New security cameras for Great Bend USD 428 will come with a hefty price tag but could step up safety and security in the schools “exponentially,” Assistant Superintendent John Popp said.

This week, Popp and IT Software Support Specialist Cody Cale described the benefits of Verkada-brand cameras. They are already in use at the new Support Services Facility at 625 East 10th Street and the former CUNA complex, soon to become the Little Panthers Preschool and District Education Center, located at 1809 24th St. 

“We looked at cameras from several companies, but the Verkada is the most sophisticated,” Cale said. Administrators can access information from telephone apps or other methods. Verkada’s software is intuitive and easy to use.

Popp said local vendors were “strongly considered” for replacing the existing security cameras but the California-based Verkada cameras are his recommendation. 

“We looked at cameras and systems for over a year. With this system, we don’t need a service contract. Over the course of 10 years, it is more cost-effective. We believe this is the future of security cameras,” Popp said.

“The local companies all used a more traditional NVR (Network Video Recorder)/Server-style) system that would have required more hardware, which would have meant having to find multiple places to store the servers, more frequent maintenance, extra cabling and additional up-front costs of the servers,” he said. “The local companies all prioritized offering a service of software management and installing as well as maintaining hardware. This would have meant entering an extended service contract.” 

With Verkada cameras, maintenance can be done by district staff.

Verkada offered a longer warranty on all cameras, which also have a longer life expectancy, he said.

Facial recognition and other features

Cale said the Verkada system offers higher resolution photos than other cameras, ranging from 5 mp to 4k compared to 2-5 mp. The higher resolution greatly improves features such as facial recognition, vehicle recognition, boundary searches and motion detection. 

Video searches are faster and easier. Trying to find a particular person now can take hours of searching through footage.

“One time I did spend an entire day looking for something for the police,” Cale said. 

It is possible to enter a “person of interest’s” photo into the Verkada system and receive an alert whenever that person comes on the property or walks by a camera.

“These cameras also record audio,” Cale added. And while the old system retains video for seven days, this system offers 30 days of retention, with the capability of storing an unlimited amount of data in the cloud.

Popp said the current system mostly runs on coax cable that frequently has bad connections and experiences interference between the camera and the DVR (digital video recorder). Repairs and replacements are becoming frequent for cameras and DVRs/NVRs. Four different software platforms are necessary to be able to view all of the current cameras.

With Verkada, cameras can be quickly shared with law enforcement in the event of an emergency by sending a link. Interactive floor plans and heat signature maps can also be shared.

Paying the cost

Last October, the school board purchased 16 outdoor dome cameras and two multi-sensor dome cameras for the Support Services Facility, along with a five-year license from Verkada, through the Greenbush purchasing cooperative for $31,091. At the time, Popp said the purchase would be “kind of the guinea pig to see where we go from here.”

“We have some up at the CUNA building,” Cale added.

Also last year, the district requested vendor quotes for camera network wiring and installation throughout GBHS and GBMS. In December the board approved the low quote from P&S Security to have new “Cat 6” ethernet cabling pulled into the high school and middle school for a new camera system. The quote from P&S Electric was for $41,956; Nex-Tech’s quote was $78,295 and Hammeke Electric’s was $100,367.

After the cable is installed, approximately 150 cameras will be needed at Great Bend High School, at a cost of $222,000, Popp said. After GBHS, the district will purchase cameras for GBMS and then the elementary schools as funding becomes available.

In 2023, the district received a Safe and Secure Schools grant from the Kansas Board of Education for $42,546 that will be used for cameras at the high school.

“We have to match that, so we have to spend $85,000 roughly this year,” Popp said. 

The Safe and Secure Schools grant is available every year but the district will have to apply for it. “We could conceivably try to get half the high school covered,” he said. However, Popp said he doesn’t know how much funding the district may qualify for when it applies again this year. 

“We have not made a decision yet on if we will try to purchase all the cameras (at GBHS) in one year or split it over a couple of years,” Popp said. Meanwhile, P&S Electric has until June 30 to complete the installation of the new cabling.

Popp said the administration will bring a purchase proposal to the school board later this year, possibly in the next month or two.