| https://sm.asisonline.org/Pages/Supply-Chain-Company-Makes-Access-Control-a-Priority.aspx | Supply Chain Company Makes Access Control a Priority | GP0|#69b4a912-eafa-43d2-b6a4-8aed47f69245;L0|#069b4a912-eafa-43d2-b6a4-8aed47f69245|Security Technology;GTSet|#8accba12-4830-47cd-9299-2b34a4344465 | <p>Transportation Impact is a privately held company named to the Inc. 5000 list by Inc. magazine five times. The company aims to reduce supply chain costs for cli- ents in multiple vertical markets. The company, based in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, works for clients to reduce shipping costs through small package and freight negotiation, as well as with its state-of-the-art transportation management system. The company employs a team of 70 people in two modern office buildings in North Caro- lina. The safety and security of the company's dedicated employees and infrastructure is a priority for Transportation Impact. Company executives knew it was time to invest in an access control system to protect employees. </p><p>Transportation Impact's corporate headquarters resides in a four-story building with the bottom two floors housing executive offices and conference rooms and the top two floors housing a restaurant and bar that is open to the public.</p><p>The biggest challenge the company faced in sharing a building was that members of the public commonly walked in on private meetings taking place in conference rooms while looking for the restaurant. Having the public enter Transportation Impact's office at will was not only a disruption, it was also a security risk for employees and for private information and systems. It was imperative that the conference room and executive areas were safeguarded from unauthorized access.</p><p>The company needed an access control solution that was simple to administer across multiple buildings, could handle the addition of geographically dispersed locations, and provided users with a con- venient method to access the buildings. Transportation Impact consulted security integrator, Electronic Solutions of Green- ville, North Carolina.</p><p>Electronic Solutions had been working with Transportation Impact for several years and understood the company's needs. Ron Snyder, president of Elec- tronic Solutions and an ISONAS certified partner, suggested the ISONAS Pure IP access control solution in the fall of 2016, starting with a pilot program for ISO- NAS's new RC-04 reader-controller, all managed from the ISONAS software, Pure Access Cloud.</p><p>Transportation Impact was one of the first companies to use the new hardware product and provide feedback on the functionality and usability of the system. In addition, it was one of the first to take advantage of the Pure Mobile credentials from ISONAS. "The ISONAS solution is easy to install and it offers a simple solution, which only requires an ISONAS reader-controller and a CAT 5 cable for power and data," Snyder says.</p><p>One key challenge that drove Transportation Impact and Electronic Solutions to choose ISONAS was the need for convenient access for their users. After installing the system, Transportation Impact provided key fobs to employees to use with the system.</p><p>Unfortunately, many of the key fobs were lost, which resulted in employees propping open doors, circumventing the security and effectiveness of the access control solution. With the number of lost key fobs, Transportation Impact needed to find a way to incor- porate access control into their employees' normal everyday practices. The ISONAS Pure Mobile credential allowed them to take the convenience of their mobile phone to the next level. The Bluetooth Low Energy feature of the Pure IP hardware family (RC-04) eliminated the need for a physical card or key fob and allowed a mobile device to act as an access card.</p><p>With the simplicity of Pure Mobile in combination with Pure Access, there was no need to install additional software, purchase additional licenses to enroll mobile credentials, or acquire a bank of credentials. The RC-04 hardware and Pure Access software are ready to use with the ISONAS Pure Mobile credentials right out of the box. An employee at Transportation Impact downloads the Pure Mobile appli- cation to his or her phone, presents it to a reader-controller, and the facility adminis- trator associates that mobile phone to the user's profile.</p><p>"We were looking for an easy-to-use access control solution that allowed access with the touch of a button and we found it," says Norm Pollock, vice president of information technology at Transportation Impact. "In addition to having mobile access, we really liked having the ability to automate on a schedule and set the doors to lock and unlock during certain times of the day all from the Pure Access Cloud software."</p><div><p>Transportation Impact has 11 ISONAS RC-04 reader-controllers installed across two office buildings, all administered from the Pure Access Cloud software, giving access from anywhere at any time. Pure Access Cloud eliminated the need for any additional onsite network infrastructure and provided full administra- tive and management power of the access control system from any device. Now the company can assign users to the system; establish access schedules, events, and holidays; prevent doors from being propped open; and eliminate surprise visits from the public. With nine doors secured in the corporate headquarters and two installed in a second building on the front and back doors, Transportation Impact is ready for business.</p></div><p>With plans for a third office building in the works, Transportation Impact can easily add additional doors to its access control system now and in the future.</p><p> <em>Monique Merhige is president of Infusion Direct Marketing and Advertising, Inc.</em></p> | | |
| https://sm.asisonline.org/Pages/Taking-Off.aspx | Taking Off | GP0|#69b4a912-eafa-43d2-b6a4-8aed47f69245;L0|#069b4a912-eafa-43d2-b6a4-8aed47f69245|Security Technology;GTSet|#8accba12-4830-47cd-9299-2b34a4344465 | <p>The year 2016 marked a surge in excitement surrounding how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, could be used commercially. Amazon had just made its first product delivery by drone. Countries began passing drone regulation measures in response to the availability of UAVs and in anticipation of continued industry growth. Re- search institutes predicted spending on drones to double by 2020; the security industry was expected to be one of the top adopters of drone technology.</p><p>But, despite the hype, security practitioners have been hesitant to adopt the technology and fully integrate it into their security programs.</p><p>"Interest level is off the charts," says Lew Pincus, senior vice president of system solutions at Hoverfly. "There's a lot of new technology, but also that doubt when it's new—security directors tend to be averse to new technology and taking on new risks that are unknown."</p><p>A combination of the seemingly endless possibilities of drone technology, the overwhelming task of acquiring a drone, gaining buy-in, creating operating procedures, and following federal regulations may be giving the security industry pause.</p><p>There's also a lingering perception that UAVs are intimidating, futuristic technology that's meant to take the place of security officers and more traditional security technology. Pincus encourages security managers to consider drones not as an automated instrument meant to replace personnel, but as another tool in their security toolbox, much like cameras or video analytics.