Page 110 - Security Today, November/December 2019

“Access control systems are becoming
more streamlined and sophisticated to
help minimize the risk of unauthorized
access to physical and logical systems.” By Marty Smith and Rick Tampier
Technology Trends to Safeguard Your Campus
Consider your systems working together as an interoperable enterprise
Secure Campus
Simone Hogan/Shutterstock.com
Not all campus environments are created equal and neither are the threats they face. The first step is to assess risks by working with trusted partners to identify and prioritize the dangers. Then you can determine the most viable solutions to fit your budget and address your concerns.
Think of your fire, life safety and security systems working togeth- er as a cohesive, interoperable enterprise protective system, combin- ing tried- and -true methods with newer innovations to focus preven- tion-reducing techniques on the primary areas of risk on campus. These areas may include open areas, stadiums and public events cen- ters, offices, classrooms, libraries, dormitories and laboratories.
Reported Campus Crimes
A 2016 study from the National Center for Education Statistics reported an annual average of 28,400 criminal incidents on college campuses across the United States and an additional 1.4 million crimes reported at elementary and secondary public schools that same year. An FBI study examining active shooter incidents occur- ring between 2000 and 2013 concluded that active shooter events can happen anywhere at any time, with the two greatest at-risk industries being places of business and educational institutions.
The increasing frequency and, at times, lethality of on-campus crime requires campus administrators to consider a multi-faceted
50 campuslifesecurity.com | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019