Undergraduate Student Government Town Sen. John Krohn is compiling a proposal of his own to present to the State College Borough Council in response to the council's recent proposal to have video cameras installed downtown.
When the council discussed the issue of the installation of surveillance cameras, USG had just finished elections and was in a "transitional phase," Krohn said. However, the issue received so much negative attention that someone had to take a stand for the students, he said.
"I felt that [the cameras were] a very important issue that needed to be addressed -- student voices needed to be heard on this," Krohn added.
Council member Elizabeth Goreham spoke with Krohn about the proposal and made suggestions for alternatives to the cameras for the proposal.
"I definitely support working out some alternative security plan with the student body and with the police -- we're all on the same side," Goreham said.
There is no conclusive evidence that surveillance cameras deter crime, and Krohn's proposal does an excellent job of proving this, she added.
The council needs to work on a proposal that will prevent crime from happening and make State College a safe place to walk, and this is a wonderful opportunity to work with students, Goreham said.
In the proposal, Krohn also discusses various U.S. cities that have installed cameras, he said. People in favor of the cameras mostly cite statistics from other countries, but Americans have "a different outlook on social issues," Krohn said. This makes international examples of surveillance cameras irrelevant, he added.
"There is no solid evidence that (surveillance cameras) deter crime," Krohn said.
In addition, the cameras would infringe on constitutional rights, he said. The presence of cameras would violate Fourth Amendment rights prohibiting illegal search and seizure, Krohn added.
The cameras would also violate First Amendment rights of freedom of expression, as the cameras would create a "chilling effect," causing people to act differently, he said.
At a meeting this week, the USG Senate adopted Krohn's proposal, which makes it a USG Senate report for the council. Other student organizations supporting the proposal include Black Caucus and the Interfraternity Council, Krohn said. "We're trying to get as much support as possible, but time is not in our favor."
The main goal of USG at this point is to avoid the installation of the cameras and seek alternative measures, Krohn said. If the cameras are installed, USG would ask council to set up a 10-month review period to determine if the cameras are truly effective, he said. If they are not shown to reduce crime, USG would ask that the cameras be removed, Krohn added.
Krohn also sat down to discuss concerns about the installations of cameras with State College Mayor Bill Welch. Presently, Welch has no concerns about the cameras, but he is interested to see the final proposal from the borough staff.
Welch was not swayed by the opposition from students, though he does believe the students have articulated their beliefs very clearly. "Students have been unusually effective in voicing their opinions -- the decision, however, is ultimately up to council," Welch said.