</p><p>"I really see it in all sorts of applications, but not replacing security guards as much as augmenting them," Pincus explains. "You still need a response component."</p><p>And, just like any other piece of equipment in the workplace, training is imperative for a successful—and efficient—rollout of a new program, says Josh Olds, cofounder and vice president of operations at the Unmanned Safety Institute. This is especially true for drones flown in the United States, where the U.S.</p><p>Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a longstanding set of regulations dictating how aircraft are flown.</p><p>"In this particular industry, it's not just a piece of equipment, it's being flown in the national airspace, which is regulated by the FAA and presents a whole new complexity to the operation," Olds says. "If for some reason an individual isn't properly trained and improperly uses the technology, you can be looking at serious injury, or privacy and ethics violations."</p><p>Olds has a background as a commercial pilot and uses that knowledge to train organizations on how to use drones and properly merge the technology into their operations. Like Pincus, he has seen some hesitation from the security industry to embrace drones.</p><p>"I think a lot of the hesitation comes from the reality that there is a new liability that is being taken on," Olds says. "There's a big facet of this industry that is worried about the risks that come with operating unmanned aircraft. When you're talking about the ability to fly an aircraft that weighs 55 pounds—that's a significant system. If that were to fall out of the sky, it poses a major hazard."</p><p>Despite such concerns, Olds and Pincus agree that the benefits outweigh the challenges of integrating drones into a security organization.</p><p>"The ability to see and get actionable intelligence in the air above where security is being done is very exciting and new to the industry," Pincus says. "And with respect to the active shooter threats at concerts and events—I think the Las Vegas shooting put the spotlight on how vulnerable outdoor events and spectator sports are. Having an eye in the sky has become important for public safety."</p><p>Olds says that the key to successfully integrating a drone into an existing safety ecosystem is establishing a strong foundation.</p><p>"If you build the right foundation from the start, a program becomes easily scalable," Olds says. "In the security sector, there are a lot of different aircraft that meet different needs. It's important to understand the business use case, what you're going to use the equipment for, and being able to scale from that." </p><p>Pincus agrees, noting that planning for how to integrate a drone into a security program should begin before the vehicle is purchased.</p><p>"Setting up a program requires putting all the pieces together of purchasing the right kind of drone—do you need a free-flying drone or a tethered one?" Pincus says. "What is the overall goal, what are you trying to do with a drone? You need to do a review of your site security plan and figure out where UAVs fit into that plan by assessing the threatscape."</p><p>Pincus recommends using case management reports, crime statistics, and other data to determine what kind of drone is needed, whether it's a free-flying drone that can be used periodically along a perimeter to check for anomalies, or a static, persistent aerial view for long stretches of time. Whether or not the drone can be integrated into the existing security operations center should also be considered, he says.</p><p> Another aspect of building a strong program foundation involves in-depth training, which covers far more than just how to operate the equipment, Olds notes.</p><p>"We look at training from an aviation perspective—it's like ground school, you get them educated on airspace, weather, and different facets that affect the operations of the aircraft," Olds explains. "But then you have to train them on the ability to use their crew, the ability to make decisions while in flight—what are the emergency procedures? Education is key to implementation—and that's not even talking about the physical, hands- on training."</p><p>Once a security program has purchased the drone that best fits their needs and has undergone training, the next hurdle is becoming FAA compliant. The agency enacted regulations for drones that include obtaining certificates of authorization to operate the drone. An organization may need to obtain waivers from the FAA, including allowances to fly at night, beyond line of sight, or near airports.</p><p>Olds acknowledges that being FAA compliant may feel restricting to security managers who want to use them in those situations that require waivers.</p><p>"The true business use of this application of technology is beyond line of sight or other situations that require waivers. and all the FAA is trying to do is make sure that if a company is implementing this technology in a more complex way—which brings on more risks and hazards—that they are doing it in as safe a way as possible," Olds says.</p><p>Olds urges security directors to consider FAA's larger role in maintaining the national airspace, and the challenges that come with creating regulations for a rapidly growing industry with a wide array of applications and technology.</p><p>"What the FAA has done is take a stairstep approach to regulations in the industry," Olds explains. "The waiver process that is in place to ensure that when an organization says they're going to fly at night, or beyond line of sight, FAA is able to say, 'How are we going to ensure the safety of manned traffic that is already existing in that airspace?'"</p><p>Pincus says he believes federal UAV regulations will continue to evolve as more industries adopt the technology. Tools such as video analytics, facial recognition, and data collection that are currently used in integrated surveillance systems could be placed onboard the drone, allowing it to analyze situations—and sound the alarm—in real time.</p><p>"There's some of that type of soft- ware available, but it will become more important to tie it in to video management systems and security operations or alarm centers," Pincus explains. "That's where I see the industry going." </p> | | |
