Anti-Terrorism Checklist
Following 9/11, commercial, institutional and industrial premises are taking additional protective steps for the safety of their building, its occupants and assets. This is particularly critical for building operators and owners, whose property is in proximity to national landmarks, tourist attractions and high profile locations, such as airports, cultural centers, retail stores, shopping centers and government buildings.
Below are 12 Security Steps to implement for the safety of all those within a premises, from Richard Soloway, CEO of NAPCO Security Group (a NASDAQ listed company "NSSC") and notable Security Expert:
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Surround the building with physical barriers, such as concrete and/or automatic tire-spikes, to prevent forced entry of explosive-laden vehicles into the premises.
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Implement Closed Circuit TV surveillance throughout the building, including perimeter/exterior coverage. Have the footage monitored live by security staff , and captured in a time/date-stamped recording for archival review as needed.
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Install a point-of-entry access control system and employ a security guard and pass-thru turnstile.
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Control access points into and out of your building from a common lobby or similar reception area staffed with trained personnel. Have mandatory guest registration so you always know who's there and for what purpose (seeing Mr. Y or servicing X machine). Registration must minimally include: name, company name, who was being visited, and time in and out. |
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Distribute ID badge or register credentials for all permanent, official building occupants. These credentials can range from an ID card with mag-stripe or proximity encoding, to more sophisticated biometric entry readers which compare an entrants fingerprint, retinal scan or hand geometry to one stored on file within the access control system's database of authorized personnel. |
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Implement a temporary badging system to track ALL visitors and service people. Whether it's a wearable, "Visitors Sticker" that literally fades out in a given time period or a physical badge which is only temporarily valid for a particular duration of time, per your access system's scheduling program, a specific program must be in place and security staff must be trained to screen all atypical personnel in the premises. |
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In guard-controlled buildings, have all incoming baggage inspected and recorded to its associated visitor. Check laptops and similar electronics for proper function, so that the PC is really a PC and not a veiled explosive device. |
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In multilevel, elevator-controlled buildings, have each floor require the use of a badge to gain access, i.e, only authorized persons with a proper badge encoding can gain access to each floor, or else, the elevator car will not stop on it!
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Make sure elevator's are equipped with phones for emergency and CCTV cameras so security guards can see what is happening and record activity. |
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Make sure "power room" or "control room" areas are also under CCTV surveillance and controlled via an access point reader or with an electronic PIN code lock (standard lock's keys are too often lost and/or duplicated) These often-desolate locales house all the building's power distribution, phone lines, environmental controls and water plant, and are thus vulnerable and attractive to attack. Patrolling these areas is also advisable. |
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Install shut-down controls and detectors on the building's ventilation system to prevent dissemination of airborne diseases, such as anthrax, etc. |
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Some high-profile sites may be of particular interest to terrorist because of the cache and visibility their attack would bring a terrorist group. These sites, including well-known retail stores, shopping centers and headquarters, for example, should heavily rely upon the continuous active presence of security guards on perpetual tour. Their security sweeps should be often and obvious to all building occupants and would-be troublemakers. Covert security guards should also be active at these locations. Also in high-profile sites, both visible and covert CCTV systems should be in place with dedicated security guards scrutinizing the building's cameras to uncover suspicious people and situations. Then, whenever appropriate, intercepting guards are dispatched to investigate and rectify the matter. Of particular concern to these security officers, which may or may not be accompanied by bomb- and drug-sniffing canines, should be unattended parcels and/or bags, luggage, etc. All such parcels should be immediately noted and all adjacent persons questioned as to the origin and ownership of the baggage—so as to rule out planted explosives or the like. Softer targets – hotels, churches, smaller transportation terminals – need to be vigilant as well (re: Kenya, Bali and Moscow incidents). |
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Higher profile buildings should consider installing walk-thru metal detectors and explosive "sniffing" machines – all operated by high-skilled security personnel. |
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