AMHERST - While University of Massachusetts police can't say how many crimes the security cameras have prevented on campus they are a tool that is well worth the approximate $1 million spent on them.
"They have been an extremely useful tool in terms of identifying a suspect after a crime has occurred," said Deputy Chief of Administration Patrick T. Archbald.
Police Chief Barbara R. O'Connor cited a case in which there was a drug-related armed robbery in a residence hall. They sent the images out to the campus community taken from the cameras and within 24 hours they had the suspects identified and in another 24 they were arrested, she said.
She said 100 percent of the time the university has posted suspects' images, they have identified them - irrefutable proof of how well they work. "The reality of today's society, it's an accepted part of the culture," O'Connor said.
University officials are just finishing up the installation of 60 additional security cameras bringing the total to more than 500 placed in residence halls, dining commons and other buildings as part of a campus safety program initiated in 2000. Overall, the estimated cost of the project for UMass Amherst Housing Services is about $1.1 million.
"We think it's been an outstanding investment. That's why we're encouraging their use in residence halls and expansion in academic buildings," Archbald said.
Cameras are not in rooms, he pointed out. And he said with so many, police aren't riveted to watching monitors constantly so people don't have to worry about privacy infringement.
But he said it's important that the cameras are being placed in academic buildings. O'Connor said cameras are in the entrances and exits of residences and other buildings but not on the dorm floors.
Archbald praised the UMass community at large for addressing the issue. The university is "thinking about security needs before the buildings are designed. We're part of the process."
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