Peabody High Security Cameras Now Send Direct Feeds to the Police

The Peabody police can now watch real-time video feeds from inside Peabody Veterans Memorial High School down at the station on Allens Lane.

Deputy Police Chief Martin Cohan said in an announcement the security cameras went live at the police station on Tuesday. A 52-inch monitor screen installed in the station's 9-1-1 Control Room displays 30 feeds from PVMHS.

He said this allows officers, if necessary, to view real-time footage at the school. There is a 2- or 3-second delay, but otherwise it's a live feed. The cameras themselves were installed a couple years ago.

A similar, but more elaborate system is planned for the new Higgins Middle School once it's built.

Cohan said this just takes advantage of new technology to give police an edge should there ever be an emergency situation at the school where rushing in blind could be deadly.

Unfortunately, he said, violent situations are becoming more common at schools across the country, noting the school shooting on Tuesday in New Mexico. He said the added security tools will hopefully be a deterrent Peabody police will never actually have to employ.

High school staff and the school resource officer are also able to view the camera feeds remotely via their iPhones.

Cohan said this project was funded in part by a Secure Our Schools federal grant -- it's a matching grant from the U.S. Department of Justice -- and school officials are applying for additional funding to install some "protective technology" in the city's elementary schools.

Cohan said that will likely involve new locking mechanisms on doors and windows, which is what school officials were discussing last year in the midst of a safety and security review of all the city's schools. 

School officials and police collaborated on the project, involving input from Superintendent Joseph Mastrocola, Assistant Superintendent Cara Murtagh, School Business Manager Dave Keniston, Lt. William Cook, Detective Rob Faletra and School Resource Officer Manny Costa.