Archive for category: System Design and Consulting

By Kevin Whaley, CPP, Sr. Security Consultant at Kenton Brothers

Welcome to the first part of a multi-part series where we dive into the idea of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design or CPTED.

How many parts? Yet to be determined. My objective with this series is to provide you with an introduction to CPTED with the hope that you will be able to consider these ideas and principles for your next security project.

Introduction

When it comes to physical security, most people tend to think of guards, video surveillance (aka “big brother”), alarms, fences with barbwire, etc.

That is the basic underlying impression that people get when they hear security. When I think of security, I think of onions. (That’s not an acronym for anything.) When I conduct a security assessment, I tell my clients to think of security like an onion. Why? Because security, like onions, should have layers. We also refer to these layers as “concentric layers of security” meaning that each layer builds off of the last to create maximum protection.

When developing a security plan, the goal is to create a “target shift” or target hardening. This means that you’re trying to make it as difficult as possible to defeat the security measures or increase the probability of becoming detected or being caught. Depending on conventional security measures like access control, video surveillance and security guards may have their limitations. Employing standalone security measures may fail to address the underlying behavioral patterns that may adversely affect the environment. That’s where CPTED comes in.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

CPTED is defined as “the proper design and effective use of the built environment that can lead to a reduction in the fear and incidence of crime and an improvement in the quality of life.” In other words, a CPTED analysis focuses on creating changes to the physical and social environment, that may reinforce positive behavior, with the goal of reducing opportunities for crime that may be inherent in the design of the built environment. CPTED is a multi-disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior.

CPTED incorporates principles from:

• Planning
• Architecture
• Landscape Architecture
• Security
• Facilities
• Engineering
• Law Enforcement
• Legal/HR

CPTED design includes the physical design, social management and directives that seek to affect positive human behavior as people interact with their environment.

Depending on your organization’s industry, you may already have established design guidelines that have been set by a governing body, standard, or regulation. For example, FEMAs Risk Management Series: Site and Urban Design for Security (Guidance Against Potential Terrorist Attacks) FEMA 430, establishes guidance for government facilities but can be applied almost universally.

However, if your organization doesn’t have guidelines, there are many factors that you may need to consider during the planning phase.

These factors may include (but are not limited to):

• Stairs and ramp design
• Interior and exterior lighting
• Parking lot designs
• Landscaping
• Doors and windows
• Blind spots or “ambush” points
• Building circulation patterns

When entering the planning and design phase, it may be beneficial for you to enlist the services of a security consultant with experience in conducting CPTED assessments to assist you in developing your plans. (That would be Kenton Brothers Systems for Security… :)

CPTED is based on 4 key overlapping concepts which we will dive into in greater detail in the rest of this series.

Natural Surveillance – the placement of physical features, activities, and people in a way that maximized visibility from the surrounding environment. This increases the threat of apprehension by taking steps to increase the perception that people can be seen.

Natural Access Control – Natural access control means controlling access to a site. People are physically guided through a space by the strategic design of streets, sidewalks, building entrances, and landscaping. This clearly defines entryways and guides personnel to specific entrances that are well lit and overlooked by surrounding areas.

Territorial Reinforcement – In CPTED it refers to the development of areas or places where the users feel a strong sense of ownership. It is an umbrella concept, embodying natural surveillance and access control principles. This establishes your territorial boundaries and provides the “line in the sand.”

Maintenance – Allows for the continued use of a space for its intended purpose. Serves as an additional expression of ownership. Prevents reduction of visibility from landscaping overgrowth and obstructed or inoperative lighting. Ensures that your security postures remain effective by reinforcing the concepts of natural surveillance, access control and territorial reinforcement. Displays that the site is regularly cared for and occupied.

CPTED can be a little overwhelming, even for seasoned practitioners. If you’re interested in finding out how CPTED can enhance your organization’s security program, or just want to learn more, please contact me. (Kenton Brothers’ local CPTED subject matter expert, Kevin Whaley, CPP.)

By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers

What in the world is a Security Systems Integrator?

That is a great question and one I hope to answer with this story. Eleven years ago, I had no idea what a security integrator was either. It wasn’t until I got involved in the security industry and saw firsthand what a Security Systems Integrator was and why they’re so important to so many organizations.

First let me tell you a story about a time we got robbed…

It might surprise you to know that my first involvement with a security company was like many of you. I had an alarm system put into my business. I did my research and picked a reputable, big-name company to do the work. It was a straightforward process. I was happy with my provider and trusted that they knew what they were doing. The alarm system worked great for years.

Fifteen years later I had sold my company to a much larger organization and was working with them in a brand new, large operational center in the southeast United States. This operational center counted and stored very large amounts of cash and checks and processed them daily. Security was critically important. The large company I worked for did the same thing I had done fifteen years prior. They called a big-name company to come out and install a security system to protect their assets.

The representative from the security company was in the 30,000 sq ft building for 30 minutes. A week later, they installed 2 keypads, 4 glass break sensors, some motion detectors, 2 sets of door contacts and one siren. They also installed three cameras… One in the cash room and one at the front door.

It was a great idea to have the cameras installed.

Within the first week of opening, late at night, we were able to see a person shoot out the glass entryway of our lobby and enter the building. He ran straight to the cash room and kicked in the door. We watched him go right to the safe we had installed and enter the code. He opened the door of the safe within two minutes of entering the building. And he was on his way out carrying an armful of envelopes full of cash and checks, dropping some along the way. It was obviously a person with inside knowledge of our systems and the location of the security devices.

It turns out the alarm didn’t go off and no one was notified until 6am the next morning when the first employees arrived and saw the carnage. Our security system was not installed by a Security Systems Integrator. It was installed by a subcontractor of a national alarm company. There’s a big difference.

A Security Systems Integrator like Kenton Brothers Systems for Security would approach this building and the liability of the cash and checks in a very different way.

Using the Defense in Depth model we would have recommended a layered approach with the following considerations:

• An exterior camera would be added to extend the perimeter and alert when there was car activity in the parking lot after operating hours
• All doors would always be locked and require key or credential entrance
• The alarm would arm automatically at a predetermined time
• If the alarm did not arm or was disarmed outside of normal hours, an alert would be issued
• The cash room door would be reinforced with a five-point door and a steel reinforced frame
• All the codes on the safe would have been changed after install and assigned to the person opening the safe, which would require dual authentication for access
• The intrusion system would be tied to the surveillance system. A video feed would be sent to the monitoring company to dispatch police as a verified crime in progress for priority response.

This true story seeks to point out the differences between an alarm company and a Security Systems Integrator. A Security Systems Integrator specializes in bringing independent security components together ensuring that those components function together properly to protect people, property, and possessions. These components include IP video surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, mass notification, weapons detection, analytics and more. Fully developed Security Systems Integrators are considered ‘design-build’ integrators.

Security Systems Integrators can provide the following services:

• Security risk or needs assessments
• Customized system engineering and design
• Broad access to the leading manufacturers and product lines
• Procurement, staging, installation, commissioning and training
• Full lifecycle service and maintenance
• System updates and operational upgrades

A Security Systems Integrator can take advantage of their unique perspective on the key ingredients for successful development of a physical security program. We like to call it the KB Advantage – utilizing over a century worth of experience and wisdom to assess, design, engineer, install, commission, train and maintain a remarkable physical security system.

If you want to know more about how we can help you develop a layered security approach for your organization, please give us a call.