Compiled by FacilitiesNet Staff
For facility managers on a budget, fake security cameras can be tempting.
The thinking often goes like this: A high-profile incident occurs, perhaps on a college campus. Students demand that something is done to improve safety. But there is no budget for extra CCTV cameras.
What about fake security cameras? Some people think that prominent use of cameras, even fake ones, willl deter improper behavior.
Maybe that's true, but those fake security cameras also come with a cost. Students could develop a false sense of security by seeing the cameras and assuming they are real.
But if another incident occurs, and it takes place in front of a fake security camera, what then? That could leave an organization exposed to legal liability, experts say. That’s because students or occupants assumed the cameras were real and may have taken different safety precautions had they known the truth.
