TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senator Jim Beach that is aimed at enhancing security and safety in schools was signed into law today.
The new law, S-742, requires that if a school building is equipped with video surveillance equipment that is capable of wirelessly streaming live video to a remote location, the board of education must enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with local law enforcement authorities giving the authorities the ability to activate the equipment and view live streaming video.
“Ensuring our children’s safety is our top priority. I applaud those schools which already coordinate with local police to provide access to live video surveillance, but without requiring such cooperation other schools are left vulnerable,” said Senator Beach (D-Burlington, Camden). “This law will address that by requiring all schools with the technology to work cooperatively with law enforcement to do so.”
The MOU would include:
- designation of individuals who would be authorized to view live streaming video;
- circumstances under which the designated individuals could view live streaming video; and
- detailed plans for preventing and detecting unauthorized access to live streaming video.
Under the law, in the event the parties to the MOU are unable to reach an agreement regarding any provision required to be included pursuant to this law, the county prosecutor would make the final determination.
