A Service of The Arrow             Friday September 29, 2000

   Are the new surveilance cameras measures of security or an invasion of privacy? The current debate among FHS students over the new cameras in the hallways will become more significant, as cameras are scheduled to be installed in the parking lots, as well.

   Over the summer, a series of security cameras was installed around the school. Mounted in tinted black bubbles on top of the hallway walls, these cameras were installed to supersede the old, out-of-date system.

   A number of students, such as senior Paul Johns, dislike them and feel as if he is being watched by some Big-Brother-esque camera crew.

   "They claim it’s for our protection, but (stuff) doesn’t really happen here because people have enough respect not to shoot each other," said Johns.

   Other more conspiracy-minded students don’t even believe that there really are cameras at all, assuming that the school put fake bubbles with no wiring or cameras up just to scare students into being good.

   "What are they going to do?" asks Sophomore Jewel Gamma. "They’re probably just empty plastic bubbles. I mean, just look at them."

   But maybe there’s more to the new surveillance system than most students realize.

   "The purpose of the cameras is not to monitor the students," said Assistant Principal Peter Fusaro. "That’s our job as administrators."

   Fusaro says that the cameras are placed in strategic areas, monitoring exits and stairways to prevent theft and vandalism. The purchase of the cameras was prompted mainly by computer thefts. Last year five computers disappeared, along with a handfull of minor incidents involving theft from lockers.

   It’s not as if the cameras feed to a TV and the administrators get a bag of microwave popcorn and sit down to watch students. The information is recorded and stored in a room adjacent to the office.

   "I’m too busy to watch the tapes," says Langohr. "There’s simply no need unless we have a problem." Langohr explains that if there are no problems, the tapes are rewound and taped.

   Langohr said there is a five-year budget plan for safety and a prioritized list of security needs for the school.

   The first item on that list was a keycard entry system for every door in the building. This proved to be too expensive at the time, because there are too many doors in the building to have been switched over to the new form of locks on the doors, so that plan was immediately struck down.

   The next item on that list was the security cameras, so they were installed. Each camera costs $156, along with an $84 lens and a $95 dome. There are six cameras and a $600 recorder unit. That makes their total cost around $2,600 plus labor.

   The next step in the school security program is complete lighting around the school, and that is on the way.

   Sophomore Paul St. Pierre expressed disappointment over the money spent on the cameras. He also said he could think of better uses of the money.

   "If I had 2,600 spare dollars I would definitely not buy a security system," says St. Pierre. "Oh no, I’d buy a giant foam cowboy hat filled with 400,000 green jellybeans. And four miles of dental floss. And a moped, with a pink helmet and some of those twirly little shoelaces, and a little horse just about this big. And a collector’s edition KISS lava lamp with Gene Simmons on the front. That would be a much better way to spend 2600 bucks."

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