Nicholls State University is implementing a multi-phase security system expansion to be completed over the next few months.

The University will have a total of 350 surveillance cameras by the end of the school year. Craig Jaccuzzo, director of University Police, said that approximately 200 surveillance cameras will be installed on campus by early spring, in addition to the cameras already on campus.

 “It sounds like a lot, but we have about 300 acres,” Jaccuzzo said. “It’s not concentrated in any particular area. It’s a vast campus that we’re trying to cover. We want to catch blind spots and eventually things like parking lots and the football stadium.”

The cameras already installed on campus have assisted in University Police responses to various reported incidents, providing camera footage as evidence. Each camera monitors a residence hall corridor, lobby, cash-collection point, gymnasium or other public area.

More cameras will be installed in public areas on campus, including residence hall common areas, recreational facilities, the Student Union andGalliano Dining Hall.

“La Maison du Bayou is going to take a lot of work on the exterior updating the infrastructure of the facilities because it was not a facility connected to the campus with Wi-Fi and fiber optics, so that will be the most time consuming part of the project,” Jaccuzzo said.

Jaccuzzo said that according to campus policy, which is consistent with other Louisiana colleges and universities, the cameras will not be used to monitor specific individuals. Cameras will not be installed in areas where privacy can be reasonably expected, nor will camera footage be retained beyond two weeks of the original recording.

According to the Nicholls Web site, Jaccuzzo said, “We are confident that this security enhancement will be a huge factor in keeping this campus safe. A track record of closed cases have already been established, and we believe this expanded system will continue to serve as both a deterrent and an investigative tool.”

Jaccuzzo said that the system equipment and software have been provided through a maintenance agreement and contract with Steel Box, the vendor that manages the software and server to make sure that the University has the capacity to manage the footage. Steel Box is a company that chose Nicholls as its higher education prototype for integrating its products with a preexisting security system. 

Computer Services manages the technical aspect of the surveillance cameras, and University Police monitors the footage and retrieves evidence. 

Funding for this expansion is provided by a collaborative effort from Student Affairs, Physical Plant Operations Fund, University Police, Housing and Computer Services.

“Right now, they’re working on the bids for pricing and Administrative processes,” Jaccuzzo said. “Once they finish with that, we can start the project and hopefully finish everything by December.”