Upper St. Clair police can view school district's security cameras from virtually anywhere

UPPER ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Accessibility is one of the many benefits of the Upper St. Clair School District’s security system, allowing first responders like the township’s police department the ability to view the cameras from virtually anywhere and adding a safety layer many school districts can’t claim.

The district uses Milestone video management software to monitor its 240-camera system and the software allows access to the system with a simple login.

The cameras are viewable from web browsers, smartphones and tablets.

In the dispatch center at the police department, there is a large monitor on the wall dedicated to the camera system.

Upper St. Clair police can view the school district’s security camera system from their dispatch center.

The system can also be pulled up on the laptops in the department’s patrol cars.

Both live and recorded feeds are available and accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at the touch of a button.

If there’s a report suspicious person outside one of the schools or an incident in a parking lot, officers can watch the cameras in real time.

If school district property is vandalized, detectives can review footage from cameras in the area for leads on who is responsible.

“When a complaint, a disturbance [or] an event is reported to the police department, one of the investigators can jump onto a machine in the investigative unit at the police department and review camera footage,” Upper St. Clair School District Network Systems Specialist Paul Jaglowski explained. “First responders [and] the Upper St. Clair Fire Department can also use our camera for any sort of event that requires a first responder.”

And the system is already working as it’s intended.

Footage has been used to record criminal events including theft and bullying. It’s also been used when they’ve had a need for a rebuttal.

Jaglowski explained, “We’ve had instances where non-school district employees and non-school district students and come on the property and claimed they been injured and it was the school district’s responsibility. Sometimes our footage has helped out with those events.”

Exterior cameras at the high school’s football stadium, for instance, have also been key in recording incidents.

“It has come up in the past where we’ve had activity in student sections and the footage that we recorded has been instrumental in coming to a conclusion and finding out who’s responsible for what and being done with it,” Jaglowski said.

Upper St. Clair’s security system is vast, consisting of approximately 240 interior and exterior cameras installed across the district’s three elementary schools, two middle schools, high school and administrative buildings, and continues to grow.

As the need for new cameras arises, DES consults with district leaders, designing and installing new solutions that make sense. DES also provides service and support as part of the ongoing partnership.

Read more about the school district’s security system here.

Visit descomm.com/security to learn more about the security solutions offered by DES.