The University of Kentucky is spending nearly $5 million to assemble a campus security system that relies heavily on 2,000 surveillance cameras, raising questions among some privacy advocates.

Other elements of the system include student ID cards that can track when students enter buildings after hours and the ability to lock down buildings from another location.

The system also includes 26 new “Blue Phone” locations with video cameras, as well as early-warning speakers for crises such as weather emergencies, which will augment the UK Alert system of email, text and phone messages.

“This will allow us unprecedented capability for monitoring the campus for crime and protecting our students, employees and visitors in the event of emergencies, including natural disasters or large-scale acts of criminal behavior,” said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe.

The university has hired Next Level Security Systems to install the system. The cameras won’t be continually monitored by a person, but video analytics software can detect a strange or unexpected movement, then send an automatic alarm to a dispatch center.

Read more here: Kentucky.com