| https://sm.asisonline.org/Pages/Lost-in-Transit.aspx | Lost in Transit | GP0|#cd529cb2-129a-4422-a2d3-73680b0014d8;L0|#0cd529cb2-129a-4422-a2d3-73680b0014d8|Physical Security;GTSet|#8accba12-4830-47cd-9299-2b34a4344465 | <p>It was a busy morning in December 2017 as a woman boarded the London Underground's Central Line service. While she was on the train, Malcolm Schwartz, 19, also boarded. He approached her and exposed himself, pressing into her.</p><p>The next month, Schwartz boarded the Underground again and assaulted two women, touching and pressing himself against them inappropriately. Later in January, Schwartz once again rode the Underground and stood closely behind a woman, touching her inappropriately as the train traveled through London.</p><p>All four women reported their experiences to the police, and the British Transport Police's Sexual Offences Unit was able to use their reports to trace Schwartz. He was apprehended and pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault. </p><p>"Schwartz's behavior was perverse," said DC Thomas O'Regan from the police's Sexual Offences Unit in a press release. "Over a two-month period of time, he traveled on busy Central Line trains assaulting women for his own sexual gratification. His conduct was outrageous, and I am pleased we were able to catch him."</p><p>As part of the punishment for his crimes, Schwartz is now banned from using the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway network and prohibited from sitting next to women traveling alone that he does not know.</p><p>"This complex case demonstrates the true value in reporting unwanted sexual behavior to police," O'Regan said. "The victims each provided us with clear accounts of what happened, enabling us to clearly identify Schwartz as the perpetrator. Reports such as theirs help us catch offenders and ensure that justice is delivered."</p><p>But just a few years earlier, those reports might not have been made. A 2013 survey by Transport for London (TfL)—London's transit authority—found that one in 10 of its customers experienced unwanted sexual behavior while using the system. Yet, 90 percent of those individuals did not report the incidents to the police.</p><p>TfL's findings mirrored a wider trend in transit security—that unwanted sexual behavior is pervasive, and few victims ever report the incidents to the authorities. These incidents can also act as barriers for women who want to use public transit but feel unsafe doing so.</p><p>"The lack of personal security, or the inability to use public transport without the fear of being victimized—whether on public transport, walking to or from a transit facility or stop, or waiting at a bus, transit stop, or station platform—can substantially decrease the attractiveness and thus the use of public transit," according to the Global Mobility Report, published by the World Bank partnership Sustainable Mobility for All in 2017. </p><p><em>Security Management</em> took a look at how two major transportation systems are addressing sexual harassment and unwanted sexual behavior in their systems in an effort to increase reporting and catch perpetrators.</p><h4>The London Approach</h4><p>TfL is responsible for the daily operations of London's transportation network and managing London's main roads. Its system includes the London Underground, London Buses, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, TfL Rail, London Trams, London River Services, London Dial-a-Ride, Victoria Coach Station, Santander Cycles, and the Emirates Air Line.</p><p>The system serves more than 8.8 million people, according to its most recent annual report, with 31 million services provided. It has more than 12,000 CCTV cameras and 3,000 officers from the British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police Service that are dedicated to policing its network to keep customers safe. </p><p>Additionally, its frontline police officers and TfL on-street enforcement officers have received training and briefing on tackling unwanted sexual behavior on public transportation.</p><p>Senior Operational Policy Manager of Compliance, Policing, and On-Street Services Mandy McGregor says TfL knew that sexual offences were widely underreported in society in general and thought this might also be the case for public transportation in London.</p><p>In 2013, Tfl conducted its first safety and security survey, which asked people if they had experienced unwanted sexual behavior in the past and if they reported it. Unwanted sexual behavior included staring, groping, rubbing, masturbating, ejaculating, flashing, and taking up-skirt photos with covert cameras.</p><p>"Unwanted sexual behavior is anything that makes you uncomfortable," McGregor says. "You don't have to prove that it was a criminal offense or intentional to report it, we can investigate that for you."</p><p>After the survey was conducted and analyzed, TfL found that one in 10 people had experienced unwanted sexual behavior, but of those victims 90 percent did not report it to authorities.</p><p>To better understand why people weren't reporting these incidents, TfL conducted further research into the survey and discovered four main barriers to reporting.</p><p>The first was normalization, McGregor says, explaining that "some of these behaviors have become so prevalent in society that they have become normalized and are often seen as a social nuisance rather than a more serious problem."</p><p>The second barrier was internalization, a coping mechanism that can be used both in the moment and after an incident occurs.</p><p>"The experience is unpleasant, but threat of escalation often means that people don't respond in the moment; they either ignore it or pretend not to hear it," she explains.</p><p>The other barriers were lack of awareness of the reporting process and a lack of credibility, McGregor says.</p><p>"Very few people believed that reporting an unwanted sexual behavior will result in justice, as they perceived there to be a low chance of the perpetrator being caught," she explains.</p><p>Using these insights, TfL crafted a campaign designed to overcome these barriers to reporting by showing that reports matter and will be investigated. The campaign, called "Report it to Stop it," was rolled out on posters, social media, videos, and case studies. It encourages people to report instances of unwanted sexual behavior on public transport through a variety of means, including calling a dedicated criminal reporting line, texting 61016, or speaking directly to a police officer or TfL staff.</p><p>Since its release in April 2015, the campaign films and case studies have been watched more than 35 million times on YouTube. McGregor says the campaign has also reached young people through educational sessions in schools and universities.</p><p>"In its first year in the market, the campaign had a 59 percent recognition rate amongst its target audience and 64 percent of people agree that they are likely to consider reporting," she adds. </p><p>Since the campaign was implemented, TfL has seen a "significant increase" in reports of unwanted sexual behavior in the system. For instance, roughly one year after the campaign was released, TfL saw a 36 percent increase in the number of reported instances.</p><p>"Between April and December 2015, 1,603 reports were made to the police, compared to 1,117 in the same period in 2014," TfL said in a press release. "These reports resulted in a 40 percent increase in arrests for offenses, including rubbing, groping, masturbation, leering, sexual comments, indecent acts, or the taking of photographs without consent."</p><p>"It's also helped trigger a national dialogue on sexual harassment—raising awareness that unwanted sexual behavior should never be accepted as part of the everyday lives of women and girls," McGregor says. </p><p>TfL continues to use the "Report it to Stop it" campaign, which McGregor says will continue to evolve until TfL feels that unwanted sexual behavior has been "stamped out" of the network.</p><p>"Every report the police receive helps to build a picture of the offender, so they can be caught and brought to justice," she explains. "Since we launched the 'Report it to Stop it' campaign, we've seen a large increase in the number of people feeling confident to report and, in turn, higher numbers of reports, arrests, and conviction rates."