Smile, you're on Campus Camera.
Not many visitors to the University of Utah realize that. And most students probably have forgotten that police monitor the campus 24 hours a day through 30 cameras.The full-color units are tucked high and low in hallways, entrances, computer labs, on top of buildings, and even in the foyers of some administrative offices.
Officials say the lenses are a vital part of security. Many staff members and students seem to agree.
"I didn't know they watched outside and I think most students don't know that. But it actually makes me feel good," said Wendy Langeberg, a junior majoring in behavioral science.
Outdoor cameras currently can't pierce the campus interior. But a proposal yet to be funded would allow dispatchers to track an individual from building to building with pinpoint accuracy.
Meantime, Langeberg and others find comfort in the fact they're not necessarily alone on campus, day or night.
A police dispatcher keeps an eye on more than 16 locations at one time, switching from camera to camera if needed. If he or she sees something suspicious, a patrol officer can be on the scene in seconds.
The system has foiled crime in progress more than once.
"We've caught people red-handed, especially when it comes to car burglaries and vandalism," said Police Chief Wayne Shepherd.
Outdoor units currently look in on the block "U" - a frequent bull's eye of vandals - and watch University Hospital's emergency room, the Animal Resource Center and parking terraces at the College of Nursing.
Police installed the first lens on campus on top of the hospital 20 years ago. It immediately paid off, catching the culprit in a rash of car burglaries at nearby parking lots. Since, the units have proven themselves capable crimebusters.
"We've used them in court before. When someone sees their face on the tape, they generally don't fight the charges," Shepherd said.
Indoor cameras cover hallways, entrances and some labs and rooms containing expensive equipment. There are no lenses in classrooms or anywhere a reasonable expectation of privacy exists, Shepherd said.
"We don't have them in bathrooms or anyplace like that. This isn't `Big Brother.' We've been very careful to avoid that," he said.
Even the state's most strident protector of civil liberties doesn't balk at the idea of spying eyes on campus.
"It's too bad our society has gotten to that point. But the fact is, the cameras don't violate someone's civil liberties as long as they monitor public places," said attorney Brian Barnard. "Think of it like this . . . you or I or even a uniformed police officer can stand under the camera and see what it sees."
Staff members at the U.'s Merrill Engineering building didn't feel invaded when workers installed units there three weeks ago. The building has been a recent target of an arsonist.
"I'd like to see (the cameras) stay here permanently," said Anne Gros-senbach, an assistant to the dean. "People who don't like them are probably doing things they shouldn't."
Officials installed the Merrill units hoping to capture the person who has set 19 fires in the building and two nearby structures during the past two months.
Shepherd said such placements are perfect examples of why he would recommend the use of cameras to other schools.
"They work 24 hours a day, don't call in sick, and we don't have to pay them overtime. They've become an integral part of our overall security plan," he said.
But he and other officials agree the U.'s system needs upgrading, especially before the athletes village for the 2002 Winter Olympics comes to campus. Legislators have not yet funded a proposal to replace the network's current broadband cameras with digital units hooked to the campus fiber-optic network.
Such a system coupled with cameras on top of the Behavioral Science tower would allow the building-to-building tracking and provide monitoring of the school's interior campus.
Leonard C. Romey, the assistant vice president over administrative services, is hopeful the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee will help cover the cost of such an upgrade.