Due to the increasing clothing theft problem in Saint Mary's College's Laundry rooms, it is imperative that security cameras are put in the laundry rooms. Multiple cases of clothing theft are happening here every week and we must put a stop to it before it escalates.

"The number of robberies and thefts in the areas with CCTV installed reduced by 47.4%, while the areas without CCTV showed practically no change in the number of crimes" (Kille, 2014).

In my own case, a sweater of a deceased loved one was taken from the Le Mans Hall laundry room. This was the last connection I had with my Grandfather. 

In the past, Saint Mary's College has stated their hesitation with putting cameras in the laundry room because students may get changed in there. I and every student I have talked to had never changed/ seen anyone get changed in the laundry room. 

The laundry room is a community room and therefore should be monitored. Recently, students residing in Le Mans Hall were unable to use the laundry room because of a fire started due to lint not being cleaned out of the dryer. Not having proper monitoring of the laundry rooms is a health concern for the students residing in residence halls. 

It may seem like a simple fix to have residents doing their laundry just watch their laundry. Due to the various activities that Saint Mary's students are a part of, it is almost impossible to take hours to sit in the laundry room to prevent theft. There is no working wifi in the basement of Le Mans so doing homework while completing laundry is also not possible. Students falling behind on activities to do the basic task of washing their clothing is not the answer. This is the reason we have security office on campus. 

The only other solution than security cameras is replacing every washer and dryer on campus with a washers and dryers that lock. This would be extremely difficult for Saint Mary's College to access and an expensive cost for the college to incur. 

It is my belief that the Saint Mary's community will be more conscious if security cameras are implemented in the laundry rooms. We all love Saint Mary's so much, lets help make it a safer and happier place. 

Citation 

Leighton Walter Kille and Martin Maximino. “The Effect of CCTV on Public Safety: Research Roundup.” The Journalist's Resource, 4 Dec. 2020, https://journalistsresource.org/politics-and-government/surveillance-cameras-and-crime/