The Grande Yellowhead Regional Division is going high-tech in an effort to reduce vandalism and prevent theft at schools across the area, but officials won’t say if its two facilities in Jasper will be part of the plan in the future.

The GYRD has installed top-of-the-line security cameras at a number of different schools and has been impressed with the results so far, particularly in terms of acts of vandalism.

“There are a number of benefits — but vandalism is certainly one of them. Being able to see who was responsible has allowed us to pursue cost recovery,” said GYRD spokesperson Nicole Merrifield, adding that the cameras can deter would-be vandals as well. “You are getting a cost recovery but you’re also teaching that the school division is not willing to put up with that kind of activity.”

The installation of security cameras had been discussed for several years, but a decision was only made last year to go ahead.

“With some of the modernization projects in some of the schools across the division, we are wiring the schools so it makes sense,” Merrifield said. “If you’re taking off the roof to run all that wiring for the heating and electrical systems, it is a lot easier to run that extra line for a camera system.”

Merrifield would not confirm that the proposed modernization of Jasper Junior/Senior High School would include the installation of a security camera system. It is division policy not to reveal which facilities are equipped with cameras, she said.

The GYRD’s facilities and maintenance department would like to see cameras installed at every school in the division, but Merrifield said that for now the systems will only go into those schools which can fit the cost into the annual budget.

Incidents of vandalism and theft in and around GYRD schools are not necessarily on the rise, but the related costs are.  

“The costs of operations and maintainance is going up. Particularly in some of the more major incidents, you need to bring in a qualified tradesperson,” said Merrifield, citing recent damage to a school’s sun roof as an example of vandalism that requires repair personnel with specific skills.

From September 2005 to January of this year, the division-wide cost for vandalism repair came to a grand total of $4,700. This amount included replacement glass for broken windows and sandblasting to erase graffiti, but does not include the time of divisional employees or private contractors involved.

The approximate cost for a new, six-camera security system is $12,000. The cameras are motion-detecting cameras and are equipped with  day and night technology, meaning that they will automatically turn into night vision cameras in dark conditions. It is up to the school administration where to locate the cameras outside and inside the school, and the monitoring system allows school staff to view footage while also linking up to the GYRD offices in Hinton.

The initial cost might seem high, but the GYRD is convinced that the technology is well worth the price.

“Yes it does cost money, but in the long run or even in the short term we start to save money and we come out ahead,” said Merrifield.

The police are also pleased with the new weapons in their fight against petty crime. The cameras have provided key evidence that lead to arrests and charges against thieves and vandals.

“At one of our schools alone, we have had four or five convictions for break and enter from the community based on security camera systems,” said Merrifield. “It’s good for the community and the police, and it’s also good from a school division perspective; we’re sending a message that our schools aren’t open for people to come in and help themselves.”

The cameras have also been used to deal with school-related issues concerning students during regular class hours, but the surveillance systems are utilized with respect for the privacy of students when that could be a concern, Merrifield said.

She said that school administrators have used and will continue to use the technology as a means of determining the truth if a dispute arises between two students, or a teacher and a student. 

“It’s certainly not a situation where we are using surveillance to supervise students,” she said. “We have not had complaints of that nature.”

If and when a school intends to install the camera systems, that information is not widely disseminated but is shared with select groups of people,

“People are informed in a way that allows them to give feedback,” said Merrifield.  “It would be discussed in parent council [and] student council. Major decisions are not made without consultations like that.”

The proactive approach to school security has a lot to do with the GYRD Superintendent Dean Lundquist’s position on preventing vandalism and theft, Merrifield said.

“He believes every dollar from vandalism from our schools could be put into learning,” she said. “He is taking a fairly hard line on it.”