KPU Releases Policies for Surveillance Cameras

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has outlined a set of policies and procedures for how its Closed Circuit Video Equipment (CCVE) cameras will be used.

The policies come in the form of two documents which went into effect in early February. The documents state that the cameras are in place to protect the safety of KPU students and staff as well as personal and university property by serving as a deterrent and an investigative tool.

According to the documents, the policies are focused on balancing the safety and privacy of KPU students.

“The University recognizes the need to balance its duty to promote and maintain a safe and
secure environment against the responsibility to protect an individual’s right to privacy,” reads the first policy principle outlined in the documents.

The policies released on Feb. 1 outline exactly how the university intends to use the cameras and the footage that they capture.

Among other details, the documents state that the cameras will be running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and are placed at “exterior pathways, walkways, and building entrance, egress points, parking lots, [and] student enrolment services front counters.” The camera feeds are not routinely monitored and only persons authorized by KPU’s chief safety officer are able to access the camera feeds or recordings.

The recordings are to be stored in a secure facility for 30 days before being deleted unless required by law enforcement for investigative or evidentiary purposes. It is also made clear that the cameras will not be used by the university to monitor employee performance or productivity.

Throughout the final months of 2017 and early in 2018, the university invited community members to comment on the documents on the KPU policy blog. Students were able to pose questions and make remarks related to the CCVE, which would then be responded to by KPU’s head of policy development, Josephine Chan.

One commenter on the blog asked if cameras could be installed in areas where property was prone to being targeted by thieves, such as departmental pods or offices, to which Chan responded that cameras will be limited to exterior pathways and entrances.

The full policy documents can be found at kpu.ca/policies.