Page 122 - Security Today, April 2018

CAMPUS SECURITY
EDUCATIONAL COLLABORATION
Strengthening school security comes from industry-wide partnerships By Jumbi Edulbehram
It is no secret that the occurrence of violence in schools is a very real-world concern. A growing number of incidents in K-12 schools as well as on college campuses have made going to school more of a safety concern than a pain. Risks continue to multiply and expand within the education environment. According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 to 2 percent of all homicides among school-age children happen on school grounds, on the way to and from school, or during a school-sponsored event. Approximately 17.9 percent of high school students in 2013 reported taking a weapon to school. The same year, 19.6 percent of high school students reported being bullied on school property.
These statistics show that campus security teams must keep pace with changing trends. In today’s revolving risk environment, schools can no longer afford a passive approach to security. Furthermore, the trend toward newer facilities and larger, expanding campuses leads to the necessity for more advanced systems, policies and programs—a holistic approach, if you will—to ensure protection for students, fac- ulty and staff members.
As a result, schools have adopted policies and security measures in an effort to proactively reduce the risk of incidents. One such solution is the installation of video surveillance, security software and other technologies that can be integrated to create a comprehensive safety and security plan. From a processes standpoint, school stakeholders strive to enhance security training, develop response plans and col- laborate with other school districts to stay ahead of the game.
TRENDS TO HELP CAMPUSES
TRANSFORM SECURITY OPERATIONS
With the risk landscape growing larger and the installed base of IP cameras growing exponentially with each passing year, campus safe-
ty personnel need more ways to gain true intelligence from their technology investments.
Moving forward, video surveillance systems will be used increas- ingly to collect, aggregate and analyze video using new Big Data tools. Apart from physical security applications, video analytics will also be used for operational efficiency. Schools will begin to find new use cases for video surveillance in the very near future. Want to learn how your school can stay ahead of the changing technology landscape? Here are four trends to watch that will drive new levels of awareness in campus environments.
CORRELATED DATA
The best way to get a clear grasp on trends, events and incidents is to capture the whole story. Knowledge is power, and data derived from video surveillance, business systems and video intelligence sensors can work in conjunction to allow security and law enforcement to capture essential information in an accurate and timely manner.
Additionally, departments within schools, like IT, security and operations, will continue to converge to streamline operations and develop more robust strategies that benefit the overall organization.
INTELLIGENCE
Having all the information is the first step, but using that information to create actionable intelligence is key. Combining video data with ana- lytics capabilities allows officials to better evaluate traffic flow and peo- ple’s behavior patterns. Data analytics, on the other hand, examine raw data from various sources with the purpose of drawing conclusions about that information, and can be used to measure student engage- ment and offer administrators an inside look at how students perform in the classroom, engage with lesson plans or understand the material.
CS38 WWW.CAMPUSLIFESECURITY.COM | APRIL 2018
A SPECIAL SECTION TO SECURITY TODAY AND THE JOURNAL
Titikul_B/Shutterstock.com
CAMPUS SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY