Secure it right.

Know the challenges of each facility type to provide the best security.

Providing a secure environment is as challenging today as it has ever been. Bomb threats, workplace violence, thefts - facilities managers must be ready for anything. Providing the right environment depends on

the facility type. What works in a retail setting may not be the answer to security issues in a corporate headquarters. Facilities managers have a battalion of options they can use to achieve the right mix. Knowing the unique challenges of each facility type can aid in knowing what type of security is right.

Retail

Providing a fortress of security in a retail setting is closer to a curse then a cure. Retail environments, much like healthcare and hospitality, must invite visitors, not lock them out.

"It is a challenge because it not only has to give the appearance of being a safe and secure place, but it has to be functional without compromising product sales and marketing," says Richard Bequette, chairman of Alexandria, VA-based American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) retail security committee. The goal, says Bequette, is to understand safety needs as well as merchants' goals and objectives. "You try to reach a happy medium," Bequette says.

To achieve a balance, the first step is conducting a risk analysis. David Levenberg, corporate director of security at General Growth Properties Inc., Chicago, looks at factors such as crime data and demographics to determine staffing levels and whether or not a site needs closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) or security-tagged merchandise. "We find that with auto burglaries, CCTV helps impact that issue," Levenberg says.

Risk assessments can also help determine the level of patrol staffing needed. Bequette and Levenberg both agree that security patrol personnel are essential in retail. "We are finding ways to use technology to make our people more effective," says Levenberg, who states that technology will never replace staff. In fact, some of General Growth's facilities have glassed-in security offices in public areas where customers can actually see officers operating camera systems.

Other design and architectural elements help alleviate security issues. "We have taken the doors off the restrooms so you have a screen wall that you walk around. This allows people on the outside to hear if there is any activity in the restroom," Levenberg points out.

Another key element is communication with retailers. Explaining why certain security procedures or equipment are needed helps them be accepted and properly followed.

Healthcare

A fast-paced emergency room and a suburban shopping mall may have little in common, but when it comes to security they are two of a kind.

"Like a shopping mall or a department store, we are very much open to the public. You cannot seal [the facility] off. The challenge is to screen who is coming through without violating anyone's rights," says Curt Kohlheyer, East Coast security manager for Kaiser Permanente, Rockville, MD.

The two facility types differ in that a hospital must monitor access 24 hours a day. While during the day, a hospital may allow access through several different entries, during the night visitors are routed through selected entrances supervised by security officers. Proper routing can be made easier if taken into consideration at the design phase. Signage is also a key element to notifying visitors of appropriate entries after hours. Other doors and entrances may be monitored by card access systems and CCTV. Michael R. Cummings, director of loss prevention services for Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee, uses access cards that also serve as identification, time and attendance, and debt cards.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Oakbrook Terrace, IL, which regulates healthcare security aspects, requires that sensitive areas are identified and proper security provided. Although they differ from site to site, these areas may include:

* Emergency departments.

* Nurseries.

* Psychiatric areas.

* Areas that have narcotics, such as pharmacies or cancer units.

* Cash-handling areas, such as gift shops, a cashier station, and cafeterias.

* Parking lots/garages.

Intensive care areas can also be sensitive, says Cummings, because when a critical patient comes in it can be a volatile time for families.

To provide security in these areas, Cummings says he uses a site-specific combination of policy and procedures and technology. For example, in the emergency room safety may be aided by a policy dictating that family members may not be allowed in certain areas, avoiding potentially emotionally explosive situations. On the other hand, duress alarms and CCTV may be provided in a remote basement pharmacy where staff work third shift.

As with retail, local crime statistics and demographics help determine the level of security. Cummings says in some high-crime areas hospitals are now incorporating full metal detectors to identify visitors carrying weapons.

Education

It is undeniable that school safety is a critical issue in the United States today. High-profile events such as the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, CO, have painfully brought the issue to the forefront.

"No greater challenge exists today than creating safe schools. Restoring our schools to tranquil and safe places of learning requires a major strategic commitment," says Ronald D. Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center, Westlake Village, CA. He provides several issues that must be addressed to provide a safe school:

* Create a climate of ownership and school pride. Stephens states that campus pride begins with a clean and well-maintained school. This includes a graffiti abatement program.

* Control campus access. The number of campus entrance and exit points should be minimal and flow easily for regular supervision. Delivery entrances used by vendors also should be checked regularly. Perimeter fencing should be considered to restrict campus access.

* Establish uniform screening procedures to monitor visitors and potential campus intruders. Signs directing persons to the office should be placed in strategic, visible locations. Visitors should be required to sign in and display a visitor's badge.

* Establish an emergency communications center. At least one radio with cellular phone capability should be available on campus for emergencies. Detention classrooms or facilities for behaviorally disruptive students also should have call buttons.

* Promote crime prevention through environmental design. Remove trim or shrubbery that interferes with surveillance. Eliminate obstacles such as trash cans and architectural barriers that block or impede traffic flow, supervision, and surveillance. Use parabolic/convex mirrors in stairwells. Like retail settings, replace double-entry restroom doors with open zigzag entrances.

* Use current technologies that promote crime prevention. Consider electromagnetic door locking systems and proper control strategies such as microdot systems and surveillance cameras for difficult-to-supervise public areas. CCTV is becoming a trend, particularly over the summer since Columbine, Stephens says.

