INDUSTRY FOCUS

A Tragic Turn of Events

No doubt that 2020 will have proven to be one of the oddest years, perhaps in our lifetime. COVID-19 has forced all of us to rethink how to successfully do our jobs. By all counts, the rebound into 2021 have shown good results, except for domestic terrorism.

Mass shootings have spiraled out of control, and one has to wonder what additional security measures could have, should have been implemented to preserve lives. Mass shootings are rising, but make up a tiny fraction of American gun deaths. They are, however, incidents that grab the headlines.

Gun violence has not ended because businesses and schools closed the front doors. It just seemed to turn away from public view. It came roaring back in March, in Atlanta, when a series of mass shootings occurred at three spas in the Metro area. Eight people were killed. This also proved to open the flood gates of what I would consider domestic terrorism.

In the first seven weeks of this year, there have been 63 mass shootings — defined as four or more people injured or killed in one incident. These numbers are crippling, and whether or not this is a side effect of the pandemic is of little consequence.

Charlie Howell, principal at Howell Design Group, said a true secured entry provides a ballistic, vandal-proof public interaction area, separate from the mass of people working in the private space beyond.

“What we do is determine different types of spaces that will be used for that organization. Conceptually we call these Public, Semi Public and Private. We put the ballistic barriers between public and private. In layouts where there is a semipublic we have to case-by-case it to determine the proper barriers.”

In March, a gunman open fire at a grocery store in Boulder, CO. A grocery store cannot lock its front doors, but security measures are needed to prevent a gunman from entering. Ten people died.

On April 15, eight people at an Indianapolis FedEx warehouse were killed, several wounded, by a former employee. I hope security measures were in place, but a quick review would be needed now to better protect workers going forward.

“The second measure is we have to either put the reception staff behind the ballistic barriers or we have to design a desk that can double as an escape pod with a ballistic chamber under the desk,” Howell said. “The third item is training the reception staff to hit the panic button, which we then program to lockdown the facility, alert the response force and change permissions on card access credentials.”

This article originally appeared in the May June 2021 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

  • AI Used as Part of Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

    A cybersecurity inflection point has been reached in which AI models has become genuinely useful in cybersecurity operation. But to no surprise, they can used for both good works and ill will. Systemic evaluations show cyber capabilities double in six months, and they have been tracking real-world cyberattacks showing how malicious actors were using AI capabilities. These capabilities were predicted and are expected to evolve, but what stood out for researchers was how quickly they have done so, at scale. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.