PEORIA, Ill. – The Peoria Public Schools Board is debating whether or not to let Peoria Police have access to the district’s cameras.
The board tabled a resolution Monday night regarding the topic.
Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria told board members that the proposed system would let his department connect to have real-time access for the purpose of investigations and incidents on and around school district property.
“Our goal is very simple. Get the right information to the right people at the right time to protect students, staff, and community,” Echevarria said.
Echevarria says PPS would retain ownership of the cameras, and access would be governed by district policy. He says, if approved, Peoria Police would only have access to exterior cameras for the time being. One example he gave of how it would work is investigating a shooting outside of a PPS building in real-time.
Echevarria stated that no police department staffer would be monitoring the PPS video feeds 24/7, and that his department would not do such a thing. He added that the district would control access to the camera feeds.
It would not be the first partnership that Peoria Police has regarding usage of another body’s cameras, with the Illinois Department of Transportation cited as one example. But it would be the first body that involves students.
The cost would be free to the district, with Echevarria saying PPD would pay for the needed equipment and provide it to PPS.
Board members raised concerns about how monitoring would work, and what information would be recorded.
