Ever had that feeling that you’re being watched? Having a feeling of something or someone watching at all times is decidedly unpleasant. But, what if it’s a camera?

At the new Tahoma High School, there are security cameras all around the campus. Only staff, admin, and security have access to these cameras. Most cameras are filming all day and all night. But where does all that footage go?

Tahoma High School has cameras everywhere you can imagine. This increases the chances of getting caught breaking school rules. But with all the footage the cameras receive, where does it all go? Since the videos take up so much storage, could they save all the footage to refer back to later on? What’s the policy of what they can or can’t do?

The school placed its cameras all over the school, which are labeled as public places. The only locations that the cameras aren’t are in the bathrooms, locker rooms, classrooms and offices for privacy reasons. Many people wonder how many cameras are in the school. “There are 249 views inside and outside the school meaning that one camera can have 4 different views,” said security officer Karin Weihe. So that’s a lot of cameras to keep track of. When I asked a student that same question, “I bet there are about 300 cameras in the school,” said senior Destiny Hyatt. Most students only focus on the somewhat alarming amount of cameras in the whole school and forget about the benefits the cameras really provide for us such as safety, prevention of crime, theft, bullying, rule breaking, etc.

What’s the limit on how far back it keeps the videos? “We’re still trying to find out how far back it goes, but so far it can go back two weeks,” said Ms. Weihe. Since this is only the first year with a brand new school and camera system,  this whole process is a learning experience. As time passes with a better understanding of everything, then adjustments can be made to fit accordingly. The cameras are always running, all day, all night, every day, no matter what day since the school has remote access. Another feature is the capability of viewing the cameras from other schools in the area to provide an additional set of eyes when needed. 

If under any circumstance a rule or violation has occurred on campus and is caught on camera, the school can save that footage and go back to it for evidence that will be saved until further notice. The footage isn’t just accessible by security personnel. “For example, if there was a car accident in the student parking lot, we can send the insurance company the accident on camera so they can make the decision,” said Weihe. Either way, it depends on the severity of the situation for determining who has access to the footage. Another situation could be if a suspected student needed to be identified, the video clip or photo can be sent to all staff to be identified. Since teachers can easily pinpoint students they’ve had or recognize, a security camera is a fast and efficient way to help identify and deal with behavior issues appropriately.

Because of all the different cameras and footage around the school, there’s always a possibility of running into privacy issues. “We know what we can and can’t do and it’s a great way to track people down, but it’s not always reliable,” said Weihe. The video surveillance can only record up so much. But then again, it’s enough to make a prediction and conduct interviews with the supposed suspects for the full story. Although some wonder about their own rights to privacy, they can’t say much since the cameras don’t pick up audio when recording in public areas, which doesn’t go against their rights. The main reason for the cameras is to keep the school a safe learning environment without creating a sense of paranoia. The cameras help to distinguish who enters and leaves the building, and identify if they’re a student, teacher, staff or visitor and so on to make sure no potential threats find their way into the building to create a disruption to the learning environment or the safety of students and staff.

 “I don’t care about cameras because I’m not going to get caught doing anything bad since I don’t break the rules.” said senior Sydney Yamamoto. Another student also stated, “I don’t have an issue unless it’s in the bathroom. All the cameras give a feeling of safety,“ said freshman Isaac Buonadonna.

Students at the high school have varying opinions and multiple rumors have spread about the cameras, affecting how students feel and whether they like the idea or not. “It’s a bit too much, there should be cameras only in big areas like the cafeteria,“ said freshman Reece Bakeman.

With all the video surveillance the camera receives, the people in charge of it rarely ever look at all of it. Maybe glances at it every so often, but there isn’t a body always watching the footage. Also, some of the footage is displayed within public areas to reassure that you’re being recorded. Try looking through the entrance of the office coming from the staff parking and you’ll for sure see the display of cameras recording. The only time they really are concerned is when something happens in a certain location at a specific time, that’s when the security cameras are able to give them an idea of who was involved and what was going on. The cameras are pretty spot on to pinpoint the targeted individuals which they suspect of wrongdoing.

Although there’s some controversy dealing with the Tahoma High Schools excess use of cameras all over the school, some students and staff feel that Tahoma has too many cameras. However, it looks like the cameras are a permanent fixture at Tahoma.

The school district decided on this agreement to have the number of cameras we have now for a reason. The plentiful cameras around the school provide a feeling of a safe and protective environment. The only thing you can really worry about is your own actions that are caught on camera. As for others, it can be hard to predict what they will do and how it may affect you, but with this technology, it’s more than likely the truth will come out.

Even though the school cannot possibly be 100% safe, no place can be, the cameras and other technology in the building can at least identify and possibly prevent those situations from happening before it’s too late. Although more cameras don’t necessarily mean more protection, and you’re giving up some privacy by being recorded, the risk factors of something bad happening significantly decrease since more people are aware of their actions while on camera. All camera footage is managed responsibly for purely identification purposes.

Do More Security Cameras = More Safety?

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