UC Santa Barbara installs loitering alert system
Following many cases of violent crime reported on and near the University of California, Santa Barbara campus, the institution’s leaders have installed new cameras and a system, designed to monitor troubled areas and remove people who might commit crimes.
The university paper, the Daily Nexus, reported that the institution installed cameras in a particularly dangerous area, called “the lagoon,” along with cameras and a technology system that includes speakers. The university installed three such systems along the lagoon and two others in other areas around the campus, one targeting bike theft.
The systems, called mobile security units, notify the university police if a person is detected in one of the monitored zones for more than 60 seconds. The systems’ flood lights can be remotely controlled and they can address bystanders using the speakers. The police department said it will not share data with federal agencies or other third parties without approval of the police chief.
The university said it is also considering a campus alert system for crimes around campus. The system, called the Safe Zone app, provides alerts, coordinates escorted walks home and integrates with emergency alert systems. It could be implemented as soon as fall 2027.