</p><h4>The D.C. Approach</h4><p>In 1976, an interstate compact created the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) to develop a regional transportation system that would serve the Washington, D.C., area. </p><p>Metro now has 91 stations across 117 miles of track, and 1,500 Metrobuses that serve a population of approximately 4 million people in a 1,500-square mile jurisdiction spread across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.</p><p>Metro also has a sworn police force that investigates crimes, including sexual harassment, that occur on the transit system. Personnel are aided by a robust camera system. Transit police and frontline staff receive special training to handle reports of sexual harassment in the system. </p><p>"Frontline employees are the ones that interact most with the customers, and typically if an officer is not around, we encourage people to report an incident to a Metro employee," says Sherri Ly, spokesperson for Metro. "It's important that our frontline employees also have that training and understanding, when they are dealing with customers reporting incidents of harassment."</p><p>In 2015, Metro—like TfL before it—began to suspect that instances of sexual harassment were underreported on its system. To assess the situation, it partnered with Collective Action DC and Stop Street Harassment to conduct its first comprehensive transit safety survey.</p><p>Metro wanted to find out "how do reports of harassment on our system compare to other public transportation?" Ly says. "And what we found was that it's comparable to what we see nationwide."</p><p>Through the effort, Metro found that roughly 20 percent of surveyed people had experienced sexual harassment on public transportation—women were three times more likely than men to experience sexual harassment. Of those incidents, 77 percent of people never reported them.</p><p>Metro also found that 41 percent of survey participants were familiar with its antiharassment awareness campaign at the time. Those who were familiar with it were twice as likely to report an incident of harassment.</p><p>Taking these findings into account, Metro once again partnered with Collective Action DC and Stop Street Harassment to create a new sexual harassment awareness campaign for its system. The new campaign uses the slogans "You have a right to speak up" and "You deserve to be treated with respect."</p><p>The idea behind the campaign is that everyone who rides Metro deserves to be treated with respect, Ly says. "And we want people to know that anyone who feels that they've been the victim of harassment should report that incident."</p><p>The campaign also features a diverse group of individuals, designed to reflect Metro's diverse ridership—men, women, and members of the LGBTQ community, from various ethnic backgrounds.</p><p>"We wanted to be inclusive," Ly explains. "Harassment doesn't just impact one race, one gender. Everyone, regardless of what your background is, deserves to ride the system and be treated with respect."</p><p>In addition to creating a new awareness campaign, Metro also created the option for individuals to report sexual harassment incidents and remain anonymous.</p><p>"With harassment and sexual harassment, a lot of times people might be uncomfortable reporting those and having to give their name, so this is a way for someone who wants to remain anonymous to report through our portal, and we will still investigate those claims," Ly adds.</p><p>Individuals can now report incidents via Metro's Web portal, email, text, or in person at a Metro station to any frontline employee or police officer. </p><p>Following the rollout of the campaign in 2017, Ly says Metro has seen an increase in the number of sexual harassment incidents reported. There were 61 reported incidents to its sexual harassment portals in 2017, compared to just 37 the previous year, according to Metro's Semi-Annual Security Report. Of those incidents, 34 were harassment, 16 were criminal nonsexual incidents, and 11 criminal incidents—down from 16 in 2016.</p><p>"We think it's a good thing that we are seeing more and more people reporting, but at the same time you're seeing the number of incidents that rise to the level of criminal declining because we're also sending a message to those that might think about doing some like this that it's not okay," Ly says. "We're putting them on notice—that we take these things seriously, and that if a crime has occurred, we will investigate and hopefully find the person responsible." </p> | | |
| https://sm.asisonline.org/Pages/Scanning-the-Schoolyard.aspx | Scanning the Schoolyard | GP0|#cd529cb2-129a-4422-a2d3-73680b0014d8;L0|#0cd529cb2-129a-4422-a2d3-73680b0014d8|Physical Security;GTSet|#8accba12-4830-47cd-9299-2b34a4344465 | <p>Relationships between students and campus law enforcement have been key to establishing an environment of safety and security at Delaware Valley School District, which encompasses 200 square miles in northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>"Kids have come to the police officers…and told them about potential threats that we've been able to curtail before they've happened," says Christopher Lordi, director of administrative services for the district.</p><p>About eight years ago, the rural district decided to employ its own sworn police force and hired five officers, including a chief of police. It has since added a sixth.</p><p>"Having a police force not only gives us a presence of an armed person to counteract any issues that we may have, but it also allows us to create relationships with students," Lordi says. </p><p>The officers are a presence on the three campuses that make up the district. They may be found teaching and conducting Internet safety classes and anti-drug programs. </p><p>"Not only are they our first line of defense, but they're also relationship builders, and they create positive environments where kids will feel comfortable to come and tell them things," Lordi says.<img src="/ASIS%20SM%20Callout%20Images/0618%20Case%20Study%20Stats%20Box.jpg" class="ms-rtePosition-2" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:246px;" /> </p><p>Still, the officers and faculty can't be everywhere at once when incidents do occur, which is why the district installed a camera and video management system (VMS) about 10 years ago. </p><p>"It doesn't matter how many administrators you have, how many teachers you have, how many officers you have," Lordi notes. "They can't be everywhere at once, so the cameras allow us to be in those places when somebody can't." </p><p>As the original cameras and VMS were becoming outdated, Delaware Valley's board was supportive of purchasing a new system. The district worked with integrator Guyette Communications of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, and chose the Vicon Valerus VMS system, as well as approximately 400 cameras, also from Vicon. Installation began in March 2017 and ended just before the new school year began in August. </p><p>The cameras, the majority of which are the 3 megapixel IQeye Alliance dome model, were installed inside and outside of the district's eight buildings. The Vicon Cruiser domes with 30x optical zoom were purchased for the parking lots to better read license plate numbers. Campus police have access to a license plate