Students have been in many situations where their cars have been vandalized, and with all the complaints the school is fed up. After dealing with years of vandalism incidents in the parking lots, the school has finally taken measures to bring vandals to justice by installing security cameras that will monitor parking lot behavior.

Vandalism is annoying and costly, which brings a necessity for these cameras; however, students still might complain about privacy. These cameras only focus on movement, so no private information cannot be heard or recorded. Students have nothing to worry about because the recordings are only looked at when an incident occurs, so students have all the privacy they need. Students have their privacy and at the same time are kept safe with these cameras in place.

Vandalism has been a major issue that had previously been almost impossible to prevent. Cars in the back parking lot have been “keyed,” an act in which someone scrapes the paint off a car with a key, a pricey thing to fix. People have to spend money on something that was in no way their fault. With this security system, the criminal can be brought to justice and made to pay for any damages they have caused. Without these cameras, kids would have to go home and face the wrath of angry parents for what happened to their car, and nobody wants that.

In an unlocked car, students are enticed because it is so easy to go inside and just take something. As a result, there have been numerous thefts. With the cameras, it will be a better prospect that the stolen valuables can be found, and kids will also be less motivated to commit a crime knowing that they are being watched.

Scary things can happen in an unwatched parking lot. The cameras make the parking lot a safer environment for students as they deter acts of violence, such as assault, which has occurred in lots at night.

According to assistant principal Joe Bosco, vandalism has been a recurring problem and the security system was finally built because the funding was available. Los Gatos, along with many other schools, has had a security system for a while, and it’s about time Saratoga had one to make sure the students are kept safe.