Amarillo Independent School District (AISD) in Texas is receiving a big upgrade to its outdated video surveillance system.
Work has already begun on a new $5 million system that is entirely digital. It will encompass 2,100 cameras as opposed to the older system that had 900, according to the Amarillo Globe-News.
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The system will “add a presence around campus when somebody can’t be there,” said Jeff Roller, chief technology officer at ASID. “It gives [a limited number of administrators on campus] the ability to be on one location but see throughout the campus.”
Roller said the new system has received positive feedback, “especially with the additional cameras.”
“It’s going to be a better presence at all of our elementary schools as well as outside the facilities as well,” he said.
The video footage, which will be kept for up to 45 days, will be monitored by a police liaison officer and the technology department. The increased camera presence is expected to improve school security.
The new cameras only record when motion is sensed, according to the report, which helps limit the amount of unnecessary recording.
“It isn’t just recording an empty hall anymore,” Roller said. “You aren’t having to peruse through a lot of empty film.”
