INDUSTRY FOCUS
Absolute Capitol Security
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Apr 01, 2021
Here we go again, but this
time security is prepared
at the Capitol. Apparently,
the chatter among extremists
groups have been talking
about possible plots of illicit activity in
Washington, D.C.
Information received from the FBI and
the Department of Homeland Security
was passed along to Capitol police about
possible security risks. The warnings come
as lawmakers planned to hold a vote on a
police reform bill. Known as the George
Floy Justice in Policing Act, the aim is supposedly
to enforce accountability, among
other points of contention. Thankfully,
at the time of this writing, any disruption
planned or otherwise didn’t materialize.
My point is that security of the capitol
should remain at the highest level possible.
Capitol police say they are “prepared for
any potential threats towards members of
Congress and the Capitol complex.”
I wanted to know more, so I contacted
my friend, Charlie Howell, who is the principal
at Howell Design Group, and who will
be presenting an April 14 webinar with me.
“The Capital is one of those elements
where you have to blend security with
the operation of the facility because it is
a building of the people for the people,”
Howell said. “The security program is required
for this type of security blend into
the operational parameters of the building
because it will involve policies, procedures,
and organizational structure, training,
awareness and response factors.
Basically, you would have to build reactionary
elements that are triggered by changing
conditions. At a minimum, integrated
access control and video surveillance with a
complete control of the perimeter extents of
the building, site and tunnels would be necessary.
From there, it would include create
landscaping elements that could stand into
barricade lines at 50 feet and 100 feet from
the building edge. All of these would need
to feed into the security operations command
center for monitoring of the changing
conditions that trigger the stand up or stand
down of additional security measures.
“As we saw in the news, there was an
attempt to create a zig zag barrier line and
hold persons at a specific distance from the
building. Then, they retreated to the stairs,
and then retreated into the building, and
then ran,” Howell said. “All political views
aside of the events of that day, I would say
it shows the barricade lines without support
from a holistic security program fall,
when under pressure. A security program
has all of the elements that integrate with
each other to create reactions based on
triggers which then solidify against the
impending threat.”
This article originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of Security Today.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is editor-in-chief of Security Today magazine.