Page 28 - Security Today, March/April 2024

The Need to Hear
and be Heard
BHy Bruce Czerwinski
ave you ever tried to watch a movie in a movie theater and the sound suddenly stopped working? Or you attended a musical concert, but the sound system failed? What happened? More than likely, the movie or concert stopped until the sound and
audio were fixed. Or if it could not be fixed, you likely departed and your money refunded. After all, it is pointless to watch a movie or attend a concert without sound. You are not getting the whole experience.
That should be the same with your security system – it should always include audio so that your security team has full situa- tional awareness to make the correct decisions in response to an incident, every time. But that is often not the case.
When you selected your video surveillance system, it was likely never a question of whether you would use video, but more so, which manufacturer you would use. The same can be said with your access control solution. Of course, you will employ one, and the decision lies in which vendor to work with.
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However, sometimes audio and communications solutions are
not included in a security system or solution. That is a big mis- take, and here is why.
AUDIO FOR EVERYDAY USE
Think of the way that security teams communicate with employ- ees, guests and vendors who enter their facility each day. Com- munication involves several of our many senses, particularly the sense of hearing, the sense of sight and the sense of touch.
To protect a facility, a security officer needs to use all avail- able senses to communicate, to understand, and to quickly make smart and informed decisions.
Video surveillance allows a security officer to see a scene. Yet someone who needs assistance is not likely to run to a video cam- era for help. Instead, they are more likely to yell: “I need help!” or “Hey!” or “Help me!”
Audio is often a standard feature in video cameras, unless someone is standing directly next to the video camera’s micro- phone, the communication is not clear.
Access control can only do so much, as well. It works well for
AUDIO IN SECURITY