State College Police Chief Tom King said he put together Beaver Canyon crime data for the committee to review, which showed that the majority of criminal activity took place during 15 hours of a 168-hour week: Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
"Much of the crime is just by the nature of the time," he said. "Many people are under the influence of alcohol."
The cameras were installed in September 2003 for $24,409.05 after heated debate within the community.
Borough Council member Janet Knauer said one of the stipulations two years ago for installing the cameras was that they not be monitored.
"Some of us, me included, were opposed to the cameras," she said. "So we wanted to make them as non-intrusive as possible."
Knauer said the council requested the formation of a committee to monitor the camera's effectiveness during the first year.
"I don't think we're getting the best possible use out of them," she said.
The cameras, on the 200 to 300 block of East Beaver Avenue, were proposed in the spring of 2003 and were opposed by many student groups.
Off-Campus Student Union President Kristen Kofmehl, a committee member, said she initially opposed the cameras.
"At first I didn't know how I felt about them," she said. "I think a lot of our attitudes have changed in the past year ... we've taken a more proactive role in our safety."
Kofmehl said the committee has been meeting regularly during the past year to discuss and establish future purposes of the cameras.
Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Vice President Luke Adams said most students were concerned at first because they thought the cameras were a violation of privacy. He added that once the initial uproar quieted, most students were no longer as concerned.
"It's not 'thank you,' " he said, "but it's not 'they're pissing me off,' either."
Knauer said the committee would bring the monitoring proposal before the council so all actions taken would be in the public eye.
"The more people know about them, the less likely they would be to do something illegal," she said.
King said monitoring the cameras would allow police officers to respond to crimes in progress.
"If there's a fight that breaks out, the person monitoring the camera would notify a police officer," he said. "It's immediate notification."
Borough Council President Tom Daubert said he would evaluate the proposal, even though he has long opposed the installation of the cameras.
"I'll always be," he said. "They haven't proven anything and it's an invasion of privacy."
