They could be everywhere. They could be watching every move you make.

An increasing number of public schools and college campuses throughout the nation are installing video surveillance cameras for security purposes.

Some argue this new trend of tightening security is violating privacy rights.

Other opponents believe cameras simply lull people into a false sense of security.

School districts in Biloxi, Miss. are “out in front of the pack,” according to Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Claude Lewis. Up until now, Biloxi was thought to be the only district in the nation that has installed Web cameras in nearly all classrooms. A couple of high schools in California have also been experimenting with the new technology. Penn State and the University of Maryland are following suit as well. Are security concerns only affecting major East Coast/West Coast universities and schools because of their larger populations?

How naive. We’re just as vulnerable in the Midwest to random acts of violence on our college and public school campuses, and we would be wise to to take some steps to increase our own security measures. Perhaps the movement toward tighter security is triggered by the Columbine tragedy in Littleton, Colo. Cameras, however, would not have entirely prevented it because the shooters were students and had a legitimate purpose for being in the building.

Proponents of the privacy violation argument seem to want proof that video surveillance cameras significantly decrease crimes on campuses rather than just create an illusion of safety.

At Fremont High School in Oakland, Calif., newly installed cameras identified students picking fights with others in the hallways, snatching jewelry off other students’ necks, pulling fire alarms and also caught students getting high, according to an article from www.techtv.com. Some of those who were opposed to the cameras were the ones who were caught doing these things on tape.

In less than a decade, Penn State University has seen a 32 percent drop in crime since cameras have been installed, according to a story from their newspaper, The Daily Pennsylvanian. A high degree of caution is exercised in monitoring the cameras, including detailed protocol mapped out in a policy their Department of Public Safety posts online.

If security cameras seem too intrusive in schools and campuses, should random locker searches also be considered an invasion of privacy? Maybe a security officer would spot a handgun that a sixth-grader slipped into his backpack after kissing mommy good-bye.

Why are schools specifically targeted as places to test new technology? According to a story published in the L.A. Times, in Santee, Calif., schools are among the first to embrace new technology because companies view campuses as ideal testing grounds before rolling products out to Corporate America.

“If the system gets too intrusive, schools and the technology companies are likely to get fewer complaints and fewer legal actions filed over it than they would elsewhere. You can do things on a school campus that you could never do in an office building,” said John Pescatore, research director for security at Gartner, an industry consulting firm.

Does the idea of digital cameras rigged in classrooms and hallways around this campus bother you? Would it impair your performance as a student, teacher or employee? Cameras are already watching you at ATM machines. Cameras are usually watching you in convenience stores, government buildings, grocery stores and retail outlets — so why shouldn’t cameras watch out for you on campus (aside from the fact that it would provide yet another excuse to raise tuition in order to pay for the equipment)?

That it takes security cameras to “spy” on people in order to keep them accountable for their actions is a deplorable reflection of society, but the value in them — such as the possibility of saving lives — justifies any invasion of privacy.

Security cameras are just another visible symptom of the underlying problem America faces today: part of a generation who has not been taught personal integrity, responsibility, morality or basic conflict resolution skills.

Bring on the cameras. Mount them in parking lots, dark alleys, brightly lit hallways and classrooms. What do we have to hide?

The idea is not to make people who are there for legitimate purposes feel violated.

The idea is to send the message to potential perpetrators and possible assailants that they will be caught and punished, or at least easier to track down.