A decision on a plan to install surveillance cameras on Beaver Avenue could come as early as the State College Borough Council's May 5 meeting -- the week of Penn State's final examination period.

Some members, however, favor postponing a vote until students return for the fall semester.

Last April, a divided council authorized State College Police Chief Tom King to investigate the feasibility of installing cameras on the 200 and 300 blocks of East Beaver Avenue following three destructive disturbances between 1998 and 2001.

The discussion subsided in the summer months because council did not want to take action when students were not in town to discuss their opinions. Progress was further hindered in the fall by other projects requiring more immediate attention, King said.

King completed his research a month ago, and he immediately developed a packet to highlight project specifications for vendors interested in bidding on the project by the April 29 deadline. He plans to present council with his findings, including cost and protocol, at its May 2 work sessions.

In King's proposal, two to three cameras would focus on street levels but could potentially capture images of lower-level balconies. Camera signals would be transferred back to the police station in the municipal building on Allen Street using a fiber-optic network.

For the most part, cameras would be in recording mode, but could be subject to live monitoring in special circumstances, King said. Assuming cameras can be installed and maintained for a reasonable price, King said he will ask council to approve the project at its May 5 meeting.

While King said he believes cameras could serve as an additional measure for riot prevention, he said the most significant benefit would be to deter criminal activity on a daily basis.

"This isn't a riot issue," King said. "Students are being urinated on and having beer dropped on them from balconies. If we could cause fewer citizens to be victims of crimes, aren't we better off? We've tried everything else and all other efforts have not decreased crime in that area. If we had three instances of riots and that was it, we wouldn't be recommending cameras."

Council members are at odds about the controversial proposal, specifically when to vote on the cameras and which side they will cast their vote for.

Council member Janet Knauer said she would be willing to either vote at the May meeting or postpone a decision until fall. Meanwhile, council members Cathy Dauler and James Meyer said they would be willing to vote in favor of the plan at the May 5 meeting if they agree with the cost and protocol.

"Students are already living in an environment of cameras on campus," Meyer said.

Penn State has security cameras at several locations, including Old Main and Beaver Stadium, and has used the footage in criminal investigations, said Don Reed, security system specialist for Penn State Police Services.

The university has offered to pay for half the cost of the downtown cameras, up to $10,000, King said.

Council President Richard McCarl and council members Tom Daubert, Elizabeth Goreham and Jean McManis said they will likely favor delaying a decision until fall. Daubert and Goreham are staunchly opposed to cameras, while McCarl and McManis remain undecided.

McManis said she favors withholding action because May 5 is the first day of final examinations.

"I would like to think that there is not one member of council who would want to vote on this issue when the students are not here or The (Daily) Collegian is not publishing," she said.

McCarl said he is reluctant to say what council will do, but at the same time is fairly certain a vote will not take place during the summer months, when the majority of students are out of town.

"We have said we will not do anything that will have an effect on students while they are not here," he said. "I don't see it as an item that will come up for a vote before fall."

King, however, said he sees no benefits in delaying a decision until fall.

"Nothing is going to change by waiting any longer," he said. "My goal is not to have a decision made over the summer while students aren't here. We can still do this while students are in town."

If approved in the fall, the earliest cameras would be operational is January, King said. If approved in May, installation would take place over the summer and cameras could be ready for the fall semester, he said.