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C. B. School Security Cameras Ready By Brien T. Boyce 8/10/05 |
For the upcoming school year, Principal Trudy Evans added the overseeing of Crescent Elementary to her duty list. With more responsibility, it helps to have systems in place that don't require additional training, Evans said, like the
surveillance cameras at each of the district's 19 schools.
"It's very easy to use when you're familiar with the system," she said of her experience using the
surveillance cameras at Washington Elementary.
The Toshiba Surveillix System used by the Council Bluffs Community School District is a simple
crime-deterrent system that has been recognized as being one of the best in the nation.
The CBCSD was named one of "20 Tech-Savvy School" in the Scholastic Administrator magazine. The district was listed as a finalist in the Best Use Of Hardware At A School Or District Level category.
It's taken the past five years to outfit the last of the schools in the Council Bluffs School District with
the Toshiba Surveillix Camera System, said Assistant Superintendent Jo Campbell, but the district hasn't spent a dollar of its money on it.
Crescent and Gunn Elementary had their
surveillance camera systems installed last week.
"We've got these
security systems up in every building, and they've been completely paid for with grant money," Campbell said.
When Mark Schuldt was named Gunn Elementary's Administrative Intern, he wanted to know the specifics of how the
security cameras worked, such as how they recorded information and how data could be backed up on a CD.
"This beats the days of having to go through hours of film. It's similar to a TiVo (television) system."
Campbell agrees. "We originally started with recording to video tapes, which lent itself to difficulty in searching for what you were looking for. On a digital format, you just punch in the time of when you're looking for something, and it takes you right there."
Gunn has three
surveillance cameras and, like the other cameras in the district, each is protected by a metal cage. The district installed the cages around the cameras after several were stolen, said Diane Ostrowski, the district's supervisor of community relations.
The
surveillance cameras have helped officials learn more about human nature, and offer additional protection. Campbell said it was essential for every school to have
security cameras.
"There are people who want to do harm in every building," she said, "and I think over the past five years, these cameras have paid for themselves."
Source: zwire.com |
