Students and faculty may see more crime alerts attached with surveillance footage as University police recently installed 200 security cameras on campus.

Barbara O’Connor, chief of the University Police Department, said the security cameras were installed over the summer, with cameras located throughout several buildings and the exterior of campus.

“It’s an ongoing installation to address security needs for buildings administered by department requests,” she said.

Tim Hetrick, detective for the University police who is responsible for the security camera project, said the cameras are placed in locations with heavy-foot traffic to increase the safety of students and faculty on campus.

In a recent crime alert sent via e-mail to students and faculty, a link to footage from a surveillance camera was attached. O’Connor said this was the first attempt to make footage available to the public, but because the cameras are trying to capture a large location, the suspects in the video are hard to identify.

However, the cameras have been successful in regards to other cases, she added.

The University police are collaborating with the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, or CUMTD, to increase the number of cameras. The partnership will allow both organizations to have access to the other’s camera footage. Both organizations use the same software and camera system.

“We realized both of us were heading down the same path, and it made a lot of sense to pool our resources,” said Karl Gnadt, director of market development of CUMTD.

In response to a crime, police will look at the nearest camera and determined if the footage is worth releasing.

“If it is useful to the investigation, or if the public is able to identify someone, we’re going to release it,” O’Connor said.

In regards to the use of security camera footage, there is a campus policy that says the footage is only to be used for security reasons, investigating crimes and increasing safety, Hetrick said. It is strictly prohibited to use the footage for any type of human resource activity, he added.

“It’s probably going to take five years, but I think we’ll be close to 5,000 cameras when it’s all said and done,” Hetrick said.

While there have not been any installations of cameras at remote bus stops, or cameras that are part of the common system yet, Gnadt said CUMTD has just completed specifications so a contractor can be hired to install the cameras.

There were many successes with the already installed cameras, but not on the system, which “captured people doing things they’re not supposed to be doing,” Gnadt added.

O’Connor said she acknowledges there has been an increase in the number of crimes in terms of robberies and aggravated batteries in the last year. She said she believes this could be a result of the economy and levels of unemployment.

“Between Champaign police, Urbana police and my (University) police, we’ve really increased the number of officers present in the campus district,” O’Connor said. “And we’re going to continue doing that.”

Champaign police have made multiple apprehensions recently that will lead to those cases being prosecuted, she added.

On the other hand, there has not been an increase in crime at bus stops. CUMTD works closely with Homeland Security, who calls transportation a “natural vulnerability,” Gnadt said.

“They have their office working with our organization to increase security, not because there have been more incidents, but because there’s an awareness of that vulnerability. And we’re trying to close some of those vulnerabilities,” Gnadt said.

There have been several ongoing efforts through CUMTD to increase safety. CUMTD offers SafeRides and works together with SafeWalks.

“We are constantly going through training and retraining with our operators, because they’re our eyes and ears on the street,” Gnadt said. “They know what they need to be keeping an eye out for.”

The security cameras were funded by Chancellor Robert Easter’s office.

“The Chancellor has been very committed to trying to give us the resources and tools we need to create ways for us to investigate crimes and hopefully achieve a reduction in crime,” O’Connor said.