It’s a challenging time for security professionals, both nationally and globally. A rise in horrific incidents like mass shootings and politically motivated attacks have made facilities that once felt safe — think schools, government buildings, and places of worship — sites of violence.
Spaces like hospitals and sports and entertainment venues are also frequently on high alert. Many public centers such as outdoor shopping malls and parks can make security challenging because they possess ill-defined borders, lacking an easily fortified perimeter.
Taelor Daugherty tackles the physical security challenges that these locations pose in a new piece for Security Magazine.
Securing a wide range of spaces that lack perimeters
Government buildings stand as one of the main categories. Daugherty points to the example of the 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol, showing just how quickly a physical attack can spiral out of control.
She speaks with Mike Lahiff, CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroEyes, about how government buildings can best be protected. Lahiff describes the reality that while all security personnel stationed at these buildings are “tactically trained,” it is difficult to truly prepare someone for an “active shooter situation” until it happens in real time.
Another location where preparing for the unknown is key is the retail store. In the same way that federal and local government buildings see countless visitors in any given day, retail stores experience a constant wave of people making entrances and exits.
Theft and vandalism run rampant.
“A retailer’s top priority is to keep its employees and customers safe. A multi-layered approach that includes security technology and private-public collaboration can help,” Scott Thomas, National Director of Signature Brands at Genetec, Inc., says in the article.
Open-air spaces like parks or sporting arenas pose even more complex challenges. These locations feature few walls, which can make it hard for personnel to cordon off a particularly vulnerable area.
“Securing open-air events or other large-scale outdoor public occasions requires a delicate dance between mobility, safety and security. Festivals want to ensure guests have a good time while remaining safe. This requires communication between multiple stakeholders. The event team, local businesses, government agencies and first responders can work together to create an environment of situational awareness, cohesive assessment, and response,” Phil Malencsik, Strategic Account Executive of the Public Sector at Genetec, Inc, tells Daugherty.
Collaboration is key
Daugherty stresses that park or venue staff regularly collaborate with local law enforcement officers. Police who routinely monitor an open-air space will be well versed in the logistics of how to secure the surrounding area and can be indispensable resources in preparing for the unknown.
That may be the key in all these scenarios — collaboration.
Whether a government building, a shopping center, or an open-air space, it is important that physical security teams work in tandem with law enforcement and other important stakeholders to ensure that those who visit, enjoy, and work within these spaces remain safe.