A crisis situation on school grounds can come in many forms. From devastating campus gun violence to carbon monoxide leaks that can leave students and staff ill, the outcome of any crisis situation depends largely on how prepared the school is beforehand.
Out of sheer necessity, sports security has been evolving rapidly since the Boston Marathon bombing, and most sports security professionals refer to that particular event as a turning point. Metal detectors have become commonplace in major league stadiums, new security policies have been formed, and even tailgating was banned at this year’s Super Bowl.
The youngest households are abandoning landlines in droves. About two-thirds of households led by people ages 15 to 29 relied only on cellphones in 2011, compared with 28 percent for the broader population.
Jim Frankild sought out technology to improve his situational awareness. Timothy Phelps wanted security video for judge-pleasing evidence. Wes Hill created a unique metropolitan area network. J.B. Van Hollen rolled out a crime alerting system. In Chicago, at the NATO Summit earlier this year, one of the world’s most sophisticated integrated security systems bridged myriad transportation, school, street and even home cameras to safety contain protesters. And Bryant Garrett finally turned in his VCRs for state-of-art technology. Then there is Ken Deck, who had to concentrate on protecting a vulnerable perimeter.
Security officers are generally regarded as the face of security. Officers present a professional appearance at company entrances, patrol and tour facilities and grounds. But without tools, how effective is that officer? What value is a security officer’s presence bringing to the organization? And when cutbacks hit an organization’s security department, how can security directors maintain the same physical presence with fewer faces?
