Security cameras will soon be installed at three Hollister
School District schools after the Board of Trustees voted
unanimously Tuesday to approve the $40,500 project.
Hollister – Security cameras will soon be installed at three Hollister School District schools after the Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the $40,500 project.
A security system was approved for Rancho San Justo, RO Hardin and Cerra Vista schools. Cameras will be installed in an effort to curb vandalism at the three campuses. The district has actively pursued the cameras throughout the year as graffiti has become a growing problem at Hollister schools.
The board voted unanimously to approve the contract with DecoTech systems at the board meeting. The project costs includes both the technology and the equipment, at a total cost of $40,501.87 to the district.
There will be four cameras installed at Rancho San Justo and six at both Cerra Vista and RO Hardin.
Most trustees spoke highly of the cameras’ installation, citing the necessity of having campuses that were both clean and safe.
“Our goal is to have safe and secure school sites,” Trustee President Alice Flores said.
Trustee Ron Hatchett, who works at Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority, said that the same camera system had been installed in the VTA buses, resulting in an 88 percent decrease in vandalism.
The project did warrant some discussion, however, by Trustee Bea Gonzales-Ramirez. She expressed concern about the use of the cameras.
“You have to make sure that the surveillance isn’t going to be a violation of anyone’s first amendment rights or rights to privacy,” Gonzales-Ramirez said.
These concerns were addressed by Technology Director C.R. Rogers, who assured the trustees that the cameras would be located only in high-vandalism areas and with the express purpose of catching and preventing vandalism to the schools.
The system will allow administrators to view the videos’ live feed, or up to two weeks of archived data, Rogers said. This data will be accessible off site by administrators and the Hollister police department.
Rogers also added that although the three school had been chosen because vandalism had been the worst at those sites, more cameras could be added to more schools in the future.
