The Oxnard College Campus Police are in the first phase of installing their new camera system, offering a bird’s-eye view of the campus.
As of Feb. 22, there are 10 cameras working, according to Chief of Police Richard DeLaO. At the end of installation, Oxnard College will have 99 cameras set up around campus.
“Is this Big Brother coming in and monitoring what is going on? It’s not like that,” said DeLaO. “Unfortunately, we’re beginning to see crimes across the nation on campuses.”
According to Lt. Greg Beckley of the Oxnard College Campus Police, these are the first external cameras at Oxnard College and provide 800 percent more coverage without increasing the number of police.
“We can see the trouble before it gets here and identify it after it leaves,” said Beckley.
The cameras are Point Tilt Zoom cameras that record events in real time while letting campus police rewind the tapes to pinpoint specific events. They also allow campus police to identify people and license plate numbers and take still photos for evidence.
“It’s very high-tech,” said Beckley. “I’m very impressed.”
There is talk from students, however, that the cameras are too “1984.”
“I think it’s safe in some way, but it’s kind of creepy,” said Jacqueline Vasquez, a 19-year-old child development major. “I don’t want people looking at me.”
Others, like Angel Garcia, 24, are supportive of the change.
“These days cameras are pretty much everywhere,” said the psychology major. “It’s the norm, but I guess it’s safe.”
The approval for the cameras came in a bulk security proposal from the VCCCD Board of Trustees in January 2008, right after the Virginia Tech incident.
“The function has come to one thing and one thing only: to provide the police department an extra set of eyes,” said DeLaO.
$1.8 million was approved for the security project that includes district-wide emergency preparedness, a notification system and extra training for each campus police force, among other projects.
$70,000 was approved for security cameras at the three campuses. Along with Oxnard College’s 99 cameras, Moorpark will acquire 114 cameras and Ventura will have 129.
Originally scheduled to be installed last December, DeLaO hopes to have all the cameras installed by mid-year.
“I think you can’t go anywhere anymore without being photographed,” said DeLaO. “It’s for your own protection.”