Security Investigations
Security investigators have used CCTV very' successfully regarding company assets and theft, negligence, outside intrusion, and so on. Using covert CCTV, that is, using a hidden carpera and lens, it is easy to positively identify a person or to document an event. Better video image quality, smaller lenses and cameras, and easier installation and removal of such equipment have led to this high success. Many lenses and cameras are available today that can be hidden in rooms, hallways, or stationary objects. Equipment to provide such surveillance is available for locations indoors or outdoors, in bright sunlight or in no light.
Safety
CCTV equipment is not always installed for security reasons alone. For safety purposes as well, security personnel can be alerted to unsafe practices or accidents that require immediate attention. An attentive guard can use CCTV cameras distributed throughout a facility, in stairwells and loading docks and around machinery, to observe and document immediately any safety violations or incidents.
Although, historically, guards have been used primarily for plant protection, today they are also used for asset protection. Management is now more aware that guards are only one element of an organization’s complete security plan. As such, the guard force’s cost and its ability to protect arc analyzed in relation to the costs and roles of other security plan functions. In this respect, CCTV has much to contribute: increased security for relatively low capital investment, and low operating cost as compared to a guard. Using CCTV, guards can increase the security coverage or protection of a facility. Alternatively, installing new CCTV equipment enables guards to monitor remote sites, allowing guard count and security costs to be reduced significantly.
CCTV is a powerful training tool. It is used widely in education because it can demonstrate lessons and examples vividly and conveniently to the trainee. Example procedures of all types can be shown conveniently in a short time period, and with instructions given during the presentation. Videotaped real-life situations (not simulations or performances) can demonstrate the consequences of misapplied procedures—and the benefits of proper planning and execution by trained and knowledgeable personnel.
Eveiy organization can supplement live training with either professional training videos or actual scenes from their own video system, demonstrating good and poor practices as well as proper guard reaction in real cases of intrusion, unacceptable employee behavior, and so on. Such internal video systems can also be used in training exercises: trainees may take part in videotaped simulations, which are later critiqued by their supervisor. Trainees can then observe their own actions to find ways to improve and become more effective. Finally, such internal video systems are very important tools during rehearsals or tests of an emergency or disaster plan. Alter the run-through, all team members can monitor their own reactions, and managers or other professionals can critique them.
CCTV equipment is most effective when integrated with other security hardware and proceciures to form a coherent security system. Such an integrated security system is more than a combination of sensing security equipment. The hardware used in synergy with CCTV is electronic access control, fire and safety alarms, intrusion detection alarms, communications, and security personnel (Figure 1-2).
Functionally, the integrated security system is designed as a coordinated combination of equipment, personnel, and procedures that (a) uses each component in a way that enhances the use of every other component and (b) optimally achieves the system’s stated objective.
In designing a security system, one must consider each element’s potential contribution to loss prevention, asset protection, or personnel safety. For example, if an intrusion occurs, where and when should it be detected, what should be the response, and how should it be reported and recorded? If the intruder has violated a barrier or fence, the intrusion detection system should be able to determine that a person not an animal, bird, insect, leaf, or other object passed through the barrier. CCTV provides the most positive means for establishing this. Next, this information must he communicated by some means to a security personnel reaction force, with enough detail to permit a guard to respond directly to the intrusion location.
Another example: if material is being removed by an unauthorized person in an interior location, a CCTV surveillance system activated by a video motion detector alarm should alert a guard and transmit the video information to security personnel for appropriate action. In both cases a guard force would be dispatched or some other security measure would be taken to respond to the act, and the event would be recorded on a VCR and/or printed on hard copy for efficient response, documentation, and prosecution. In these examples and many others, the combination of sensors, intelligence communication devices, a guard force, and documentation equipment provide a synergy that maximizes the security function. The integration of CCTV, access control, alarms, intrusion detection, and security guards increases a facility’s overall security and maximizes asset protection and employee safety.
Because a complete CCTV system may be assembled from components manufactured by different companies, all equipment must be compatible. The CCTV equipment should be specified by one consulting or architecture/engineering firm, and the system and service should be purchased, installed, and maintained through a single dealer/installer or general contractor. If a major supplier provides a turnkey system, including all equipment, training, and maintenance, the responsibility of system operation lies with one vendor, which is easier to control. Buying from one source also permits management to go back to one installer or general contractor if there are any problems, instead of having to point fingers or negotiate for service among several vendors.
Choosing a single supplier obviously requires thorough analysis to determine that the supplier (1) will provide a good system, (2) will be available for maintenance when required, and (3) will still be in business in 5 or 10 years. Unlike the situation in the 1970s and mid-1980s, today there are multiple sources for pan/tilt mechanisms, lenses, lime-lapse recorders, housings, and other equipment required for a sophisticated CCTV system. Though such variety gives the end user a choice for each component, it nevertheless can result in incompatible equipment. The system designer and installer who integrate the system must be aware of the differences and interface the equipment properly.
If the security plan calls for a simple system with potential for later expansion, the equipment should be modular and ready to accept new technology as it becomes available. Many larger manufacturers of security equipment anticipate this integration and expansion requirement and design their products accordingly.
Service is a key ingredient in successful system operation. If one component fails, repair or replacement must be done quickly, so that the system is not shutdown. Near-continuous operation is accomplished by the direct replacement method: immediate maintenance by an in-house service organization or quick-response service calls from the installer/contractor. Service considerations should be addressed during the planning and initial design stages, as they affect choice of manufacturer and service provider. Most vendors use the replacement technique to maintain and service equipment. If part of the system fails, the vendor replaces the defective equipment and sends it to the factory for repair. This service policy decreases security system downtime.
The key to a successful security plan is to choose the right equipment and service company, one that is customer oriented and knowledgeable about reliable, technologically superior products that satisfy its customers’ needs.