Page 39 - AUCSO Newsletter - Winter 2023

To try and provide as much security as possible to both kinds of campuses, here’s what I suggest as

a start to quickly make open campuses safer:

1. Provide fencing, if possible, to further secure the property. If this has to be done in segments
then so be it — it is a long-term capital improvement project.
2. Identify technology that can help secure your perimeter, like electronic radar or light beam
fencing. This product allows a radar or light beam to be used in place of a hard fence. The
perimeter lines are set up with the technology, and if someone crosses the property line, an
alert is sent to security.
3. Virtual guarding is a new technology that is transforming campus security. Virtual guarding
uses AI cameras set to specific sensitivities to can create an alert when a person crosses a
property line and not a raccoon. The alert goes to a central station where a live, trained
security officer can see the camera and what caused the alert. The security officer can then
talk to the person via the camera, call the police, or take other security actions. This is all done
at about half the cost of a regular in-person security guard, and it never misses anything or
sleeps.
4. Electronic reporting stations are another new technology that can help secure any area and
speed up the call for help. This kind of system uses a wall-mounted device with a built-in
cell phone. In an emergency, a student or staff member hits a “Lockdown Button” on the
device which triggers an alert to security and local police. A cell phone built into the unit is
removed by the person initiating the alert. This cell phone provides GPS coordinates of the
caller, allows for two-way immediate communication, and a camera opens on the phone to
record what’s happening. Law enforcement and security personnel can see and hear exactly
what the caller sees. The caller can take the phone with them if they have to flee to keep
providing information to first responders.
5. Set up a security booth at all entrances and have in-person security officers monitor the
vehicular and pedestrian traffic onto the property.
6. All students, staff, and authorized visitors should have ID on lanyards to identify them as
permitted on campus.
7. Every building should be secured with a swipe card or fob access. This will provide
immediate added security as only authorized people can get into any of the school’s
buildings. In an emergency, students and staff can quickly retreat into a secured building
with the swipe of a card. Unauthorized people, like the killer in Michigan, could not just walk
into a building and begin an attack.
8. Apply security glazing film to all first-floor doors and window glass. Start with door glass
first and continue until all first-floor glass is secure.
9. Provide all staff and students with quality training on how to respond to violence.

These suggestions are just the beginning of things that can and should be done on every campus. A
good way to determine if any of these solutions are right for you is through a quality threat
assessment.

Read Full Story Here: Campus Safety Magazine

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