database, so no license plate recognition software is needed, but Vicon does integrate with such software should customers need that feature. </p><p>In addition to feeding into a central video server at a district-wide monitoring station, each building has its own local recording capability and stores video for a set number of days. </p><p>Delaware Valley is expanding a career and technical education wing, which includes 25,000 square feet of classrooms and workspace. The school plans to install more cameras there. </p><p>The district police force is responsible for managing the VMS, and each officer has a hardwired PC monitoring station to view video feeds. Campus police also have access to footage via iPhones purchased by the district and use them to see what's going on at their campuses. </p><p>"When we need to view something quickly our officers can go right on their iPhones and view it right from there, which is handy if you don't have the ability to get back to your computer," Lordi says. </p><p>Giving all officers access to the entire district's camera feeds was also crucial. "We did that for backup purposes," he says. "If anything were to happen on one of the campuses, all of the officers—after they secure their buildings—can go on and be the eyes and ears for our officers on those other campuses."</p><p>Soon after the cameras were installed, the new system led to the capture of a thief. In the spring of 2017, when a laptop went missing, the video was reviewed in the general time frame that the incident occurred. It revealed an employee going into an administrative office with a garbage bag, then coming back out. </p><p>"We could zoom in, and you could see that the bag was significantly larger when the employee came out," Lordi notes, adding that the old camera system would not have been clear enough to identify the culprit. The footage was turned over to local police, who apprehended the employee. That person has since resigned. </p><p>The detail captured by the cameras also helped solve an incident in the parking lot. Lordi notes that the main campus is in a high-traffic area, which can attract unwanted activity. </p><p>"We were able to pull the license plate from one person that had an incident on campus...and track the person down," Lordi explains. "It just provides another layer of security, so we know who's on the campus and what time they leave the campus."</p><p>While the district currently hands footage over to law enforcement after the fact, it's working on a memorandum of understanding with local police and hopes to establish a network that allows police to view video from the campuses live. "We're currently working on a strategy to get them involved beforehand," Lordi says. </p><p>With the combination of its police force and the camera system, Delaware Valley has seen a significant reduction in incidents on campus. </p><p>"When our officers first started we had something like 200 to 250 incidents that our administrators were dealing with; I think last year we had 36," he says. </p><p>The Valerus VMS and cameras give campus police and administrators peace of mind about their ability to solve incidents, and ultimately keep students safe. </p><p>"It allows us to feel secure knowing that it's going to be on camera if someone doesn't view or witness it live," Lordi says. "We can always view it on the cameras later." </p><p><em>For more information: Dee Wellisch, dwellisch@vicon-security.com, www.vicon-security.com, 631.952.2288. </em></p> | | |
| https://sm.asisonline.org/Pages/June-2018-ASIS-News.aspx | June 2018 ASIS News | GP0|#3795b40d-c591-4b06-959c-9e277b38585e;L0|#03795b40d-c591-4b06-959c-9e277b38585e|Security by Industry;GTSet|#8accba12-4830-47cd-9299-2b34a4344465 | <h4>GSX Program Unveiled</h4><p>In April, ASIS revealed a jampacked education lineup for Global Security Exchange (GSX), formerly the ASIS International Annual Seminar and Exhibits. Featuring a record 300-plus sessions led by subject matter experts from ASIS, InfraGard, and Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), the education covers the most pressing issues facing security professionals today. </p><p>The learning covers a diverse range of topics from "Security for Events and Mass Gatherings" and "Digital Data in the Age of Breaches and Theft" to "Selling Security Requirements to the C-Suite." </p><p>Building on the exciting changes launched in 2017, the sessions will be delivered in more modern formats including immersive small group workshops, deep dives, and simulation formats, as well as traditional lectures and panels.</p><p>"With the different tracks GSX offers, it allows you to really hone in on the areas you're interested in," says longtime attendee Brian Reich, CPP, senior vice president and head of global security and investigations, TD Bank. "There are so many options and learning levels that it allows practitioners at every stage of their career to focus in on specific areas of interest and learn something new to better their organization. Combine that with walking around the show floor, and you have new insight into the products and services you're looking for."</p><p>The education continues beyond the classroom. In addition to Career Center and Impact Learning Sessions held directly on the show floor, the GSX exhibit hall doubles as a learning lab environment. Demonstrating innovation in action, more than 550 of the industry's leading solutions providers will showcase new and emerging technologies, such as immersive reality, machine learning, robotics, and drones. In addition, three interactive learning theaters will feature a series of fast-paced presentations that focus on the past (lessons learned), the present (threat analysis, best practices, and benchmarking), and the future (anticipating what's to come). </p><p>GSX takes place September 23-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Save up to $200 on the All-Access Pass when you register before June 29. For the complete list of sessions and to view registration packages, visit GSX.org.</p><h4>WILL I SEE YOU THERE?</h4><p>A personal perspective on GSX18</p><p>By Jeffrey A. Slotnick, CPP, PSP</p><p>"Global Security Exchange (GSX) is coming soon to Las Vegas. Will I see you there?" An interesting question that I often receive from colleagues. I attended my first annual event in 2003 and I have not missed one since. "Why?" you might ask. What motivates me to make the financial investment to attend year after year?</p><p>Simply, it is the personal and professional relationships that continue to grow. It is the new products on the show floor, the great conversations as I travel from one event to the other, the keynote speakers who always motivate me to do better, and the fun! It's a lot of fun!</p><p>But let's take a deeper dive. I have made long-lasting friendships with colleagues from all over the world. I have come to know some of the most knowledgeable and influential people in the industry—who provide perspective from Africa, Central America, South America, the Middle East, and Europe. I do not need to know everything, I just need to know someone who knows what I need. At GSX, I get to confer with 20,000 or more colleagues. Many of these friendships have also led to business because we all want to do business with someone we know and trust.