Just how far are State College Borough officials willing to go prevent crimes in Beaver Canyon? Not only have they installed cameras in the area, but now the cameras will be recording live from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. And Penn State auxiliary officers will monitor them.

According to State College Police Chief Tom King, the cameras helped in the arrest and subsequent charging of a brawling group of students.

What's next?

Perhaps putting an easily forgotten solitary camera on East Calder Way and McAllister Alley will help make sexual assaults magically disappear along the dark walkway between Beaver and College avenues. But it's not likely that those who are likely to commit crimes will be deterred by a camera alone.

There is no proof that the placement of any camera will necessarily lower the chances for rape or riotous behavior. A potential rapist could easily avoid the limited viewing range of the would-be camera.

A viable solution is placing lights along Calder Way. By doing so, the installation and maintenance cost of the expensive cameras could be avoided. And people may actually feel safer. State College Borough Council has said that it costs about $2,500 per year per camera for maintenance and $3,000 for storage.

Controversy accompanies the cameras as well. The Penn State chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said the cameras could cause students to alter their routines and passively affect people's rights.

Bright streetlights would be a better method to combat the problems of rape and violent crime. The cost of upkeep of the cameras and the inefficient, method of monitoring the digital feed while it is live doesn't appear to be worth it.

Crime can occur and does occur outside this surveillance-sweeping zone of the cameras, regardless of whether they record live or not. And let's face it: Human monitors, who also happen to be students, may not be able to catch every transgression. How likely is it that the borough will be able to motivate the auxiliary officers enough to make them want to sit down and watch hours upon hours of live surveillance footage? Would you want this tedious job if you were a student? It's admirable that the borough is seeking to protect its residents, most of whom are students, but good intentions do not suffice in this case.

Kudos for a successful trial run and for possible future successes. But efficient-minded ideas are better than fine-intentioned ideas. Installing lights could make us all feel safer in the long run and save a pretty penny or two.