Principal says they have been helpful
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
The Burlington Area School District Buildings and Grounds Committee unanimously approved a proposal Monday night to add security cameras at Burlington High and Karcher Middle schools.
BHS currently has 38 cameras, while Karcher has been using two wireless cameras available throughout the district. The proposal will add six cameras each at Karcher and BHS.
BASD began implementing the first phase of security cameras in January and February of 2009.
“We’ve been gradually adding cameras and building our DVD platform since then,” said BASD Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Gary Olsen.
In discussing the project in front of the committee Monday night, BHS principal Eric Burling said the security cameras allowed him to address a stolen bike, a stolen iPad and what he termed “contraband” – all within seven minutes.
The cameras also take out an element of human nature.
“All that, ‘he said, she said,’ stuff,” Burling said. “It takes that out of it.”
Olsen said that over the next 4-5 years, the district should have all the components in place for what he termed its “basic system.”
“Then we’ll be in maintenance mode,” he said.
The cameras will be provided through Engineered Security Solutions, Inc. – the group that provided the base platform when the project was started.
The cost for the equipment at Karcher is estimated at $8,830, while the BHS equipment will be $16,764.
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