Everything I know about security I learned in kindergarten and I've been updating ever since

I know many of you remember that in kindergarten we learned to play fair, share tools, put things back in “the cubbie” where they came from, put your name on your stuff, be quiet during nap time and in general to be good neighbors.  Well, I learned something else, too.  LESSON LEARNED: HE WHO HAS THE TOYS GETS TO CONTROL THE GAME AND IS THE BOSS OF THE OTHER KIDS.

Fast forward to the third grade, I learned that if someone was bullying me,  I had to fight them to get them to stop or get someone else who would do that for me.  I know, can you believe that this beautiful face was getting bullied in the third grade.  Well, it’s true and all because I kissed a girl who was a fifth grader.  So I did what every skinny, respectable guy would do – I got her to beat him up. LESSON LEARNED: GET SOMEONE ELSE TO DO YOUR DIRTY WORK!

When I was in the fifth or sixth grade, my criminal career started and ended in a span of a few minutes.  You see, there was a pack of rubber bands on the shelf at the Ben Franklin store and I really wanted them but I didn’t have the money.  I put some in my jacket pocket and left the store.  As soon, as I was walking out a county sheriff car pulled into the parking spot directly in from of the store.  The store had a revolving door, which allowed me to reenter the store without ever really exiting.  I put the rubber bands back on the shelf and waited for the sheriff to leave the store before I went home, scared to death.  I have to admit, every time I’d see a police car while growing up I always wondered if “they knew about that” incident. LESSON LEARNED: ONCE YOU’VE DONE IT YOU’VE DONE IT FOR LIFE.

And then upon entering the military, I became an Air Policeman.  God works in crazy ways.  Since I was mostly stationed in Europe from the time I was twenty until I retired in 1993, my biggest security lesson was tracking terrorist activities and fighting the “the Communist, the bastards”.  LESSON LEARNED: THERE ARE BAD PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO WISH ME (US) HARM.

Later in my career, I thought and was taught to think this way, that all you had to do was put a camera on it to watch or post a guard and crime would stop.  Your stuff would be protected. Neither a camera or a guard will prevent, they may deter, and unless the response force is within a reasonable distance to respond they probably won’t deter either.  I’ve always wondered why organizations spend thousands and still get “ripped off”.  Upon analysis it usually comes down to them using the wrong mitigation strategy for the wrong threat or the security is “so tight”  it becomes a burden or tax and people don’t want to pay the tax, even those who are authorized to do so.  They’ll find a way around it so that life is convenient. So, unless your security system is specifically designed to deter and prevent unwanted behaviors, it won’t do that. Sure there is always some deterrence but a dedicated aggressor will not be detoured.  They will bring the tools they need.  Also, if there isn’t a dedicated response force, all you’ll be doing with your fancy system is taking pictures of what happened. LESSON LEARNED: SECURITY IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT DETERRENCE/PREVENTION AND INSTEAD IT’S ABOUT CONVENIENCE.

Well, after my heart attack a couple years ago, my cardiologist said I’d probably live another 30 years.  I’ve used three so far, so who knows what I’ll learn in the next 27?

What the LA Ram Superbowl Game Plan Teaches Us about Home Security

What the LA Rams Superbowl Game Plan 

Teaches Us about Home Security

First, I have to admit I had hoped the Rams would win the Superbowl.  It would have made my blog sound allot better.  I could have boosted about how Sean’s crew had analyzed their adversaries and implemented the perfect countermeasures and protected the home front (after all they were the home team).

Then secondly, I admit I’m not a football buff and understand everything about the do’s and don’ts of the game.   But I can with confidence make some comparisons and analogies that I believe most of us can understand.

So, anyway, congratulations to the New England Patriots on their win.

The more I think about it the more I realized that the Rams loss actually teaches us more about sizing up the threats than I first thought.  It teaches us, that not only do we have to look at the attacking forces from our perspective but we also must consider how they see themselves and will adjust.

In security design, we call this the design basis threat or DBT.  In other words, what you’re trying to protect your asset (thing of value) from – whether it’s a natural threat; such as, wind, fire,  rain or a man-made threat; like, graffiti, burglary or theft of property.

The Rams coaching staff had to analyze what the Patriots were capable of (their modus operandi [MO] and then figure out how thwart it.  They also needed to formulate a plan that covered the entire field.  In essence, defense in depth – the front line, the linebackers, the safeties.  We’ve all heard, “The best defense is offense”.  How true.  Ask the Patriots.

Unless, you have a comprehensive plan for the protection of your home, the attacker, be it a burglar, tagger, etc. will circumvent your security by finding the weak spot and exploiting it.  Remember, just having a security camera or system is not enough.  You have to have security built in to every facet of your daily routine. 

For home security that starts with your on-line social media presence.  Don’t give too much information away.  I laugh when I think that someone couldn’t believe she was robbed while in Paris.  Like duh, if you brag about how expensive the stuff is that you have there’s a very strong likelihood that someone also sees the value and will try to take it from you.  There was a case this week in Los Angeles were a rapper was flashing a big wad of cash and posted it on social media.  Well, guess what, he got robbed. 

Next, are you doing other things that tip off those with bad intention?  Do you put boxes out on the curb the night before the trash truck comes by?  Do you put papers in the trash that someone could take out under the cover of darkness and open-up credit card accounts in your name?  When you got that big screen to watch the Superbowl on, did you mount it on the wall so that someone walking on the sidewalk in front of your house could see it through the window?

