Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                            Matt Dulin                             Tony Hernandez 
                Jim Parsons             Dusti Rhodes           Richard Whitrock

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For a sprawling campus like UH, with parking lots scattered across every corner, video surveillance is a necessity.

It's either that or wait around for Spider-Man, but when was the last time you heard of a superhero working in Houston?

Perhaps UH got tired of waiting. We certainly have.

Its latest crime-fighting tool comes in the form of $250,000 worth of cameras and improved lighting around the campus. Most of the cameras will keep a watchful eye over the thousands of cars that park here daily.

Officials say that signs will go up marking the locations of camera surveillance, both as a warning to unscrupulous characters and as a comfort to students who may not be keen about their evening trek to their car.

Coupled with current security measures, such as the call boxes and the Cougar Patrol escort service, UH should improve its handling of campus crime. More crimes will be solved and others prevented. Results from trials have been positive, resulting in several arrests.

In exchange for the peace of mind, students give up a marginal amount of privacy, if any, as the cameras are watching public spaces. 

The University is consulting with the Student Government Association to determine where cameras are needed most. Students with suggestions would be wise to share their thoughts with their SGA senator.

UH should have invested in a comprehensive surveillance system a long time ago, and it's welcome now more than ever, especially since today's cameras are more advanced and capable of making out faces and license plates. The string of armed robberies and car burglaries last semester reminded us that parts of the campus are vulnerable and that we must be watchful.

Of course, now that the cameras are in place, members of the community should stay vigilant and look out for one another.

That's how we fought crime back in the old days.