</p><p>I know the vendors of products I use and recommend for my clients. Some of my vendor contacts are relationships I first made in 2003 on the show floor or in a training session or coffee break, and they now work at the executive level in their organization. Now, if I need to know about a product or a new offering, I can simply call the person who is the subject matter expert on that product and receive direct information from design engineers, or even the company's vice president.</p><p>Fun! Did I mention fun? The President's Reception, professional lounges, Foundation activities, golfing, motorcycles, cigars with friends, vendor events, and, yes, the occasional adult beverage.</p><p>So, this is my personal perspective and why I continue to invest in GSX year after year. My budget does not allow me to attend every industry conference. I get the most out of my investment at GSX, from educational opportunities, vendor information, professional development, and friendships. I find it all in one place for five very intense days—and I always return motivated, optimistic, happy, and occasionally with a new project.</p><p>Please feel free to reach out to me on the ASIS Connects community platform to continue the conversation.</p><h4>WHITE PAPERS</h4><p>Two councils published white papers in the first half of 2018—the Information Technology Security Council's Security on the Internet of Things: An ESRM Perspective and the Cultural Properties Council's Hostile Surveillance Detection for Houses of Worship.</p><p><strong>Internet of Things: An ESRM Perspective</strong></p><p>The idea behind the Internet of Things (IoT) is that we have come to expect our technology to be readily accessible from anywhere via any interface we choose. We want to start our cars from our phone, lock our front door from our computer, or turn on the crockpot from a tablet. To do that, all those devices must be able to communicate with us, with the outside world, and with each other.</p><p>According to the paper, the IoT brings a new level of mobile management to every aspect of consumer and business activities. However, it also provides convenient access for criminals who want to exploit those things. "More access points provide more opportunities for attackers to get in. More communication provides more online traffic to siphon information from. More control provides more ability to hijack that control."</p><p><strong>Surveillance Detection for Houses of Worship</strong></p><p>Terrorists often gather significant pieces of information from open sources such as Google Maps and social media postings. They collect a lot of data about their target of interest and eventually they will conduct physical surveillance. Physical surveillance allows them to study the location, focusing on how they will attack, how they will escape, when the attack will create the most devastation, and what form of attack will be most effective.</p><p>So, how do you know if someone is watching your facility?</p><p>This paper provides tips on what to look for and actionable steps to take to identify and counter surveillance detection of a facility. Although the practices are tailored to houses of worship, the document serves as a valuable guide for all facilities, especially soft targets, that are trying to understand, identify, and mitigate hostile surveillance.</p><p>Both white papers can be found on the ASIS website. Search "Understanding IoT" and "Hostile Surveillance."</p><h4>ASIS EUROPE 2018</h4><p>Rotterdam, The Netherlands, was the site of ASIS Europe 2018, held April 18-20. Themed "Blurred Boundaries—Clear Risks," the conference drew 775 registrants from 52 countries for two days of networking, exploring the exhibit floor, and sampling the 70 educational sessions that discussed issues facing security professionals today and tomorrow. </p><p>Attendees navigated a broad sweep of risks—from the malicious use of the latest emerging technologies to the dangers of low-tech attacks, particularly on soft targets in public spaces. Other topics included the human factor and the insider threat, and ever-present responsibilities like travel risk management and duty of care.</p><p>Two featured speakers—Tom Raftery, global vice president, futurist, and innovation evangelist at SAP, and Scott Klososky, founding partner at Future Point of View—examined the security landscape of our connected, digital future.</p><p>"Terms like Internet of Things and connected devices will soon disappear, because everything being connected will simply become the new normal," says Eduard Emde, CPP, ASIS Europe 2018 conference chair. "We heard that technology is very much the jugular vein of organizations, confirming that for security practitioners, the bottom line is that enterprise security risk management approaches—which cover the full sweep of human, cyber, and physical assets—are essential for supporting our organizations through partnerships and shared strategic objectives."</p><p>On the exhibit floor, innovations ranged from the latest integrated access control and surveillance technology to self-learning cyber defenses and mass communications platforms. Knowledge-driven solutions were also strongly represented, from intelligence and risk analysis to executive protection and workforce training programs.</p><p>ASIS Europe 2019 will take place in Rotterdam March 27-29, 2019. Visit www.asiseurope.org to learn more.</p><h4>CPP STUDY MANUAL</h4><p>ASIS has begun to develop a new study manual for the Certified Protection Professional® (CPP) exam. </p><p>The Society has received a significant amount of feedback relating to the recommended reading materials and the need for content organized in a way that better supports the certification domains. ASIS recognizes the need to address this gap and to provide security practitioners with the tools necessary to facilitate exam preparations and promote professional development and advancement. The project is led by volunteers and staff and launched in May with a call for experts. Stay tuned for updates in the coming months.</p><h4>ASIS TV</h4><p>ASIS is partnering with Chuck Harold of Security Guy Radio/TV to livestream interviews with ASIS members and industry thought leaders throughout 2018, expanding content delivered on ASIS TV via the ASIS Livestream channel. Harold will further showcase member expertise by representing ASIS at select industry tradeshows across the United States.</p><p>"Chuck Harold has decades of security experience and has built a reputation for helping security professionals across the globe make more informed decisions," says Ron Rosenbaum, ASIS chief global marketing and business development officer. "This partnership is an exciting step forward for ASIS as we diversify how we provide information and resources to the profession. These ASIS TV broadcasts offer expanded access to security best practices, engage new audiences, and ensure that industry professionals are able to stay ahead of the security curve."</p><p>In 2018, Harold will broadcast on behalf of ASIS TV from Black Hat USA this August and will conduct interviews from the ASIS booth at the IACP Conference. ASIS TV coverage at Global Security Exchange (GSX) will include livestreaming from the expo floor, key education sessions, and networking events throughout the week.