The University’s aging “blue light” emergency phones could get an upgrade to include cameras as early as next year.
According to Scott McInturs , department head of the University’s Environmental Health and Public Safety Administration ( EHPSA ), the department installed three cameras in blue light phones on Centennial Campus to research the feasibility of bringing emergency services and surveillance on campus up to date. Although the cameras are not yet active, McInturs said the goal is to start operation and data collecting by the end of the fall.
The University has more than 400 blue-light emergency telephone boxes spread throughout campus. According to campus tour guides, two sets of blue strobe lightsfrom the emergency call boxes should be visible from any point on campus.
The emergency poles are currently activated when the red button on the pole is pressed. The telephone box connects directly to the University Police Emergency Communications Center, which can trace the call.
The current system is old, however, according to Jon Barnwell , deputy chief of the University Police Department.
“Current blue light phones are from pre-cellular times and were intended as a means of communicating through campus,” he said.
The EHPSA is experimenting with a few potential changes to the blue light phones in order to make them more cost-efficient and effective in light of recent and expected budget cuts. All of the blue light polls are still completely funded by the University, McInturs said.
The phones are seldom used now, Barnwell said.
“Even the ones that are recorded are usually for non-emergency purposes such as a car that needs to be towed, etc,” he said.
The EHPSA is thus attempting to bring the blue light poles into the modern era by adding cameras to them that would be able to zoom in on any emergency event that occurred, Barnwell said.
One possibility that is being explored is having multiple cameras on a single pole: one might be used for parking lot surveillance, while the other would be activated when an emergency button was pushed. Various options have only been explored since the end of spring 2011.
Over this the summer, different cameras have been added to three blue light poles on Centennial Campus, but they are still marked as “under repair” and are not fully activated. McInturs said. Nothing iscertain yet regarding the future of the blue light poles, he said.
“We are attempting to improve the blue light poles’ technology and possibly reduce the number of total blue light poles and try to make the reduced ones more efficient,” he said.
McInters said the EHPSA is hoping begin the evaluation period for the camera additions by late fall 2011 and use the data in the spring of 2012 to make more informed decisions regarding the matter.
“Rest assured that we are not getting rid of the existing blue lights, without being confident that we will be able to replace them with a safer, better system,” McInters said.
Neerali Patel, a Sophomore in Human Biology and CALS Ambassador, said she would feel better knowing the cameras were there.
”I would be less afraid to walk around campus by myself at night. The current blue light poles are definitely reassuring, but the cameras would certainly be a great addition” she said.