Security Concerns Raised After Lack of Surveillance Cameras in Brown University Academic Building
The area of a Brown University academic building where a shooter tragically took the lives of two students did not have surveillance cameras due to the building's age, officials revealed. Despite the absence of cameras in the older section, the newer part of the building, which was added around five years ago, is equipped with surveillance cameras. The lack of cameras in the older section has raised concerns about security on campus.
During a news conference, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha explained that the shooting occurred in the older part of the building, where there are fewer, if any, cameras. The newer front section of the building, however, has cameras that captured the chaos as students fled the shooting. The absence of cameras in the building has drawn attention as authorities work to identify a person of interest in the case.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez mentioned that there was no clear video of the gunman from inside the engineering building where the shooting occurred, despite the university having 1,200 security cameras across campus. The Barus & Holley building, constructed in 1965, houses the School of Engineering and the physics department, featuring numerous laboratories, offices, classrooms, and lecture halls.
The Elizabeth Hazard Sturges House, the official residence of the school president, is equipped with security cameras, as seen in images online. The house, built in 1922 and acquired by the university in 1947, is a Gregorian Revival-style residence. The shooting took place at the edge of the campus, bordering a residential neighborhood, where video footage of the person of interest's movements before and after the shooting was captured.
Brown University's commitment to art is evident in its "Percent-for-Art" program, which allocates 1% of the construction budget for new buildings and renovations to commission artwork for the building or grounds. The university's dedication to art and culture is reflected in its campus development initiatives.