Contributing Reporter
The keycard system implemented by the university at the beginning of the year increased security on campus in ways other than just locking residence halls to outsiders.
According to Regina Lawson, the chief of Campus Police, when an identification card is used to open the door of a residence hall, the number of the card is transmitted by computer to the offices of the Campus Police. The location, day, time and name of the card's owner are flashed on a computer screen. The information is then stored in a database.
"When an area is entered, there is a one-line message that comes across the screen (which includes) date, time, name, and location," Lawson said.
According to Lawson, because the rate of entry for all of the buildings around campus hovers around 60 to 70 students per minute during the afternoon, the information is on the screen for a relatively short period of time.
Lawson also said that this information is stored on the security database. It can be accessed by police in the course of an investigation to obtain identities of students who may have been in an area at the time a crime was committed. The information is then used to help police find witnesses and possible suspects by questioning students about any strange people they may have seen in the area.
"It helps identify witnesses, suspects," Lawson said. "Usually suite areas and lounge areas are where you're going to see where this is advantageous."
The retrieved data is not used in minor matters, such as visitation policy, Lawson said. It can be used in on-campus judicial proceedings and investigations if written permission is requested from the judicial board or any deans wishing to use the information. Permission usually must be obtained from an administrator at the vice-presidential level.
"I can only think of one case, and that was last semester. In this particular case, the information was used to support the other evidence which was presented against the student," Lawson said about the use of information obtained by the keycards in judicial cases.
However, there are no written guidelines governing the use of the keycards. The regulations are made on a case by case basis. "I can't say that there is a formal policy for the use of it," Lawson said. "The policy is set forth in the Buckley Amendment." According to Lawson, the Buckley Amendment is legislation that states that students have a right to privacy unless the privileged information could be used to protect students. .
Lawson said that the use of security measures like these could increase in the future, although she sees no need for it to increase. "Potentially, but I really can't see the need for it to be used beyond this," she said of the possiblity of increasing the use of keycards.
Lawson spoke about the possibility of of the information being used too aggressively. "As far as tracking students on campus to get the info we need for our use is very tedious and time consuming," she said.
Obtaining the records about the names of students who entered buildings during a specific time frame takes varying amounts of time, depending on how busy the computer system is at the time.
Lawson said it takes 10-15 minutes to access the information during the slow hours for computer use. Also, using the computer to search the databases slows down the other functions the computer must perform.
The keycard system has limitations. It cannot measure the time that doors remains open, thus making it impossible to keep track of students who are followed indoors by others, a habit known as "tailgating" to University Police. Lawson said that student help is needed to eliminate this behavior, as it could let people without legal access into the residence halls, presenting a potentially dangerous situation.
Lawson noted that the card system has reduced the number of thefts on North Campus. It is also effective in deterring potential criminals from off campus.