wrote in message news:bearclaw-
I can't imagine that someone actually sits there and watches the
cameras daily. I know in mine, they aren't even looked at unless
there was a break in or vandalism-just archived and collect dust
until the date passes.

So then, some kid who's seen Mission Impossible could spray paint a lens
and nobody would notice until the little vandal finishes up his dirty
work?


Yup. I used to service CCTV equipment as part of my job. It always amazed
me how so many companies would throw hundreds of thousands (millions, even)
into CCTV equipment, and then have nobody watching most of the cameras.
Reviewing the tape (or video on a hard disk recorder) is only good if the
video camera caught what you want to watch. In most incidents of interest,
this requires a HUMAN BEING to be aiming the video camera at the exact
moment of the incident (the better ones can be aimed remotely, IF there is a
human being to operate them). I imagine the equipment in schools is
probably monitored less than the equipment in retail locations. -Dave