BALTIMORE -- The Johns Hopkins University unveiled new high-tech security measures Thursday following the murders of two students in the past year.
The university recently installed 24 cameras in and around the Homewood campus that not only provide surveillance tools, but take security to the next level, WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Darrielle Snipes said.
They're called "smart cameras" and are encased in blue domes. Not only do security personnel monitor the cameras 24 hours a day, but the cameras are programmed to detect as many as 16 different kinds of behaviors.
"It could be a student falling down, it could be a car and student coming together (which could be an accident), it could be someone at night lurking in bushes or trying to climb a fence or rattle on locked doors," university spokesman Dennis O'Shea explained.
The cameras then alert security personnel who determine whether to send an officer to the scene.
"We can program it to look for different types of things at different times of day," O'Shea said.
In late January, Hopkins promised to install more cameras in and around the campus. Students and community activists also rallied before campus officials to enhance campus safety.
On Jan. 23, a 21-year-old Hopkins senior, Linda Trinh, was killed by asphyxiation in her off-campus residence. Last April, Christopher Elser, 20, was stabbed to death in an off-campus apartment building.
In March, police arrested a man who they believe is responsible for Trinh's murder. He has yet to face trial. Elser's murderer also hasn't been found, and his family has offered a reward for information leading to an arrest.
The camera system has been in operation for about two weeks. Since then, officials said it has detected eight incidents that have warranted a police response, Snipes reported. Those incidents, however, did not materialize into serious danger, authorities said.
Snipes said the cameras and software costs the university $500,000. Campus officials hope to install eight more cameras in the next couple weeks, and more than 100 in the near future.
Stay with TheWBALChannel.com and WBAL-TV 11 News for the latest news updates. Previous Stories: - March 25, 2005: Suspect Told Police He Hit, Didn't Kill JHU Student
- March 24, 2005: Hopkins Murder Suspect's Attorney Dismisses DNA Evidence
- March 23, 2005: Police Arrest Man In Death of Hopkins Student
- February 2, 2005: Hopkins Says Emotional Goodbye To Linda Trinh
- January 31, 2005: Hopkins Students Rally For Safety Enhancements
- January 27, 2005: Hopkins To Install More Cameras After Murder
- January 26, 2005: Johns Hopkins Student Killed In Her Apartment
- July 15, 2004: Possible Suspect Arrested In Stabbing Death Of JHU Student
- June 8, 2004: Police Release Surveillance Video In JHU Stabbing
- April 19, 2004: Hopkins Student Stabbed, Killed At Frat House
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Darrielle Snipes Reports: New Cameras Can Detect Behaviors
