Students and staff said yesterday that cameras in university garages may help in preventing crime and create a higher sense of safety.

The issue of safety in garages was brought to the forefront after a woman was sexually assaulted on the third floor of Park Avenue Garage in the middle of the day Thursday.

Kristi Woolever, a music sophomore who regularly parks in university garages, said most garages only light up at night, and even though it may be sunny during the day, the structures are still rather dark.

Woolever said that although lighting the garage during the day may also be a good idea, video cameras might give police a better idea of what is going on.

Yesterday afternoon, as Woolever was walking to Park Avenue Garage, she pointed out how dark it can actually get.

Only silhouettes of parked vehicles could be seen as other people who entered the garage seemed to disappear the farther they walked toward the center of the structure.

ãItâs already dark in there now, and the lights donât go on until later at night,ä she said.

Stacey Sakaguchi, an adviser for the Eller College of Business felt that cameras in the garage would definitely bring a higher sense of safety as she was being escorted by a workmate into Park Avenue Garage yesterday.

ãMaybe then I wouldnât have to be escorted to my car,ä Sakaguchi said.

University of Arizona Police Department Cmdr. Brian Seastone said the idea of placing video cameras in garages is being reviewed, but several obstacles stand in the way of making it a reality.

ãYou have to look at the garage,ä Seastone said. ãThereâs more to it than just installing a camera.ä

Seastone said that not only will the university garages need to be closely studied in order to find out where to install the cameras, finding a way to pay for the cameras as well as paying the people who monitor them might be more difficult.

ãYou can put a camera in there, but whoâs going to watch it?ä he said.

Lisa Wakefield, president of the Staff Advisory Council, an organization that represents a wide range of university employees, said that although studies have indicated that more people feel safer on campus, other employees have said otherwise.

She said placing cameras not only in garages but also in more public areas would make it much easier to identify suspects.

Wakefield said that all garages are common locations for crimes because of their expanse.

ãTheyâre all at risk. Garages are pretty large areas,ä she said.

Wakefield suggested that the cameras be linked to booths so the attendant can monitor activity.

Although Parking and Transportation officials could not be reached for comment yesterday, PTS Operations Manager Mike Delahanty said last semester that putting cameras in the garages is a viable idea, but expensive.

A security camera on the fifth floor of the Physics and Atmospheric Sciences Building was used earlier this month to catch two UA freshmen as they stole more than $10,000 in equipment.

Alan Lee, insurance officer for Risk Management, said the Physics department bought the camera used in that incident.

Lee said due to budget constraints, funding of security upgrades like cameras is left to the department that needs them.