Securing the Perimeter
Automated detection solutions prevent crime before loss occurs
- By Rolland Trayte
- Jun 01, 2011
Security technologies are valuable for their ability
to deter criminal and illegal behavior. The
visible addition of security cameras to highcrime
areas reduces criminal activity significantly. But
video surveillance isn’t the only valuable service or
system that effectively reduces crime. The presence of
security guards also limits illicit activity that leads to
loss or damage, and regular visible patrols restrict the
opportunity for violence.
Both solutions effectively prevent crime, but these
methods have limits. Video surveillance is often not
monitored in real time and, therefore, no one takes action
to stop an incident before it occurs. At the same
time, the role of a security guard has expanded, as
officers are tasked with more duties on job sites than
ever before.
Proprietary security teams engage security guards
for a variety of tasks, including conducting regular
patrols, greeting visitors, managing access identities
and badges, and investigating suspicious incidents.
The increased purview makes it difficult for even the
best-trained security guard to manage all tasks well.
Automated Perimeter Detection Solutions
The combination of security guard patrols and surveillance
cameras is an ideal solution for perimeter
security applications that can encompass miles of
terrain. However, monitoring video and conducting
patrols 24/7 is cost-prohibitive. Therefore, perimeter
detection technologies that mimic the actions of a security
guard are a cost-effective solution that can be
used to prevent crime before it occurs. A system that
engages in the same motions and movements of a security
guard enables security teams to focus on more
critical tasks and also acts as a force multiplier.
Automated perimeter detection solutions are developed
on the idea that intelligent technologies can
prevent and deter potential criminal activity before
loss or damage occurs while decreasing response time.
These solutions can be used to enhance perimeter
security and safety in the government, commercial,
transportation, education and critical infrastructure
markets, and in real-world applications they are proven
to reduce criminal activity by as much as 90 percent
in high-crime environments.
By leveraging advanced algorithms, automated perimeter
detection systems automatically identify potentially
dangerous targets within 700 feet and track
objects to deter criminal behavior. Once it detects motion
in a user-defined area, the system illuminates activity
with a high-intensity LED light. It will then rotate
to and from the activity zone. Once motion is no
longer detected, it will conduct an area-wide search.
If it does not find additional movement, the system
will conduct regular patrols of an area, scanning for
unusual behavior. In this way, the system mimics the
actions of a security guard to deter criminal behavior
before loss or damage occurs. When integrated with
IP or analog surveillance cameras, the solution captures
valuable video evidence for forensic analysis.
Automated perimeter detection systems are designed
to accurately detect targets in a wide range of outdoor
environments.
Challenging the Perimeter
Vulnerability begins at a facility’s perimeter. The best
chance of preventing a security breach is to deter and
detect activity before loss or damage occurs. Yet many
attempts at automated perimeter detection, such as
with video analytics, are limited due to excessive false
alarms and the challenges of outdoor conditions, including
weather and other environmental factors. Automated
perimeter detection solutions are reliable in
all weather situations. They use robust exterior PIR
sensors to detect activity and wirelessly report changes
in that activity.
This solution is effective at preventing crime because
of the inherent nature of its functionality. When
a potential intruder realizes a guard has seen him, his
reaction is to leave the scene before he is captured. Automated
detection technologies have the same effect.
Once they detect movement in the area of protection
and shine the high-intensity light, subjects retreat because
they are aware they have been detected and that
most of their actions have been, most likely, captured
on video. The system’s capability to distinguish movement
in a wide geographic area makes coverage effective
and reliable. Because each environment offers
unique challenges depending on its business processes
and threat profiles, automated perimeter detection
solutions have a customizable field of protection to
enable users to define the size of the area the system
searches. Furthermore, users also can customize the
system’s automated tracking patterns, which are easy
to adapt as a user’s risk profile changes.
The Combination of Security Staff and Technology
When guards are well trained and dedicated, they are
an integral piece of a facility’s security program. Today,
guards increasingly rely on the help of integrated
security technologies to boost the benefits of regular
security patrols. Technologies such as automated perimeter
detection solutions enable guards to focus on
critical tasks rather than patrolling areas with no visible
threat. When a violent incident occurs, the combination
of automated perimeter detection solutions
and video surveillance provides better situational
awareness, which enhances the safety of guards and
emergency responders. The guard is then able to view
video footage that corresponds with an event before
deploying the correct level of response.
Automated perimeter detection systems are not
meant to replace security guards; rather they are designed
to augment their critical functions. Technologies
such as this can be used to patrol a perimeter
while guards are empowered to provide other valueadded
security services. The combination of highly
trained security officers with automated detection
systems makes a facility safer, more secure and less
vulnerable.
A Comprehensive Solution
An automated perimeter detection solution is an effective
way to prevent crime and becomes a forensic
tool when combined with video surveillance cameras.
The combined solution is then truly proactive
and reactive, enabling security teams to stop activity
and investigate the underlying cause. Remote video
monitoring is another valuable option that enables
users to monitor the solution from an offsite location.
Whatever additional capabilities are needed, a
robust automated perimeter detection solution can be
integrated with a variety of edge devices to provide
a comprehensive, best-of-breed security solution that
delivers immediate return-on-investment, reduces loss
and enhances safety.
This article originally appeared in the June 2011 issue of Security Today.