Claflin University Steps Up Security with New Cameras, Emergency Call Boxes

Claflin University has stepped up its security by installing new cameras and emergency call boxes across campus.

• By Jessica Davis
• May 08, 2019

Claflin University in South Carolina has stepped up its security by installing new cameras and emergency call boxes across campus.

Chief Steve Pearson, head of campus security for Claflin, said the university had been researching how to upgrade its security system. While Claflin doesn’t have any “major issues,” according to Pearson, but the old camera system wasn’t adequate.

“We had 20 cameras for the whole campus,” Pearson said. “That just wasn’t sufficient.”

Claflin’s campus is now equipped with 144 new cameras, as well as new emergency call boxes.

“You never want to wait until something bad, bad happens” to upgrade your security, Pearson said.

“Before, the call boxes didn’t all work and they weren’t that up to date. Now I’m sure you notice them because they’re lit by a blue light,” Pearson said. The blue light makes the call boxes easy to locate in an emergency.

Pearson said they chose Avigilon cameras because of “some of the things the camera can do more than a regular camera.”

“All of our new cameras outline anyone that comes across its path,” Pearson said. “The outline feature provides us with viable information.”

Other features of the new cameras include finding and outlining a person, picking up a person’s size, height and weight and outlining vehicles. The cameras color code humans in a red outline and vehicles in a blue outline, Pearson said.

“This is a great investment for Claflin,” Pearson said. “Currently we are still in phase one of the installment. We will eventually have 200 cameras across campus. Within the next fiscal year, we hope to move on to phase two. That will include facial recognition and presence detection.”

The university invested about $300,000 in the security upgrades, according to Pearson.

“Seeing people along with the cameras is what makes it work,” he said. “We’ve used the cameras significantly already.”