Cameras installed in locker room raise concern over privacy

Concern over cameras installed to curb theft Surveillance cameras were put in the men’s locker room at Westside Recreation Centre after a series of thefts. Alesia Fieldberg explains…

A Calgary recreation centre put cameras in some of its locker rooms a few years ago to curb theft and is now assuring guests that their privacy is being protected after a security breach.

The problem began when an image captured from surveillance video of the men's locker room at Westside Recreation Centre ended up on a shared computer drive.

The managing director at the facility says about a dozen staff members had access to the computer drive but says the image should never have ended up there as the cameras are only meant to be used to catch and prevent crime.

Norma-Jean Hogg says the screenshot showed a fully clothed man cutting the lock off of a locker in 2013.

When she learned of the breach in June, she put out an internal memo and since then, an IT consultant has made sure no other images have been shared to the drive.

Hogg says Westside added cameras to the men's swimming and fitness locker rooms three years ago after a number of thefts.

She says the cameras are not in the washrooms or changing stalls and there are signs posted indicating the video recording.

Hogg says a recent privacy commissioner review shows Westside’s cameras comply with Alberta's rules of video surveillance

“There was a problem, a bit, with our signage because you have to have a name of a person to contact and we had simply, contact a company, so we changed all our signs at that time to have that, and we’re in compliance with the privacy commission, and that was as of September,” she said.

Westside says it has seen fewer thefts since the surveillance cameras were installed.

(With files from Alesia Fieldberg)