MCPF Monthly Meeting
St. Louis County Emergency Operations Center
July 15,1999
Attendees:
Tim Proost, AGE
Merlin Laney, AGE
William Alvord, DISA
Area Command
Dean Donley, Guardsmark Security
Dave Pollard, Steamatic
Mike Smiley, St. Louis County EOC
Herman Kriegshauser, Kriegshauser/Salvation
Army
Tim Bonno, SWBT
Deane Adam, Red Cross
Paul Thomas, City of Kirkwood
Chuck Lawhead, Bank of America
Lynn Egan, Bank of America
Nicola Longford, Missouri Historical
Society
Sean Charette, Missouri Historical
Society
Carl Brooks, Union Pacific
Technologies
Angie Swartz, ERAC
The meeting was conducted by Tim Proost, Program
Director, in Tom Roeseler's absence. Tim welcomed the group. Tim
reviewed the following agenda:
I.
Review of Previous Minutes -- Tim reminded members to
reconfirm their email addresses. Please let Tim know if you are not receiving
the email distributions.
II.
Treasury Report none
III.
Upcoming Program Topic -- Patrick McCarthy will present on terrorism.
We are looking for a host and location.
IV.
Membership Status -- Angie has received no new membership applications at
this time.
V.
Proposed By-Law Changes for 1999 were previously distributed, and will be
voted on at the next business meeting.
Today's
Topic: Physical Security
Dean
Donley, Guardsmark Security
Dean Donley briefly introduced himself. He is
retired from military service, and spent many years in service in Germany.
He is also a Certified Protection Specialist by ASIS.
Dean posed the question: "What do you have to
do to be ready?" The most common thing he hears people say is,
"it is not going to happen to me". It can happen to you, and so
you should be prepared. Have you done everything to make yourself and
company safe? This presentation will give pointers on how to protect
yourself and business. However, Dean explained that this presentation is
not all inclusive.
Start by identifying the risks that impact you and
analyze them:
Risk Analysis
What could cause a loss? What is the probability of the event occurring?
What criticality is the effect of the loss? "What happens if
my work is broken into, and how critical will that be?" This tells
you if it is worth the time, effort and money to mitigate the risk. This
can be done by individuals, businesses, professionals; but it is dependent upon
the situation.
Risk Management
After identifying risk, you move onto Risk Management. RM is how you
mitigate or handle risks. Avoidance is one measure. This can be a
drastic measure, example: not selling a particular product to prevent mobbing (Ferbie).
Risk transfer is reducing risk by having insurance, or subcontracting a service
to a vendor. Be cautious when transferring risk to vendors, there may be
contractual language that limits the vendor's liability or the vendor may not
have enough insurance. Risk abatement is again limiting risk through
policy implementation, i.e. package searching, personal items not allowed in the
work area. Risk spreading is putting your valuable items in many different
facilities or locations.
A security survey is the first step to trying to
protect your assets. This shows you how you can begin posturing your
organization. This involves on-site examination, and analysis. Use
checklists. Checklists should be modified to address your particular
situation. There is already enough material available, there is no need to
recreate checklists.
As a security officer you may not be an expert in
this particular area or you may not have time. You may not be objective,
you may be influenced by budgets or management. This is where
you may opt to use an objective expert.
Dean spoke about the Protection Assets Manual,
which can be ordered. As a member of ASIS you can receive the complete set
for $480. Handbook of Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention, Third
Edition by Lawrence J. Fennelly ISBN 9 780750 697033.
Following the survey you begin making your
recommendation. Any time you implement a security procedure, you must
consider the following:
·
secure
·
cost-effective
·
convenient
Only two of these elements can coexist.
Convenience is a priority, it will always be in the mix. Employee theft is
a huge dilemma of today's business. Searching employee packages would
limit this, but this is not convenient. People will not comply if this
security measure is not convenient.
