Most Racine County schools already have cameras in hallways, at entrances and in parking lots, and most of that equipment still works, according to an Oct. 23 WRJN report examining how districts can modernize security without replacing cameras.
The difficulty, the report says, is using the footage: answering a question about a propped-open door, a missing phone or a suspicious car can mean an administrator spends hours reviewing video camera by camera.
Much of the equipment dates to a statewide school safety push that began in 2018, when Wisconsin's Department of Justice Office of School Safety distributed more than $92 million under 2017 Wisconsin Act 143. Racine Unified sought a $950,000 grant that year, with most of it aimed at security cameras, and many systems were installed between 2018 and 2021.
The suggested approach is to keep those cameras and upgrade what sits behind them — the recorders and the software used to search and manage video — so staff can view footage remotely, search by description, follow a person across cameras and manage all buildings in one place.
Connecting door access and visitor check-in to the video system is presented as the next step, so a forced or held-open door can trigger an alert with live video, and a visitor check-in is logged alongside entrance footage.
Funding options cited include Wisconsin DOJ Office of School Safety programs and the federal COPS School Violence Prevention Program, which offered up to $500,000 per award in its 2026 round and generally requires a local cash match of at least 25 percent.
