Facility Security


Just Say No

Administrators at Haltom High School in Haltom City, Texas, wanted their school’s ID cards to be useful, but never did they imagine the cards would help thwart a drug dealer. “We have used student and faculty ID cards for the last decade,” said Rick Mauderer, associate principal at Haltom High School and the person responsible for the school’s ID program. “As a high school of more than 2,600 students, there is no way we can know who every student is, especially with substitute teachers in the building.

Meeting the Mandates

The Department of Homeland Security’s publication of chemical facilities anti-terrorism (CFAT) standards has many chemical and petrochemical companies scrambling to develop security plans for their high-risk facilities. The continued post-9/11 threat of terrorism dictates urgency, and the DHS put teeth in the CFAT rules.

Out With the Old

In Cincinnati, when you say “school’s out,” it has a whole different meaning. That’s because all 65 schools in the Cincinnati Public School District—encompassing preschool through grade 12—are part of a massive, $1 billion facilities master plan that will completely change the face of the city’s educational infrastructure.

Whoa! Nellie

Say you have some pasture land and a few horses. Chances are you won’t install a security system to ensure their safety and security. However, Stonestreet Farm isn’t your run-of-the-mill horse ranch. It’s a thoroughbred horse farm that sprawls over 460 acres in the heart of the bluegrass near Lexington, Ky.

Betting the House

After returning from a business trip earlier this week, I undertook the all too familiar task of sorting through mail, newspapers and magazines that had accumulated during my absence. Among the articles were a number of stories from different parts of the country that reported about local officials having ordered evacuations of neighborhoods because of the release of toxic gases. The largest incident, in North Carolina, required 17,000 residents to evacuate their homes -- from a town of 28,000. The residents were ordered out because of a fire at an industrial site, a hazardous waste business that housed a variety of volatile chemicals, including chlorine. These toxic releases were not related to acts of terrorism, but do highlight the inherent danger of living near chemical facilities

Featured

  • Data Driven, Proactive Response

    As cities face rising demands for smarter policing and faster emergency response, Real Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) are emerging as essential hubs for data-driven public safety. In this interview, two experts with deep field experience — Ross Bourgeois of New Orleans and Dean Cunningham of Axis Communications — draw on decades of operational, leadership and technology expertise to share how RTCCs are transforming public safety through innovation, interagency collaboration and a relentless focus on community impact. Read Now

  • Integration Imagination: The Future of Connected Operations

    Security teams that collaborate cross-functionally and apply imagination and creativity to envision and design their ideal integrated ecosystem will have the biggest upside to corporate security and operational benefits. Read Now

  • Smarter Access Starts with Flexibility

    Today’s workplaces are undergoing a rapid evolution, driven by hybrid work models, emerging smart technologies, and flexible work schedules. To keep pace with growing workplace demands, buildings are becoming more dynamic – capable of adapting to how people move, work, and interact in real-time. Read Now

  • Trends Keeping an Eye on Business Decisions

    Today, AI continues to transform the way data is used to make important business decisions. AI and the cloud together are redefining how video surveillance systems are being used to simulate human intelligence by combining data analysis, prediction, and process automation with minimal human intervention. Many organizations are upgrading their surveillance systems to reap the benefits of technologies like AI and cloud applications. Read Now

  • The Future is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reason. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. But as the number of cameras grows and resolutions push from HD to 4K and beyond, the cloud’s limits are becoming unavoidable. Bandwidth bottlenecks. Latency lags. Rising storage costs. These are not abstract concerns. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.