They watch you in the halls. They breath down your neck as you go from class to class. They are the security cameras.

The ominous, black half-spheres loom over hall goer’s heads and stare back if given a sidelong glance. Students cannot help but come up with loads of questions about the system. They ask, “Is there someone who monitors the cameras constantly?” “How often does staff really check the footage?” and “Where do all of the captured videos end up?” These are all interesting questions that have never been answered, until now.

Despite what some may think, the school is not monitoring students throughout the halls all hours of the day. There is not someone with black sunglasses, a black suit and ear-piece holed up in a tiny room somewhere in the school constantly monitoring the cameras. In fact, the security footage is only checked when there has been an incident in the halls.

“We watch the cameras when we have reports of a problem,” said Officer Bob Draeger, LHS resource officer. “However, the other day I did have an instance where I took a look and caught somebody doing something against the rules. So [monitoring live] does happen, but usually we will receive a report of a problem.”

If there is a report, the officers can pull footage from servers at LHS where it is stored and view it on their computers.

“I’ve gone back and watched footage from a couple of months before,” said Draeger.

Another concern of the more paranoid students is whether or not the school is respecting their privacy. However, Draeger reassures that this student’s privacy is being respected.

“Students, I can guarantee you that as you move about the building, we aren’t watching you,” said Officer Draeger. “If there is a problem, then we get on and watch, but if you are just sitting there hanging out, we don’t care. We don’t watch it. We don’t care what girl you’re talking to under the stairwell.”

Obviously, the security cameras have not been used to spy on students, but rather catch culprits and bring them to justice.

“The cameras are great for security and for resolving theft issues and for finding out who was the instigator in fights.” said Draeger.

The cameras have helped solve countless crimes and will continue to as long as they are in service. They are not used for stalking kids throughout the halls but rather a great tool that can be used if the circumstances call for it.