Strategies for Creating Secure Public Spaces

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.

Physical Security Goals for Faith-Based Communities are Issued by DHS

In this currently charged climate where physical security threats abound, people who are part of faith-based communities are particularly at risk. Nationwide, antisemitic and Islamophobic physical attacks are on the rise and have been directed at both individuals and larger community groups alike.

In December, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued resources to help faith-based organizations and community centers — including houses of worship — improve their physical security capabilities.

Joe Bebon reports on the new recommendations for Facilities Management Advisor. He writes that these DHS Performance Goals are similar to their 2022 Cybersecurity Performance Goals that were a call to action in the face of an escalation of cyber-attacks in recent years. Bebon explains that the new DHS resources are part of a collaboration between the federal department, its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and faith-based organizations around the country.

“In this continued heightened threat environment, the Department of Homeland Security is committed to protecting every American’s right to live, express, and worship their faith freely and in safety,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, said in a release.

The goals involve establishing clear security response plans, training staff and personnel who work at and serve in leadership roles in these faith-based communities and houses of worship, and devising strategies for how to keep everyone safe and secure after an attack takes place.

“This Physical Security Performance Goals for Faith-Based Communities is a clear, concise, and convenient tool that is outstanding for any religious organization seeking to establish performance goals and protocols for response,” said Ako Cromwell, Director of Global Security, African Methodist Episcopal Church. “While it is particularly useful for those of us in the faith-based community, the fundamentals delineated in this product are applicable across the spectrum for security professionals.”

Sim J. Singh Attariwala, Senior Policy and Advocacy Manger of the Sikh Coalition, added that threats targeting houses of worship in the United States are becoming “increasingly complex and widespread.” These include domestic “hate ideologies” that can spread through communities and online forums as well as threats that emerge from “transnational repression and geopolitical events,” he said in the release.

Much in the same way that schools and universities have become frequent targets for physical security attacks — including mass shootings — houses of worship are beloved centers for all kinds of communities that are experiencing all too frequent external, violent threats.

Schools, hospitals, and banks have to keep a strong physical security protocol in place. Now, houses of worship must also embrace security technology like cloud-based, Internet-connected systems overseen by vetted, trained staff. The safety of their community members depends on this.

Check out the full DHS list of recommendations here.