Police in Pennsylvania will soon be watching live feeds from wireless school security cameras.
The Franklin Regional school District has 128 cameras in five schools. Murrysville Police will be able to watch those cameras online, plus access floor plans in an emergency. The fire department and Emergency Management Office will also have access through a secure server. The system, funded by a $100,000 grant, is expected to go live next January.
Parents are concerned the live camera feeds might be used by police to watch their children without cause, or do surveillance. The story in Government Technology Magazine does not fully address legal and privacy issues, or what steps will be taken to prevent hackers from tapping into the system. But the school district is expected to create policies on who will have access to the server and when. All access will be tracked and monitored. And school officials say the system will not be linked to student records or personnel information.