</p><p>"This is a terrific opportunity to showcase the depth and breadth of our industry—the career paths, subject matter expertise, as well as the technical and service innovations that help protect our people, property and information assets," says Harold. "I am excited, honored, and proud to partner with ASIS, and look forward to engaging with the industry in this new capacity." </p><p>View security expert videos at asisonline.org/ASISTV.</p><h4>ASIS LIFE MEMBERS</h4><p>ASIS congratulates Cheryl D. Elliott, CPP, PCI; James B. Princehorn, CPP; and Harvey M. Stevens, CPP, who have been granted lifetime membership to ASIS.</p><p>Elliott has been a dedicated member of ASIS and the Greater Atlanta Chapter for 20 years. She served on the Professional Certification Board for many of those years, and she is now a member of the Investigations Standards Committee.</p><p>Princehorn, an ASIS member for 28 years, is a member of the Fire and Life Safety Council. He also served the Rochester, New York Chapter as chapter chair and in other leadership positions. Princehorn has also volunteered as a regional vice president, assistant regional vice president, and member of the Awards Committee.</p><p>Stevens served ASIS many years as a member of the Physical Security Council. He spoke at 10 ASIS educational programs during his 32 years as an ASIS member and a member of the New York City Chapter. </p><p> </p><h4>Member Book Review</h4><p><em>Security Surveillance Centers: Design, Implementation, and Operation<br></em>By Anthony V. DiSalvatore, CPP, PCI, PSP. CRC Press; crcpress.com;<br>204 pages; $79.95.</p><p>Author Anthony V. DiSalvatore believes that the particular topic of surveillance centers has not gotten the attention it deserves. In<em> Security Surveillance Centers: Design, Implementation, and Operation</em>, he creates a complete resource on the subject in a compact, easy-to-understand format.</p><p>The author offers a history of security surveillance centers. In the beginning, they were usually divided into a security office proper and a monitoring room or dispatch center. For a variety of reasons, among them economics, safety issues, and synergy, they have largely become one. Two points of value emerge in combining them: the economics of avoiding redundancy in the security department and the opportunity for professional development of the monitoring employees, who are given more responsibility and feel more important to the team. </p><p>DiSalvatore lays out exactly what is required for a security surveillance center so that it can be budgeted for accordingly. Among these budget items are design, installation, operation, technology requirements, maintenance, and replacement. He further explains who should be included in the creation of a surveillance center, such as the IT department to not only help develop the system but to partner with security to improve efficiency and trust. </p><p>Besides the budget, the center's incorporation into the overall security plan is important. Various duties, such as key control, monitoring alarms, organizing patrols, and other routine tasks must be accounted for. Managers must prioritize procedures to include what to monitor and how, evacuations, and even fire command, depending on the size and scope of the center. The author winds down with the addition of chapters on ethics, legal issues, auditing of the center, training, and policy. A relevant checklist of potential duties involving a center, test questions, a glossary, and types of forms complete the work. </p><p>Educational, relevant, and easy to understand, this book is a worthwhile read for any mid- to upper-level security manager as well as those who work in security design. </p><p>Reviewer: William F. Eardley IV, M.L.S. (Master of Liberal Studies), has 31 years of experience in security and corrections. He is a member of ASIS International.</p> | | |
| https://sm.asisonline.org/Pages/Next-Gen-911.aspx | Next-Gen 911 | GP0|#21788f65-8908-49e8-9957-45375db8bd4f;L0|#021788f65-8908-49e8-9957-45375db8bd4f|National Security;GTSet|#8accba12-4830-47cd-9299-2b34a4344465 | <p>Overall, 2017 was a landmark year for catastrophic natural disasters in the United States, leading to dozens of deaths and revealing weaknesses in emergency response systems. Two regions were hit particularly hard—the Houston, Texas, area where more than 80 people were killed during a hurricane in August, and northern California where wildfires were responsible for more than 40 deaths in October.</p><p>These multiday disasters were far-reaching and overwhelming—for both citizens and first responders. During the Houston floods, overloaded 911 dispatch centers led hundreds of people to turn to social media for help, and kayak-paddling citizens pitched in to help rescue efforts. Criticism of emergency response during the California wildfires was swift—evacuation warnings during the rapidly evolving blaze were either delayed or nonexistent, and emergency lines were constantly tied up.</p><p>After-action reports by state and local officials are still being conducted, but the emergency communications failures have left citizens, law enforcement, and legislators looking for solutions.</p><p>The question of how people can seamlessly use their phones for a myriad of activities yet not use that same technology when calling 911 has been asked for years as mobile devices have become the standard—more than 80 percent of 911 calls are made from wireless devices. There is a mobile-friendly solution—albeit one that has not been widely adopted. Known as Next Generation 911 (NG911), the program is IP-based and would allow citizens to call, text, and send multimedia transmissions to dispatch centers, which would have enhanced response capabilities. </p><p>Many of the problems experienced during the Texas and California disasters—especially overloaded phone lines—could be avoided with such a system. NG911's enhanced location capabilities and ability to reroute calls to other dispatch centers would allow for more seamless emergency response, especially during high-volume call times.</p><p>While potential for such emergency communications technology improvements has been discussed for almost a decade, there is no federal requirement for dispatch centers to upgrade 911 technology, and it's up to states and localities to implement—and pay for—the new system. Legislation was passed in 2012 that outlines the federal role in helping communities transition to NG911 and calls on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to coordinate efforts among U.S. federal, state, and local stakeholders. The overarching goal of the legislation is to connect the more than 6,000 independently operating systems in the United States into a nationwide interconnected system with modernized capabilities. </p><p>The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed these federal efforts—known as the National 911 Program—and found that key challenges include addressing funding, governance, and interoperability and technology concerns. This year, NHTSA is planning to implement a $115 million grant program and outline a roadmap dictating national-level efforts to encourage NG911 adoption at the state and local levels.</p><p>"Collaborating with the appropriate federal agencies to determine federal roles and responsibilities to carry out the roadmap's national-level tasks could reduce barriers to agencies effectively working together to achieve those tasks," the GAO report states. "Furthermore, developing an implementation plan that details how the roadmap's tasks will be achieved would place the National 911 Program in a better position to effectively lead interagency efforts to implement NG911 nationwide."</p><p>At the end of the day, however, it's still up to each of the country's almost 6,000 dispatch centers to make the upgrade, if they choose. A U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) congressional report released at the end of 2017 surveyed almost all states on their NG911 implementation efforts, finding that many were taking some steps to pave the way for the upgrades but they face funding challenges. </p><p>The FCC report details how dispatch centers are raising money to implement NG911 capabilities—a huge hurdle for localities, experts say. The National 911 Program commissioned a study last year assessing the cost of nationwide NG911 implementation, but it has been under review for months and has not been released publicly. However, some officials estimate it will cost $10 billion to implement across the country.</p><p>Officials at each state and locality are taking a different approach to raising money—often a combination of state funding and increased fees for phone subscribers. However, not all money raised so far is dedicated to upgrading 911 services. In 2016, states raised more than $2.7 billion in 911 fees, but only 7 percent of that money was spent on NG911 efforts versus maintaining legacy systems. Additionally, about 5 percent of the money collected was diverted to nonpublic safety uses, the report notes.</p><p>Localities also face challenges collecting subscriber fees. It's up to telecommunications companies to collect the fees and give them to the states and localities that have implemented them, but 20 states lack the ability to audit the companies to make sure they are collecting fees from all applicable subscribers. It's a common concern—counties are required to notify telecom companies of the fee increase and trust they will pay up.</p><p>One county in Nevada—one of the states that is unable to audit telecom companies—has one of 12 emergency communications systems in the United States that is three generations old. In trying to upgrade its system to NG911, the county implemented an increased subscriber fee in 2016 but has not received the expected amount of money due to sporadic telecom payments. The county expected to collect $150,000 for NG911 by now but has only received about $46,000.</p><p>Many localities are waiting for the NHTSA grants to become available, but experts agree that $115 million across almost 6,000 dispatch centers will not go far. In March, representatives of emergency communications organizations requested that Congress consider funding its own grant program for NG911.</p><p>"Without significant federal funding, we are concerned that 911 networks across the country, including in rural and urban areas, will not be upgraded quickly and efficiently," the letter notes.</p><p>"The grants will not cover it all—there will need to be significant local funding," says Andrew Huddleston, an assistant director at the GAO who worked on the NG911 report. "The grants are there to provide financial assistance—that's why we highlighted funding as a key challenge area for the states, because it can be a significant cost."</p><p>Huddleston says he visited several dispatch centers and saw how funding was a challenge for small and large communities alike.</p><p>"It can be more challenging for local governments that might have a smaller tax base, and even for larger ones because they have more infrastructure," Huddleston explains. "We visited a fairly large call center in an urban area that would seem like they had more resources than average, but they did talk about how during the transition time they would have to maintain their legacy 911 system as well as bring the NG911 system online—so basically paying for both while they are transitioning. That's hard from a money perspective."</p><p>Other challenges to nationwide NG911 implementation include interoperability and technology challenges. Thirteen states have deployed IP networks for local emergency services to use, but most dispatch centers remain on legacy networks, the report notes. An estimated 1,800 centers can receive text messages, but there is no data on how often citizens text instead of call emergency services. One Houston emergency operations center reported that it only received a handful of texts during the height of the floods, compared to tens of thousands of calls and hundreds of posts on social media. </p><p>While being NG911, compliant requires a set list of capabilities—securely using additional data for routing and answering calls, processing all types of calls and multimedia, and transferring calls with added data to other call centers or first responders—there are several ways to implement the upgrades. Even if two neighboring states are NG911 compliant, they may not have seamless interoperability if they are using different equipment or software solutions, the GAO report notes.</p><p>"The systems are supposed to be all interconnected—if you call one call center and it's overloaded, that call can be transferred to the next center seamlessly, and they can answer the call, so you still get emergency response and not put on hold," Huddleston says. "To be able to do those things you have to have interoperability. There are multiple software solutions that could be employed for NG911, so that's definitely something state and local governments will need to be willing to consider."</p><p>An IP-based emergency communications system will have to address cybersecurity challenges as well. The FCC report notes that in 2016, just eleven states and the District of Columbia had spent money on cybersecurity for their dispatch centers. Additionally, the GAO report discusses the federal government's role in assisting dispatch centers in strengthening their cybersecurity when switching to the new system. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a guide outlining cybersecurity risks of NG911 and what centers could do to mitigate them, the report notes.</p><p>"We talked about cyber risk because we're moving to an IT system, and that opens potential for different kinds of attacks than you'd have with the traditional 911 system," Huddleston explains. </p><p>Indeed, Baltimore's computer-based 911 system experienced outages in March due to a ransomware attack. The program that the city uses automatically populates the caller's location and dispatches the emergency responders closest to the caller, but the attack shut down the system for about 24 hours, requiring call centers to manually dispatch first responders.</p><p>Another challenge facing dispatch centers is setting up technology and guidelines for dealing with photos and videos sent through NG911. None of the states that GAO spoke with were processing multimedia through their 911 systems due to concerns related to privacy, liability, and the ability to store and manage the data.</p><p>"We highlighted multimedia as a challenge, since one of the intentions of NG911 is to allow not just voice calls but also video or images to be part of what citizens can share when they're trying to contact 911," Huddleston says. "But that creates challenges on the end of the 911 call centers—what do they do with the video? They have protocol for phone calls, but video is a different beast in terms of what to look for if there are privacy concerns." </p> | | |