DC gym pauses plan to put security cameras in men’s locker room

A gym in Northwest D.C. paused a plan to install security cameras inside the men’s locker room after it surprised members and met some opposition.

VIDA Fitness in Logan Circle emailed members to let them know cameras would be strategically placed in discreet locations near the exit and entry and the sink.

The company pointed to a rise in thefts in the men’s locker room since after the pandemic.

“I think it’s kind of an invasion of privacy,” member Garrett Anderson said. “You know, locker room is kind of a safe space for you to get changed, take a shower after you work out.”

The plan caught him off guard, and he considered changing gyms.

“I thought about it this morning, if I should change to a different gym that kind of respects your boundaries a little bit,” he said.  

In 2012, a VIDA Fitness location in Northwest D.C. installed cameras hoping to capture a locker thief. Cameras recorded a suspect going in and out of lockers.

VIDA Fitness CEO David von Storch said crime remains a concern years later.

“We’ve had a rash of thefts in the men’s locker room,” he said.

“The only place we have this problem is in our D.C. clubs in the men’s locker rooms,” he said.  

But he said the company’s messaging about the cameras could have been better.

“We’re trying to put out the fire that we caused by our own mistake,” von Storch said.

“What we need to do is make sure that people understand the policy,” he said.

In an email to members Tuesday afternoon, VIDA Fitness said it would halt the installation of the cameras until members understand its surveillance and privacy policy and can provide feedback.

The email said cameras would not capture any video of the toilet, shower or changing areas in the locker rooms. The company also said notices will be posted, cameras will be visible and the gym will not monitor any video live.

VIDA Fitness said in the event the video is needed, the footage will be reviewed and shared with police. Otherwise, it will be recorded over on a monthly basis.

Some members aren’t opposed to the cameras if they are used to to cut down on theft.

“Personally, it doesn’t matter to me; it doesn’t affect my gym experience,” Charles Lainoff said. “I’m going to keep my membership.”

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