5.23.1 – Procedure – Video Surveillance and Recording

Part 1: Purpose. This procedure establishes guidelines and responsibilities for the electronic surveillance system at Lake Superior College.

Part 2: Camera Location, Operation and Control

  1. LSC buildings and grounds may be equipped with video monitoring devices.
  2. Video cameras may be placed in areas where surveillance has been deemed necessary as a result of threats to personal safety, prior property damages, or security incidents.
  3. Cameras placed outside shall be positioned only where it is necessary to protect external assets or to provide for the personal safety of individuals on college grounds or premises.
  4. Cameras shall not be used to monitor private or semi-private rooms such as washrooms and offices.
  5. The LSC Chief Information Officer (CIO) shall manage, control, and audit the use and security of monitoring cameras, monitors, tapes, computers used to store images, computer diskettes, and all other video records.
  6. Only individuals authorized by the CIO or College President shall have access to video monitors, or be permitted to operate the controls.
  7. Video surveillance cameras shall not have audio recording capabilities; or any such audio capabilities will not be enabled if they are available.

Part 3: Notification. Signs shall be posted to notify individuals of the area in which surveillance is conducted, hours during which surveillance is conducted (typically 24 hours per day), who within the organization is responsible for conducting surveillance, and the contact person who can answer questions about the surveillance system, including a telephone number for contact purposes.

Part 4: Use of Video Recordings

  1. Video recordings of students, staff, or others may be reviewed or audited for the purpose of determining adherence to official LSC policies, LSC Student Code of Conduct (Policy 3.6), and/or Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board Policies.
  2. The college may use video surveillance to detect or deter criminal offenses that occur in view of the camera.
  3. Video recordings may be released to third parties in conformance with the requirements of a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency.
  4. The college or its administrators may use video surveillance and the resulting recordings for inquiries and proceedings related to law enforcement, deterrence, and student discipline.
  5. The college shall not use video monitoring for other purposes unless expressly authorized by the College President (or designee) or by another LSC policy or Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board Policy.

Part 5: Protection of Information and Disclosure/Security and Retention of Recordings

  1. Videos are initially recorded on a computer hard disk. Information on the hard disk is retained until such time that the hard disk becomes full and then the oldest video segments are overwritten by the newest segments.
  2. No attempt shall be made to alter any part of a video recording.
  3. Video recordings that may be relevant to the investigation of an incident will be transferred from the computer hard disk onto removable media such as a CD or DVD.
  4. All saved video records not in use should be securely stored in a locked receptacle.
  5. All video records that have been saved pending the final outcome of an incident investigation shall be numbered, dated, and retained in a location to be determined by the CIO.
  6. The CIO or College President (or designee) must authorize access to all video records.
  7. A log shall be maintained by the CIO of all episodes of access to, or use of recorded materials. The log shall include:
    1. the video number and date of recording,
    2. the name of the individual or agency that was given access to the recording,
    3. the date that access was given,
    4. the reason that access was given, and
    5. the date when access is no longer available to the individual or agency.
  8. Information contained within the video access log shall be considered public information, unless prohibited by law or judicial order.
  9. Video records that contain personal information used to make a decision directly affecting an individual must be retained for a minimum of one year and may be retained by the college indefinitely as a permanent archive.
  10. LSC will provide reasonable security measures to prevent unauthorized access to the electronic surveillance network; however, LSC cannot guarantee that access to the network through illegal methods is impossible.

Part 6: Disposal or Destruction of Recordings

  1. Copies of surveillance recordings need not be kept by the college if there have been no identified incidents within view of the surveillance cameras. In these cases, there will be no permanent record of the recordings.
  2. All saved recordings shall be disposed of in a secure manner unless they are archived as part of a permanent record as stated above in Part 5i. Removable media shall be shredded, burned, degaussed, or otherwise made permanently unreadable.

Part 7: Video Monitors and Viewing

  1. Video monitoring for security purposes will be conducted in a professional, confidential, ethical, and legal manner.
  2. Only the CIO or individuals authorized by the CIO and members of law enforcement agencies shall have access to video monitors while they are in operation.
  3. Video monitors should be in controlled access areas wherever possible.
  4. Video records should be viewed on a need to know basis only, in such a manner as to avoid public viewing.
  5. All authorized individuals who have access to camera controls (such as pan, tilt, and zoom) will not monitor individuals based on characteristics of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, public assistance status, age, or inclusion in any group or class protected by state or federal law (see LSC policy IB.1). Camera control operators will monitor activity based on suspicious behavior, not individual characteristics.

Date Implemented: May 6, 2004