Schools beef up security

One county commissioner wants to put surveillance cameras behind Wallace A. Smith Elementary School in hopes of catching vandals and thieves.

School officials say they're working to beef up security systemwide.

The school system already was reviewing its security measures after a rise in break-ins over the last two to three years, according to Gary Waters, superintendent of auxiliary services for Hamilton County Schools.

On two separate weekends in October, vandals "spray-painted some very inappropriate language on playground equipment and an outdoor pavilion" and damaged a greenhouse at Wallace A. Smith, Waters said.

On Nov. 16, someone broke down a door to a portable storage building at Hunter Middle School and threw a rock through a window.

Waters said there have been other isolated acts of vandalism and theft throughout the year.

Waters estimated that acts of vandalism and theft cost the schools $20,000 to $25,000 per year.

The two acts of vandalism at Hunter Middle School and Wallace A. Smith caused less than $1,000 worth of damage, Waters said.

He said schools have equipment that criminals can convert to cash.

"I think it's basically economic," Waters said. "It's hard times. People are getting desperate for money, and schools are one of the things they've targeted."

County Commissioner Chester Bankston said the schools should put up cameras "anywhere they're needed." He said he's willing to put some of his taxpayer-funded discretionary money toward getting cameras installed at Wallace A. Smith. Bankston said he has less than $10,000 left in discretionary money left and doesn't have an idea of how much a camera would cost.

"We've got to do something to keep these kids out from back there, where they can just do anything they want to," he said.

Danielle Clark, director of communications for Hamilton County Schools, said the system "is in the process of reviewing school-based security measures, including cameras, at our schools."

She said she did not know how much the upgrades would cost, saying the study hopefully will be completed by January.

Only 13 of the county's 75 schools have security cameras, but for safety reasons, Waters asked that those not be named. He said school officials have had better luck with burglar alarms because the cameras are of little use at night because low light decreases the detail they can provide.

The alarms provide a better response from police than the cameras, he said.

Sixty-six schools have alarms, he said, and the school system is in the process of adding alarms to the ones that don't.

"We have made a concerted effort over the last few months to get everything upgraded," Waters said.

Rick Smith, Hamilton County Schools deputy superintendent, said the quality of the cameras at the schools varies.

"We've got places in our buildings that need additional security," he said.

Contact staff writer Dan Whisenhunt at dwhisenhunt @timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6481. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DWhisenhunt.

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