Security Tech Will Make District Safer, School Officials Say

Cinnaminson School District officials envision a school security system which would allow police officers—as well as school staff—to patch into live security camera feeds at all of its buildings.

District staff, including business administrator Tom Egan, as well as Cinnaminson Police Director Mickey King, met with a representative from a Pennsylvania-based security company last week to discuss the district's plans to install more security cameras inside and outside its buildings. 

Egan said the company will soon do a walk-through of each of the district's four buildings and provide proposals, breaking down the costs for exterior and interior installation. 

In addition to the cameras, the buildings will also be outfitted with the hardware to get the most use out of them, Egan explained. Staff will be able to monitor the camera feeds from multiple points throughout the district, as well as police officers, who will be able to get into the feeds via the laptops in their cruisers.

The representative would not provide a cost estimate for the project however, until he could perform the walk-through, Egan said.

in the 2013-14 budget for security upgrades.

Egan said the district is exploring the possibility of joining a cooperative to get a good price on the project while avoiding bidding, which would delay the project.

"We will try to have it in the works by the beginning of the school year," he said.

Superintendent Salvatore Illuzzi said there's been no movement toward hiring a school resource officer, a plan pitched to the board by King earlier this year. Illuzzi said the board will likely wait to see the scope and cost of the security cameras before taking any action on a resource officer.

Though the district has already done a lot to ensure the safety of its students, Illuzzi said, "We have to take steps to enhance the security in all of our schools."