Skip to main content

150 YEARS OF MASSART

Celebrating 150 years as the nation's first and only public independent college of art and design

You are here

CCTV Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to regulate the use of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor and record public areas for the purposes of safety and security.

Scope

This policy applies to all personnel of the College in the use of CCTV monitoring and recording.

General Principles

  • Public Safety is committed to enhancing the quality of life of the campus community by integrating the best practices of campus safety with state of the art technology. A critical component of a comprehensive security program is the use of CCTV
  • CCTV monitoring is used in public areas to deter crime and to assist in protecting the College community and property
  • Information obtained via CCTV monitoring will be used for security and law enforcement purposes
  • Information obtained by CCTV monitoring will only be released when authorized by the Chief of Campus Police and/or the President of the College
  • CCTV monitoring of public areas for security purposes will be conducted in a manner consistent with existing College policies, including Non-Discrimination Policy, the Sexual Harassment Policy, and other relevant policies
  • CCTV monitoring of public areas for security purposes at Massachusetts College of Art and Design is limited to uses that do not violate the reasonable expectation of privacy as defined by the law
  • Images and any related data collected by CCTV are the property of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design

Responsibilities

  • The Director of Public Safety has the responsibility to authorize, oversee and coordinate all CCTV monitoring for safety and security purposes
  • The Department of Public Safety is authorized to oversee and coordinate the use of CCTV monitoring equipment at the College. Information Technology (IT) will provide assistance with equipment, software and programming matters
  • Public Safety will monitor new developments in the law and industry standards and protections

Procedures

  • All operators and supervisors involved in CCTV monitoring of public areas will perform their duties consistent with the policy developed by the College. 
  • Public Safety will post signage where appropriate. 
  • Public Safety will limit camera positions and views of residential housing. Any view given of housing will be no greater than what is available with unaided vision. Furthermore, any view will not violate the standard of "a reasonable expectation of privacy." 
  • The CCTV monitoring center will be configured so as to prevent the tampering with or duplicating of information. 
  • Recorded video media will be stored for a period of between 14-30 days on a hard disk, after which time they will be over written, unless retained as part of a criminal investigation or court proceedings (Civil or Criminal), or other bona fide use as approved by the Chief of Campus Police. 
  • Video media will be stored in a secure location, accessed by authorized personnel only. 
  • Mobile or portable CCTV equipment may also be used to ensure the safety and security of the College community.
  • Recorded media will not be released to groups or individuals except to assist another law enforcement agency in an investigation or when required by law.

Policy Revision

This policy is reviewed and approved by College administration and is subject to change as needed.