Hospitality

As much as any other facility type, hospitality settings require team work to assure a secure environment. "The difference between hospitality and some other venues is that we need the participation of the guest in assuring [his or her] own security," explains William J. McShane, director of security and fire safety for Manhattan East Suite Hotels, New York City.

Electronic door locks, view ports, and night latches in hotel guest rooms do little to secure a room if a guest fails to use them. Guests must be trained and educated by bell captains, brochures, or television promotions about what safety devices are available.

Providing a safe environment affects business in a hotel. If a guest has an item stolen, a hotel can get a reputation for being unsafe.

As with other sites, facilities managers must complete a threat assessment, identifying where potential problems could occur. According to Washington, D.C.-based American Hotel & Motel Association (AHMA), items to consider include:

* Hotel location. Is the hotel located in a resort area or downtown? What are local statistics?

* Access control. Guests should be routed to a controlled point. Hotel exit doors locked from the outside at night can have signs indicating that guests should use front entrances.

* Key control. Electronic locks not only provide a system in which locks can be "changed" with each new guest, but it also provides an audit trail. Electronic locks should also be considered for hotel storage rooms, outside entrances, and meeting rooms.

* Lighting. Parking areas and walkways require good lighting to deter criminals or make it difficult for them to hide.

* Security officers. Patrols can cover parking facilities, meeting rooms, and guestroom areas. They can also assist the guests. "Everything has on overlay of hospitality," says McShane.

McShane states that design is also important in a hospitality setting. A clear line of site should be provided from the front desk to elevator banks and to the main entrance. Security cameras should also have clear views.

Corporate

While corporate facilities allow for more access control, they have their own set of challenges. An office space can house any type of occupant and providing their security needs may require flexibility.

"People want total convenience and total security at the same time," says Alan J. Palagy, director of security for Equity Office Properties, Indianapolis. He offers an example of one tenant who wanted clients to have easy access to the office, but didn't want sales people wandering in unannounced. "But they were both wearing business suits and carrying briefcases," which poised a difficult situation for security personnel, states Palagy.

In an owner-occupied office facility where employees leave about the same time every day with little after-hours use, a security officer might be all that is needed at night. "If you have a lot of people who work late and you have a higher volume of people at night, then you might have to use an access control system," says Palagy.

Location of the property, size of the city, and crime statistics also help determine needs. Marieta B. Oglesby, senior vice president of Barnes Cos., Dallas, says involvement with local law enforcement helps a facilities professional keep up with ever-changing crime stats. If there is a rash of thefts, a facilities professional can either permanently or temporarily increase security measures, such as increasing patrols.

Communication with other properties can also be beneficial. Palagy is part of a fax network that continually updates members on crime trends in the area, but keeps properties anonymous to avoid any adverse affects on leasing.

In addition to communication, Oglesby says event recorders at entrances and exits are beneficial and may be more cost effective than 24-hour staffing. "[Cameras] need to be visible and working; no fake cameras," Oglesby states.

Even with such equipment in place, both professionals agree that risk assessment must be done regularly to always provide the appropriate level of security as churn occurs or tenants change.

Surveying Retail Security

Managing security in a retail setting, as with any facility, involves consistent review and analysis of objective, factual information. The following are areas that must be evaluated when conducting a security survey:

* Overall site masterplan. What site changes are planned to occur? How accessible is the site by highway and foot from adjoining structures?

* Intended usage (or planned changes): What mix of occupancy exists or is planned?

* Vertical circulation: What exit parts are available via elevators, escalators, stairs?

* Significant design features (or planned changes): What aesthetic features are susceptible to vandalism? What is the location of the trash removal area, loading dock access, and configuration, etc.?

* Tenant mix: Who are the tenants, including space configuration nature and profile of the businesses, level and type of after-hours traffic?

* Parking configuration and usage: What types of facilities will exist? How are revenues controlled?

SOURCE: "SECURITY & SAFETY: ISSUES AND IDEAS FOR SHOPPING CENTER PROFESSIONALS," INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS

Security Power

To assure that security systems are always functional, a clean, reliable source of power must be maintained.

Generally, utility power is reliable. "When that power gets inside the building, we, the customer, do terrible things with that power. We put computers on electrical systems and we put them on the same circuits as the coffee pot in the break room. More often then not it is what we, the customer, are doing that is causing our own problems," says Tony DeSpirito, director of North American APC Global Services, West Kingston, RI A power audit of the wiring and grounding of the facility should be conducted to provide a stable and proper infrastructure to support electronic equipment. A facilities says DeSpirito.

In addition to today's security issues, the future may hold new challenges in electronic security as corporate America moves into e-business. "Think of someone who does e-business. They have a web-site and they do transaction-based processing on their website and they take credit card numbers and purchase orders. There is a web of electronic security built around that, in terms of fire walls and pass words," says DeSpirito. If a fire wall set up on a router attached to the website has a problem, the site and its information is open to any hacker, potentially causing havoc and lost revenue. Providing uninterruptible power to fire walls and other electronic security devices is essential to business.

Elaine Watkins-Miller (elaine-miller@stamats.com) is senior associate editor at Buildings magazine.