The next time you pull up to a gated parking lot at The University of Memphis, remember to smile you’re on camera.
Students and faculty who park in the gated lots on campus will be greeted with a flash from newly equipped wireless digital cameras, which are scheduled to be installed within the next few weeks.
“We want to use wireless digital cameras because of the interfacing with the Internet. It is much more efficient for the police to get information from the cameras,” said Diane Hale, parking manager at The U of M.
Hale said security gates at U of M parking lots are frequently broken when students and visitors manually lift the gates. Installing digital cameras will likely deter such actions.
“If we catch someone, we will send him or her to the dean of Judicial Affairs for tampering with state property or for damaging state property,” Hale said. “The individual can be prosecuted and can be charged with damage to school property. It’s important that students know what their code of conduct is on campus and it’s appropriate for them to be aware of it.”
The Carpenter Complex is the first location to receive the wireless cameras, while other locations such as Richardson Towers are also being considered.
Hale said there are reports of broken security gates on campus on a weekly basis, with the Carpenter Complex being the most frequent.
“Police Services is working with us on the locations we want to target first,” Hale said. “We are looking at Carpenter Complex first because it is in a remote location on campus, the lighting is not as good there and a lot of people are going to and from that location.”
While the gates are most frequently broken outside of dormitories, Hale said in most cases visitors to the dormitories are the reason to blame for the broken gates.
“Most of our reports of problems tend to be people we caught vandalizing our gates but who don’t go to school here,” Hale said.
While no set location has been set for the cameras, Hale said the installation of the cameras would be an inexpensive venture.
Hale and The U of M estimated the installation of the new cameras will cost approximately $1,000.
To fix the broken gates, Hale said it costs The University $45 for each gate.
“Wireless digital cameras right now are very efficient and not as costly as the old back-up tapes that we used to use,” Hale said.
“This, I think, is not as extensive in the amount of work involved. Economically, it is cheaper for us to go with wireless technology.”
