Clawson School Board Approves $157,929 Video Surveillance Upgrade

In order to both meet the current video surveillance needs of Clawson Public Schools and leave room in the budget open for future needs, Technology Director Ryan Velzy found a plan to serve as a "middle ground."

The Clawson Board of Education unanimously approved funds for the project, which will come from amounts budgeted based on the 10-year technology bond passed in 2011, at its board meeting on Monday. ROK Systems, a Michigan-based security firm, won the bid at just over $157,929.

"This proposal is kind of a middle ground with not doing a rip-and-replace ... we’re going to take portions of that analog system that's 10 years old, cameras, and connect them to a digital system," Velzy said, adding that the amount was under the amount estimated for video surveillance upgrades as part of public discussion at the time of the vote.

Digital files will only be accessible to those with permission to view them, Velzy said, and they will be accessible across a range of media platforms. With the upgrades, Velzy estimates that the district will have 182 cameras in operation.

In addition to interior camera system upgrades, Velzy said, the technology department has met with individual building principals to identify needs of exterior cameras.