Grounds/Perimeter
Fences are a way of establishing your boundary with the public. There are
specifications that need to be complied with. Lighting is also important
around a fence. Some fences that look like they are hazardous are more a
deterrent rather than a true barrier. Keep that in mind. Blind alleys can
be secured with mirrors and encouraging the buddy system. Your perimeter
should always be marked even with trees and shrubs. This is a deterrent.
The marking sends the signal that this area is private property and belongs to
someone; Stay Out. This can be helpful for legal reasons as well.
Exterior Doors/Interior Doors
Make sure doors are in good working condition. Hinges should be on the
inside. You need to make sure external and interior doors cannot be
removed from the outside. Hinges can also be spot welded.
Peep holes are also useful.
Minimize the number of doors you have. If you
don't need access to all the doors, lock them and reduce traffic to a few doors.
Use CCTV, closed circuit TV to monitor access doors at all times.
Eighty to ninety percent of break-ins occur through
windows. A window within 14 feet of the ground should be secured, locked,
barred. Brick-up non-essential windows for security. Use safety
glass. Vents are also accessible. Sky lights can be vulnerable areas.
Other Openings
During the Papal Visit, some of the downtown manholes were welded shut.
Fire exits can be an opportunity for a criminal.
Locks and Keys
Take an inventory of your keys, even visually check those keys that are signed
out. People lose keys and do not report this to security due to the cost
involved. If keys are not to be duplicated, mark them accordingly.
Keys should be accessed only by certain people, restricted access.
Safes and Vaults
How many of you day-lock your safe? This is just shutting the door or drawer but
not spinning the dial. The safe is locked in appearance only. If you
leave the area, lock the safe! Don't keep protective documents and cash
together!
Exterior Lighting
Consider the objective of the lights. Are they serving their purpose?
Is exterior lighting on the same power system as all other lights including
emergency lighting. Know how your lights are turned on, manually, timed,
etc.
Police surveillance can be aided by adequate
interior and/or exterior lighting.
CCTV- Closed Circuit Television
CCTV cannot be used interactively but is better used as documentation.
This is why recording this activity is critical. To increase the deterrent
effect of CCTV, use real and dummy cameras. "A reasonable expectation
of privacy" needs to be considered when placing cameras or even using
cameras.
Alarms
Think carefully about how you spend your money. If systems are too
complicated, consider what you need. Educate yourself. Signal
transmission can be interrupted by inclement weather or local power outages.
How is the signal getting to the authorities or security company. False
alarms are a challenge for law enforcement. Ninety-five percent of alarms
are false. This puts a stress on limited police forces. Private
security is stepping in to respond and then contacting the police. Police
will charge for false alarms.
Workplace Violence
In 1997 homicide was the 3rd leading cause of
death in the workplace and for women it is the leading cause. There are 15
people murdered each week. Dean
recommends establishing a team to create workplace violence plans and policies.
The team should consist of security personnel, operations, HR, etc.
Complaints from employees should be dealt with swiftly and earnestly.
Procedures
Start with the Accounting Department, i.e. separate your A/R from A/P. Use
external agencies to perform audits.
Inventory should be secured and marked. Package passes need to be
accompanied by policies. Searches must be reasonable.
Crime Responses
Dean recommends reviewing the following book to better prepare yourself for a
variety of crimes: Reader's Digest How to Protect Yourself from Crime
by Ira A. Lipman ISBN: 0-89577-931-5
If you are robbed, vandalized, burglarized, raped, etc.,
what should you do. Steps should be in place in your procedures in
advance. Make yourself familiar with what your response should be.
Selecting a Security Service/Company
When selecting a company for security services, reflect on how you select your
employees -- personnel selection, background
checks, references, neighbor references, etc. Review the educational
requirements. The best indicator of future behavior is past performance.
Firearms may not be a good idea for security
personnel in your facility. Training is critical.
There is a tremendous liability for the company. Firearms may not
be a deterrent; it may make the security person a target.
In conclusion, think about and implement these
three things:
I.
Identify the Risks
II.
Develop a Plan
III.
Take Action
Recorded
by:
Timothy R. Proost
Program Director
Office: 314.955.5374
Fax: 314.955.5850
Email: trproost@agedwards.com