Lyon schools begin installing new safety cameras

Lyon County schools have begun moving forward with surveillance system upgrades and adding cameras to help cover blind spots, executive director of operations Harman Bains reported to the school district board of trustees Feb. 27.

In December, officials told trustees more surveillance cameras were needed to improve the district’s outdated system in Silver Springs and Smith Valley. Bains returned this week and said at least three sites needed upgrades to their systems, two of which now have begun their installation phase for the new cameras. Others in Lyon County have requested at least dozens to secure their campuses, he said.

“As they come through, we approve them,” he said. “Everybody has been made well aware, and the work is to be completed in the next two to three months.”

Trustee Tom Hendrix, who participated in a walkthrough at Silverland Middle School on Feb. 26, said the campus has 64 cameras, the school’s maximum it can accommodate with its digital video recorder. He complimented the cameras’ greater capacity to read license plates as vehicles enter or exit a school’s parking lot from a distance.

“(The schools are) looking for additional cameras, of course, and an upgrade on their DVR, so I assume that’s part of your plan when needed,” Hendrix asked.

Bains said several Lyon schools have reached out and said upgrades are available to 128 cameras per site.

“As they need it, we’re allowing them to do it,” Bains said.

Trustee Sherry Parsons asked whether the cameras are compatible with artificial intelligence, and Bains said it depends on the vendor selling them.

“They are the most up-to-date camera, so I would imagine so,” Bains said.

Board president Phil Cowee said he was impressed with the equipment as a deterrent for unlawful activity on school grounds, and other trustees supported increasing the systems available to schools, with Trustee Bridget Petersen making a motion to approve the update to the board on the cameras.

The motion passed 6-0 with Trustee Darin Farr absent.