Jackie Roberson, Staff Writer –

Security cameras have been in place on the Lynchburg College campus for approximately 10 years in an attempt to deter and better investigate crime and to monitor campus.

There are 130 cameras total at locations on campus, at the Doctor of Physical Therapy building and at Claytor Nature Study Center. Security started placing cameras on campus about 10 years ago, and they have continuously been adding to the number as funding has been made available, said Assistant Director of Campus Safety and Security Chris Furlough.

The cameras are used as both proactive and reactive measures, Furlough said. Security said they hope that if any person is planning to commit a crime on campus, the knowledge of the existence of cameras will stop them before the crime is committed. They are also used afterwards during investigations.
So far this year, they have used the cameras to solve larcenies and a hit and run, and so security feels that the cameras have fulfilled their purpose, Furlough said.

In order to protect as many students as possible, most cameras are not visible and their locations are not disclosed to students, Furlough said.

However, some students said they wished the cameras were more visible to give themselves peace of mind.
“I wish they were more visible because it would let me know that if I were attacked that it was being taped,” said first-year Margaret Ward.

“I like that the cameras are on campus for security purposes but I’m not sure what all they are watching,” said senior Caitlin Blair.

Sophomore Ashley Vogan said she feels that the cameras can also lead to trouble. Vogan said she and others on the field hockey team were wrongly accused of stealing dice from Casino night after the theft was seen on one of the cameras. However, the dice were later returned and it turned out that the team was not the guilty party, Vogan said.

Despite this experience, Vogan said that she feels that overall the cameras are helpful for student protection.

Along with the cameras, security uses a number of other tactics to protect students and other members of the LC campus. Among these are community patrols, a close relationship with the Lynchburg Police Department, security alerts via email and text messages and an anonymous tip line, Furlough said.
“We’re doing everything we can to protect students. I believe students are safer on campus than they are in the Lynchburg community,” Furlough said.

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