Apr 23, 2014 11:40 AM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Pennsylvania State University has 2,000 surveillance cameras and wants more.

The public institution will shell out $1.4 million to install more than 450 cameras in 60 residence halls and commons buildings, Campus Reform reported.

The additional video surveillance will monitor ground-floor entrance lobbies, exit stairwells, elevators and service desks by next month Cameras already exist tin many athletic and auditorium facilities on the University Park campus.

 "The safety and security of our residents is a top priority and we are excited to move ahead with this important project," Joel Weidner, director of information technology and marketing in the office of auxiliary and business services, said in a statement last September. "We have had card access at our residence hall entrances for years and the new video system will provide additional safeguards that will enhance the security of our residential communities."

Paul Ruskin, a spokesperson for the school's office of physical planning, told Campus Reform the school will continue to install additional cameras on campus even after this project is over.

"This won't really end the project, the installations will continue with all the buildings, so as the campus expands, every time we add a building, we will add cameras," he said. "Just like you would put a sidewalk around the building, you would have cameras involved in the construction of the building."

According to Ruskin, having thousands of cameras on the campus was "necessary," even though the school has never had any problems with security.

"We live in a very safe area, and crime is minimal here," he said. "We just want to make sure it stays that way."

Police are able to watch live footage of students on campus using the cameras.

There are 53 "traditional" residence halls and seven commons buildings at the institution's University Park campus, along with 45 apartment buildings, all serving 14,240 students.

Weidner added that the installed video cameras will not be monitored real-time and will be used primarily by University police for investigative purposes and as a deterrent to criminal behavior. A minimum of 30 days of video will be stored in networked video recorders, according to a press release.

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