The cameras, which have a field of view of about one block in all directions, can be moved mechanically from the control system in the Penn Police headquarters to focus in on any criminal activity reported to the police. That way, CCTV personnel can tell police officers what is happening at the scene of a crime before the officers even arrive there, Skoufalos said. "It's like having another cop out there," Skoufalos said."We intend to use the cameras as another set of eyes, as if an officer was monitoring the area," Skoufalos said. "I am very excited about the addition of CCTV to our patrol strategy," Rush said. Skoufalos said he is aware that the cameras may receive some criticism regarding the rights to privacy of those within range of the cameras. "There's always going to be someone objecting because it's something different," Skoufalos said. But Skoufalos said that the CCTV policy prevents the release of any information on the tapes not in use in a criminal investigation, unless approved by Vice President for Public Safety Tom Seamon. Those tapes not used in any investigations will be destroyed 30 days after recorded. "This whole CCTV policy has been developed over years of discussion, debate and agreement by members of this University community," Skoufalos said.

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