The next time you visit a mall, airport or sports arena, don’t be alarmed if you cross paths with a roving sentinel that resembles a character from Disney’s Wall-E. Autonomous robots are stepping out in the world, moving beyond their factory jobs to take on physical security thanks to a …
Schools grab the headlines, but the FBI indicates that the bulk of mass shootings happen in commercial buildings. The absence of ballistic security barriers in these buildings is almost certainly a factor. Solid numbers are hard to pin down, but it appears that mass shootings are increasing in both frequency …
The standard response time for emergency and rescue services in the United States is on average 4 to 11 minutes. That’s less time than it takes to microwave a potato — and yet it still isn’t fast enough in an active shooter event. Knowing the four Ds of active shooter response …
The growth of online shopping has exploded over the last five years. As avid consumers, we love its convenience, but the increase in package deliveries has given rise to a frustrating crime. Our purchases often rest on our front porches like sitting ducks, easy targets for package-stealing “porch pirates.” While …
The past decade has seen a significant shift in bulletproof barriers. This goes beyond just improved aesthetics and engineering. At a fundamental level, the design goals themselves have evolved. “We’ve evolved past just thinking about shootings or robberies,” explains Total Security Solutions CEO Jim Richards. “Because even if no one fires …
Before the people in your building can lock the doors, call 9-1-1, or kick their ALICE training into action, they need to know something is happening. That gap—between the Very Bad Thing beginning and the people most at risk knowing about it—is painfully long. It is also the period during …
Ancient forms of architectural glass were far too costly for everyday use and were reserved for the most important buildings in Rome. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that glass windows were widely available. We continue to push the evolution of glass windows today. Engineers are now exploring how energy saving …
As international security expert Luke Bencie highlighted in a recent interview, security—and especially government facility security—always boils down to “the human factor.” Or, really, the human factors. Bencie highlighted the two-sided coin of target vs. attacker. Understanding these perspectives is vital to any proper security assessment. But integrating your assessment’s …
In the United States, niceness—our tendency to hear someone out, follow instructions, and extend the benefit of the doubt—makes it much easier to ensure government building security. “From my experience,” explains Luke Bencie, managing director at Security Management International, “Americans are nice: if you give them a good reason why …
It’s no wonder theEdge in Amsterdam has been touted as the world’s smartest building. Everything is connected to the Internet. Lighting, temperature controls – even espresso machines and bathroom towel dispensers – are linked to central dashboards that track usage patterns and adjust settings or send alerts, accordingly. Employees use …