It was the “Oops” heard ’round the world: the No. 1 terrorist target in the world that is being rebuilt to be the most secure was, in fact, not secure. In fact, it experienced two perimeter security breaches within a few weeks.

Four New York-area men were arrested after a BASE jumping stunt from atop One World Trade Center. Shortly before the BASE jumpers' arrest, a 16-year-old boy from New Jersey was arrested on trespassing charges at the skyscraper. After sneaking past security and riding a secure elevator without an ID, he climbed to the top of the building, took pictures of himself and posted them to social media.

In both incidents, the men and the teenager men snuck into the area through a hole in a fence.

Timothy Parlatore, who is representing one of the BASE jumpers, was quoted as saying by CNN, “One of the first things my client said to me was that how surprised he was at how there was no security whatsoever – how easy it was to just walk right up there in something that the mayor has just recently described as the No. 1 terrorist target in the world.”

It’s not possible to build the perfect security perimeter. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Most enterprise security executives agree that just because something is not 100-percent bulletproof doesn’t mean it is worthless. Whether the perimeter is a parking lot around a library, access into a secure facility, or an unfenced area, it needs protection.

For example, at the 90-acre George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum grounds at Texas A&M University, decorative bollards protect the roadways that go into the campus itself.  Kept in the upright position, they can be lowered to let authorized vehicles through.

Security is important to the Library and Museum as it is a premier destination for researchers, students and families, and it houses a number of historical artifacts. The museum’s exhibits guide visitors along an interactive walk that reveals the unique influences and challenges that shaped George Bush’s life and presidency. Visitors can explore and learn about the most important events of the 20th century, from World War II through the Persian Gulf War.      

The Bush Library’s collections include 38 million pages of official and personal papers, one million photographs, 2,500 hours of videotape and 70,000 museum objects. These sources document George Bush’s career as congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Vice-President and President. Included in the exhibits are items ranging from a 1925 film of George Bush’s first steps in Kennebunkport, Maine, to records and memorabilia from his tenure as the 41st President of the United States. The Museum also contains a special section dedicated to former First Lady Barbara Bush and a classroom designed for students from kindergarten through high school.

As at the Library, Delta DSC8000 decorative bollards are typically deployed in the up position and lowered only to allow authorized vehicles to pass. They are tested to stop and destroy an attacking vehicle weighing 10,000 pounds moving at 65 miles per hour or a 20,000 pound vehicle moving at 46 miles per hour.

The bollard systems operate individually or in groups up to 10 and are used for
intermediate-level security applications. At the Library, bollards have been placed in five strategic areas throughout the grounds. In two locations, only one bollard is used. One is hydraulically operated and the other is manual.  There are also six-bollard, seven-bollard and eight-bollard arrays, all hydraulic.

Individual bollards are up to 12.75 inches in diameter, up to 35 inches high and are usually mounted on 3- to 5-foot centers. Hydraulic versions can be operated by a variety of control systems. Manual versions are counter-balanced and lock in the up or down position. All models are crash-rated and lower to allow passage of authorized vehicles.  

System components consist of the bollards, hydraulic pumping units, control logic boards and control panels. They are impervious to severe weather conditions such as heavy wind debris and sub-zero temperatures.

In another example of security fencing and perimeter security, the Pennsylvania State University recently installed an energy-efficient and portable lighting system to illuminate perimeter fences around University campus construction areas.

Every institution seeks to reduce energy consumption in every way possible. This was the primary goal when the Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa., sought an energy-efficient solution to provide security lighting for perimeter fences around construction areas. The previous lighting solution was inefficient and problematic.

Massaro Construction Management Services, LLC., a construction management company, was hired for several construction projects on the campus. Temporary chain-link fences with driven posts were installed around the perimeters of all construction areas. Some perimeters were adjacent to high-traffic walkways; others were located in garden or lawn areas. Both situations necessitated lighting to enhance security and safety.

Massaro typically used 120-volt work lights strung along fences, mounted by hooks – each one protected in a glass-enclosed cage. This type of lighting presented many problems – only one side of fence could be illuminated, glass enclosures were subject to breakage, energy consumption was high and 120-volt currents presented a safety risk.

CAST Lighting supplied an LED Perimeter Lighting System customized with quick-connects so lights could be quickly deployed and moved to accommodate temporary fencing needs. The lights were designed to be mounted every 20 feet (every other vertical fence post) along temporary chain link fencing. Long wire pieces were provided with quick-connects every 20 feet to connect the fixtures to the 24-volt power supply. Wires were affixed to fences with removable cable ties. Two transformers supplied power to the entire system. On/Off times were controlled with a built-in timers and photocells. In total, 1,860 feet of temporary fencing was illuminated with the system and installed in less than four hours.

Often, protecting the perimeter is inside a facility, as is the case with the Department of University Recreation at NC State University. Staff at a new recreation facility was having minor issues with traffic flow and unauthorized entry. “Students with an NC State student card have entry, but some without cards were coming into the facility,” says Jason Spivey, Associate Director of Facilities and Resource Management. “We need to be able to control access because not only are memberships limited to students, faculty and staff, but from a risk standpoint as well, as there are heavy weights and machinery and an aquatics center in the facility.”  

After some designs from an architectural firm, Spivey had a Boon Edam optical turnstile installed that integrates with the current software and access control systems in place. “The look was important for us as well as the noise,” Spivey says. “It was also important that it could integrate with our future plans with install a biometrics system, which it does.”

Stopping Copper Theft with Video

Copper is such a hot commodity that thieves are going after the metal anywhere they can find it: even a radio station in Leawood, KS. Stolen copper is valuable as scrap because the metal is used for so many items – from fiber optics to plumbing to anything electrical – and the profits are tempting. The business of copper theft nets $1 billion a year to thieves.

When you read between the lines of reports on copper theft you can often see there’s been a serious security misstep, namely that the thief has already done the costly damage and escaped, while law enforcement is attempting to identify after the fact, according to Keith Jentoft at Videofied.

Videofied is designed to assist police in making arrests by video-verifying the alarm event for a verified response. Faster police response can reduce, if not eliminate, losses from the immediate crime as well as prevent future losses (as thieves often move on to other sites to steal more copper).

For Union Broadcasting, copper theft meant that the station couldn’t broadcast, says Jason Justice, Director of Operations. While the station’s offices are in Overland Park, the transmitter site with cameras is in the northern part of Kansas City, a 35-minute drive from the office.            

“We have a very secure transmitter building near the road,” Justice says. “We also have five much smaller sheds at the base of each tower. They are each surrounded by razor wire topped chain link. But thieves cut their way in.”

The Videofied system, mounted on top of the fences, monitors the fences around these radio towers.

“The copper has been replaced, but no one has messed with it again,” Justice says. “We have signs at all entrances to the property. I get emailed video that shows me neighbors walking dogs, deer and the farmer cutting the field. The video system works. It’s very comforting with all the hats I wear that there is one less thing for me to lose sleep over.”