Security Cameras to Be Installed in High School

The Scotch Plains Police Department has announced that it has received a grant for $52,030 to install security cameras in and around Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.

The department got word last week that it was awarded the funds, which are administered through the Department of Justice Office of Community-Oriented Police Services "Secure Our Schools" program. This is their second year applying for the federal grant.

This afternoon, Police Chief Brian Mahoney, Mayor Nancy Malool, Superintendent Margaret Hayes, SPFHS Principal David Heisey, Police Sgt. Thomas Conley and Congressman Leonard Lance all convened on the school's front lawn to discuss the new program.

"We need to do everything we can to make sure our children are safe at school," Lance said. "These important funds will give education professionals and law enforcement extra eyes and ears on the ground to ensure our kids are safe."

Conley said the police department will likely purchase about 20 cameras for inside and outside the building. The exact cost has yet to be determined, he said, as the prices have fluctuated since they submitted their grant proposal last May.

Once installed, the cameras will be monitored on an as-needed basis. All involved stressed that the decision to put cameras in the school was not in response to any particular incident, but just a measure they felt would improve school safety overall.

"This isn't reactive, it's proactive," Hayes said, adding that the high school was chosen because it's their largest and most frequently used building.

Conley said the cameras' tapes will be used to review incidents both large and small. He said the police department previously talked to officials in West Orange and were told that crime in their schools dropped to zero once cameras were installed.

Hayes said it's hard to determine just yet when the cameras will go up. First, the district must go out to bid on the project and work with the appropriate companies to get it implemented.

Mahoney noted that he hopes their implementation of this grant money will be successful and thus lead to future awards so that other schools in the district can also receive cameras.

In regards to any concerns of privacy issues, Hayes said they'd work through them if they're raised. Conley noted that signs will be posted alerting people to the cameras' presence.