When the Badgers meet Northern Illinois in the next home football game Oct. 20, UW-Madison students might be surprised to know they may be on videotape.
The University of Wisconsin Police Department, which had an officer in plain clothes attend the Sept. 20 Campus Anti-war Network protest against Halliburton Corporation recruiters, has been present recently at large campus events.
Zach Heise, a UW-Madison senior and CAN member, recognized the officer at the Haliburton protest as he videotaped the event.
It didn't strike me as being particularly out of the ordinary,"" said Heise.
UWPD Lt. Bill Larson said videotaping large events is not unusual.
He said the purpose of videotaping large events is to document anything that could be used as evidence should there be any sort of misconduct where many students are congregated.
""We have been doing this for years, ever since there has been videotape technology. Nearly every police department does this,"" Larson said.
He also said the cameras are used to capture events the same way squad car cameras do.
According to Larson, should no complaint following an event, the tape is retained for a limit of 120 days before it is taped over or destroyed. If a complaint is filed, the tape may be kept for an extended period of time.
However, while providing evidence may be UWPD's intention, UW-Madison history professor James Donnelly raised some concerns regarding the constitutionality of this issue at the faculty senate meeting Oct. 1.
""If the police are videotaping any old student demonstration where the students are exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of assembly and free speech, this could be in some way intimidating,"" Donnelly said.
Donnelly said he was alarmed by the lack of published policy clarifying the procedure for videotaping public events, and became concerned that the executive arm of the faculty senate was unable to review or determine whether the policy is ""properly balanced.""
""There is no expectation [of] privacy in a public forum,"" said Larson, assuring the procedure constitutes UWPD's right to videotape public events like the Halliburton protest, as well as events of high attendence such as Badger football games.
Heise said he does not see a problem with the police videotaping.
""Both sides can be represented, us students with our camera phones and our video cameras and stuff, and the police with their side of it,"" he said. ""I am more comfortable with knowing that both sides can be represented.""
