Would you help pay to have video cameras in schools?

On Your Side Investigator Anna Song reports today that the Portland Public School District would be open to working with parents on installing surveillance cameras in schools.

Song asked school spokesperson Matt Shelby if there would be any barriers to parents raising the funds to buy and install surveillance systems at their kids’ schools.  He responded, “I think if people are willing to work with us ... we’d be more than welcome to hear them out and really would accept the help.”

Right now, Portland schools with surveillance cameras are few and far between. Shelby says he knows of cameras installed at Mount Tabor Middle School.

Conversely, the Columbian newspaper recently reported that Vancouver has almost 450 surveillance cameras aimed at its 33 schools. Battle Ground also has cameras at all schools, but will use federal stimulus-backed bonds to beef up the system within two years, starting in August.  All Evergreen high schools and most middle schools have cameras. Only Endeavour Elementary and two other grade schools (their cost paid by parent-teacher groups) are now equipped.

Merica Fooks installed surveillance cameras at the private school she used to own in Northwest Portland, the Montessori Learning Center.  The school’s not far from Skyline Elementary, where Kyron Horman was last seen a week ago. She bought a surveillance camera system for under a thousand dollars from Radio Shack. It includes a moniter in the back office that can switch from camera to camera. That was ten years ago. It’s worked without problem ever since.

“I think parents should make a stand and say we’re not going to send our kids (to school) until we have proper security. I just think it’s crucial for the public schools to have them ... this is a time when children just cannot be safe without proper security measures. They’re so innocent you know?” she said.

Shelby says given budget restraints, the Portland Public School District chose to implement new security measures that are more preventative in nature. He points out, surveillance video, especially if it’s recorded, does a good job of putting the pieces together after something happens, but it doesn’t really prevent something from happening. While installing surveillance cameras is a long-term goal, the district recently installed a new voice-over IP phone system that duals as a public address system.

He said, “it gives all the classrooms the ability to call out, which believe it or not is not something they had before, but it also serves as a way to call into all buildings, even specific classrooms, in the event of a lockdown.”

He also said the district’s goal would be to work with parent-groups to install a surveillance camera system that’s universal across the district, instead of having residential-type security cameras varying from school to school.

What do you think about this idea?  Would you chip in to purchase a surveillance camera system at your child’s school?  Does your kid’s school already have one in place and how did that happen? Would it make you feel safer to put a system in, especially one that records video data? Or do you consider it an invasion of privacy?

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