Air Force Academy Invests in Thousands of Security Cameras

The U.S. Air Force Academy is increasing cadet safety and security with the installation of security cameras.

• By Sydny Shepard
• Feb 25, 2019

The U.S. Air Force Academy has installed several thousand CCTV cameras on campus over the past year to create a safer environment for cadets and to deter criminal behavior. 

The installation of the cameras was brought up at a recent subcommittee hearing following the release of the annual Pentagon report on sexual assault and harassment at the academies. The report's anonymous survey found that 747 students said they experience unwanted sexual contact within the last year, nearly a 50 percent increase from 507 students in 2016. 

During the hearing Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, discuses how male and female cadets live in the dorms of the academies within their cadet companies and what can be done about their behavior when leaders are not there.

Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, the Colorado academy's superintendent, said that the academy is responsible for working harder to build a "culture of accountability: and that their leadership education has senior cadets who are about to become Air Force officers take responsibility for what happens in their company. 

Silveria said the safety and security of cadets are his responsibility.

"So we've installed thousands of CCTV cameras throughout our dorms for safety and security," Silveria said.

The cameras were added to an existing system, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force Academy. They were approved in 2017 and their installation began in May 2018. The installation should be complete this year.

The cameras were installed in common areas at cadet dorms, including hallways, entrances and exits, study and TV rooms, stairwells and rooftops. They are not being placed in private areas, such as cadet rooms, locker rooms, officers or restrooms, the spokesperson said.

"The effort is ongoing and is intended to enhance the safety and security of out cadets," Silveria said. "Additional, the units serve as a deterrent against criminal conduct, and provide footage for investigations in the event that an incident occurs."