Enhancing Physical Security: Alvarado Turnstiles and Garrett Metal Detectors

By Alana Hanly, Security Consultant at Kenton Brothers

In an ever-evolving world, ensuring physical security is incredibly important. Businesses, public spaces, and institutions face the challenge of safeguarding their premises and protecting individuals from potential threats. Two powerful tools that contribute significantly to physical security are Alvarado turnstiles and Garrett metal detectors. In this blog, we will explore how these technologies work and discuss their valuable role in various physical security scenarios.

Alvarado Turnstiles: An Overview

Alvarado TurnstilesAlvarado turnstiles are sophisticated entry control systems designed to regulate and monitor access to premises. Depending on the type of organization, these turnstiles offer a range of features, including barrier arms, optical sensors, and biometric authentication ensuring only authorized personnel can enter a secure area. Let’s look at some scenarios where Alvarado turnstiles play a pivotal role in enhancing physical security:

Crowd Management at Public Venues

Alvarado turnstiles help efficiently manage large crowds at stadiums, arenas, and concert venues. By controlling the flow of people, these turnstiles prevent unauthorized access and ensure a smooth and orderly entry process. Additionally, they can be integrated with ticketing systems or access control software, providing real-time data for attendance tracking and capacity management, or be implemented with Alvarado’s own Gate Watch software to support your organizational needs.

Employee Access Control

Alvarado TurnstilesIn corporate settings, Alvarado turnstiles act as a reliable solution for employee access control. By implementing turnstile systems with RFID or biometric authentication, businesses can restrict entry to authorized personnel only. This helps prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to sensitive areas, safeguarding valuable assets and confidential information.

Transportation Hubs

Airports, train stations, and bus terminals face unique security challenges due to high volumes of people and the need to ensure restricted areas remain secure. Alvarado turnstiles enable effective access control, allowing only ticketed passengers or authorized personnel into secure zones. They can be seamlessly integrated with security systems, such as video surveillance and alarm systems, to enhance overall safety.

Garrett Metal Detectors: Enhancing Threat Detection

Garrett Metal DetectorsGarrett Metal Detectors are renowned for their advanced technology in detecting metallic objects, offering an additional layer of security in various environments. Here are some of the common scenarios where these devices are used:

Weapons Screening

In locations where public safety is a priority, such as airports, courthouses, and public buildings, Garrett metal detectors are deployed to detect concealed weapons or dangerous objects. By creating a security checkpoint, these detectors help deter potential threats and provide a reliable means of identifying individuals carrying prohibited items.

Event Security

When large gatherings, conferences, or exhibitions take place, Garrett metal detectors play a crucial role in screening attendees for any concealed weapons or dangerous objects. Their presence serves as a deterrent and assures event organizers and participants of a secure environment. These detectors can be used alongside security personnel to conduct quick and non-intrusive screenings.

Loss Prevention

Garrett Metal DetectorsIn retail settings, shoplifting and employee theft pose significant challenges. Garrett metal detectors help prevent inventory shrinkage by detecting unauthorized metal objects leaving the premises. By incorporating metal detection systems at exits, retailers can reduce theft incidents and create a safer shopping environment for customers and employees.

In closing, Alvarado turnstiles and Garrett metal detectors are valuable tools in bolstering physical security across a wide range of scenarios. Whether it’s managing crowds, controlling access to restricted areas, or enhancing threat detection, these technologies offer effective solutions for safeguarding people and assets. By implementing these systems, businesses, institutions, and public venues can create secure environments, assuring individuals of their safety and peace of mind.

If you would like to know more about these solutions, we are here to help. Please give us a call.

Project Update: Commercial Turnstile Installation

Kenton Brothers is in the business of protecting people, property and possessions. We’re honored to install many types of commercial security equipment for specific custom applications. When we received a request for a new, large turnstile custom application from a long-time customer, we were excited to tackle the project.

Turnstiles in general can be tricky for several reasons. Some of these include the area of install, requirements of our customer, integration with commercial access control, and the requested timeline. Working with our customers to figure out their specific needs is crucial to an install like this. And the planning always has to have the end goal as the focus.

Turnstile Project Turnstile Project

Some of the specific challenges during this installation included the area the install was to take place. The work had to be done during a plant shutdown or on an approved weekend. The integration of the turnstile with their commercial security system was also important. And the exact placement of the turnstile mattered.

As the installation progressed, our technicians had to use forklifts to move components of the turnstile down a narrow hallway. There was almost no room for error. Once dropped into place, the turnstile had to be anchored correctly, and then the integration of the turnstile began.

The result is that Kenton Brothers was able to provide a custom application to fit their exact needs… on time, and on budget!

Turnstiles: Layers are the way to secure your people, property and possessions.

By Gina Stuelke, CEO of Kenton Brothers

Understanding a customer’s needs are important in creating a secure opening to any entry or access point in a commercial building. Kenton Brothers is a big proponent of the ‘layered’ approach to security – hardening a location layer by layer to achieve the best solution for securing the space.

Turnstiles

Kenton Brothers - TurnstilesFor example, starting with access control system to control not only which doors people can enter through but when and how they can get in. In installations requiring crowd control, we use Alvarado turnstiles as an additional level of crowd control for either interior or exterior applications. High volumes of traffic that need to enter through a controlled area and provide a credential for legal entry, a ticket or some form of payment may also be required.

Mechanical and electronic waist high turnstiles are a great fit for this need and are typically seen in stadiums, public transit venues, amusement parks, distribution warehouses, manufacturing plants and universities. More and more, these turnstiles work with the buildings’ electronic access control system and are integrated to work seamlessly together.

MizzouRec Project

Kenton Brothers - MizzouRecAn attractive example of turnstiles and access control in action is at MizzouRec, the recreation center on the University of Missouri campus. These devices were customized to incorporate the Universities logo and integrate with the facilities recreation center’s membership software to allow members ease of entry with an active membership.

If you or someone you know is thinking about controlling entry access, we would love to talk with you about it. Please give us a call.