ASU will be reviewing and rewriting parts of its security camera policy regarding hundreds of surveillance cameras around campus starting this summer, the head of ASU's Department of Public Safety said Thursday.
"Obviously we want the policy to be in line with the actual practice," said ASU police Cmdr. John Sutton. "Otherwise, it's not a viable policy if you don't have to follow it."
An article in Wednesday's The State Press reported that surveillance cameras on ASU's campus don't comply with University policy regarding their use, that ASU DPS does not enforce its own rules and that there's no University-wide standardization for cameras.
The article also reported there are no signs on campus notifying the public of their presence, which experts say defeats the deterrent effects of cameras. Civil liberties advocates said this type of pervasive surveillance on public space violates privacy rights and promotes a culture of fear.
Wednesday's article prompted the policy review, Sutton said.
"It's a summer project," he continued. "We got to get a handle on what cameras are out there, who's got them, where they are, what they're being used for, how old they are - those types of things."
Sutton will be seeking input about the policy revisions, but could not specify from whom and how because it's too early in the policy-drafting process, he said.
Kyrsten Sinema, an ASU law student and chair of the Law School's pro bono chapter of the Arizona Civil Liberties Union, said she was pleased with the administration's response because it recognizes that community concerns about surveillance at ASU are legitimate.
But she had concerns about who would be included in the process.
"Sometimes people say, 'input,' and what they really mean is, 'You can send us an e-mail if you want to,' " Sinema said. "So I would just encourage them to ... understand that working meetings with actual input on actual policies drafted would be really helpful, like face-to-face, regular meetings where all the stakeholders are invited."
Sutton, who will be responsible for reviewing the policy, said he wasn't sure how the input process would work yet, including whether he would hold open meetings.
Reach the reporter at ilan.brat@asu.edu.
