Bellevue West’s security cameras were due for an upgrade to increase security for students and faculty.

Activities Director Jon Mauro said that the old security cameras were about 20 to 25 years old and had very limited coverage. The district put upgrading the cameras in the bond issue that was passed in 2016.

The old cameras only covered the commons, part of the cafeteria, and the main parking lots. However with the new cameras, there is full coverage of the lot and hallways.

There is more surveillance now that the cameras have been installed, which will help with incidents at school.

“We get a call every week about a parking lot issue, [like] a car accident, and in the past we were able to figure out most of them, but it would be really difficult,” Mauro said.

Incidents like theft and vandalism have been a problem in the past, but now the surveillance can provide a clear depiction on what actually happened.

“We had always relied on everyone to tell us their side of the story,” Mauro said “Everyone’s sides [were] a little bit different, so hopefully this will really help us.”

Several new features have been implemented in the cameras to make it easier to track an individual that may have been accused of things like theft.

“These [cameras] have the capabilities to zoom in,” Mauro said “[And] if we had an individual, let’s say in the cafeteria, we could mark them on the camera with like a yellow marker. And as they move throughout the building, the cameras would track that individual throughout the entire building so we can see one person and how they move throughout the building without spending hours and hours trying to figure that out.”

By implementing more cameras in school grounds, West hopes to provide safety and surveillance.

“Improving the cameras was a movement to a more secure school,” Mauro said.