Your plan has to be comprehensive.  It covers not only what you do but also where you do it.  Start from the roadway and work your way inward, assessing what the bad guy is able to see.  Make sure all lights work and all gates, windows and doors lock.  We lock our car even when it’s parked in the garage and the door from the garage into the house.  These little things delay the perpetrators actions and may possibly give us enough time to call 911.

I few years ago, I posted that the best home security system is actually a plate of cookies.  I still believe that, if you take some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to the neighbors.  They’ll thank you for them and inadvertently watch out for your stuff because now they think they owe you.  

Maybe if the Rams would have taken some cookies to the Patriot’s locker room before the game things would have turned out differently.

How to Protect Yourslf Against Burglary or Housebreaking by Using Surveillance Systems and Safe-rooms

I was watching the news the other night and just like every night, they were showing criminals that had broken in to homes while the owners were away.  There was even footage of the family dog chasing the burglar away.  But one story caught my eye.  It was the story of a homeowner who had installed a doorbell system with a camera.  We’ve all seen the ad where the bad guy approaches the home and the owner say “Get off my lawn” or something to that effect.  Then the perps run away.  It was one of those types.

In this particular case, the homeowner was inside the house with her son.  When the would-be burglar approached the door she got an image of the burglar standing by her front door.  He knocked on the door and pulled a gun from his waist band.  The homeowner took her son and hid in a closet and called 911.

Can’t say I blame her.  After all this was more than a burglary this had all of the potential of being a kidnapping, sexual assault or worse.  I think she did the right thing in hiding.  That said, however, a closet offers very little protection from a dedicated intruder.  What she needed was a closet that had been converted into a safe-room.  A room that was impenetrable from the outside.  There are materials out there that can be used in new construction or retrofitted to an existing closet space for a few thousand dollars. It could even be a DIY project over a weekend.  Shouldn’t every home have one? 

But the real problem here is that the homeowner had bought the security system thinking that it would protect them.  I guess it did, sort of, because she was able to see the perps and take action.  The standard action is to tell the perps to go away.  She didn’t do that, so in essence she didn’t use the system the way it was designed to be used.  Fortunately, the perps weren’t able to force the door open and eventually gave up and left. 

There are two things to remember about having a home security system; 1) it must be used the way it was designed in order to be truly effective, and 2) unless, there is a police or guard force’s immediate response, it really only collects evidence.

More about turning a closet into a safe-room, here:  https://drive.google.com/a/amuletbb.com/file/d/0B_EElZXso5ZmdUVZYVlXNFRscEU/view?usp=drive_web

More about how thieves target homes, here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6466683287757733888/

More tips on what you can do so it doesn’t happen to you, here:  https://reader.mediawiremobile.com/NYREJ/issues/203922/viewer?page=57

A one-day class on safe-room and shelter design and construction will be conducted on 20 June 2019.  Sign-up by calling 805 509-8655 or sending an email to info@hainessecuritysolutions.com  

If Data is the New Currency of the Modern World Then Why

Is My Account Overdrawn?

According to a recent report in Security Megatrends: The 2018 Vision for the Security Industry published by the Security Industry Association 99.5 percent of all data collected via electronic devices goes unused.  Let that sink in for a second.  99.5% is wasted.  Less than .5 percent is accessed, analyzed and used in some type of constructive way.  I can’t imagine any other industry or area of life where less than one-half of one percent is good return on investment (ROI).

Here’s some data provided in the article "Accessing and Analyzing Smart and Big Data, Moving into Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality", using 60 seconds as the baseline, on just the social media platforms that I use:

·         Google – more than 3.8 million searches

·         Twitter – more than 350,000 tweets

·         Facebook – more than 243,000 photos uploaded and 70,000 hours of video content viewed

·         Linked-In – 120 new accounts created

So, why does this occur.  Well, it has to do with automation and the progressive nature of technology.  We’ve all heard the standard cliché that your phone has more data processing capability than the spaceships that went to the moon.  There have been surprising advancements in just about every sector of society.

I read an article some time back, that said your bank account could be hacked through your toaster.  At the time, I thought it a bit far-fetched,  But now the home improvement stores are selling refrigerators that can order food for you, if programed properly.  While, I think that was a little exaggerated but the point the author was making was, if your toaster has a microchip in it and that sensor report data somewhere, there is the potential that a person with malicious intent could through that sensor get to my bank account.

But is this a good thing?  For the most part yes.  I mean, think about it, only a few decades ago, if you were diagnosed with the big “C”, you started counting your days.  Now, more people survive and overcome the disease than don’t.  But on the other hand, let’s not get too carried away.  Technology is a tool and should be used as such; a tool that allows us to make better decisions about life choices.  Let’s remember that technology is not the solutions but it can be used to find the solution.

One of the areas where there is promise, within the security industry, is the area of “augmented reality” or AR.  We’ve all heard of “virtual reality” where the user is immersed in a fictional environment.  With AR the data augments the natural environment.  A simple example would be the ability to super-imposed a data screen on the visor of a motorcycle policeman that presents him or her with information about traffic up ahead, including accidents or breakdowns.  Or data information relayed to first responders during active shooter events.  This ability will undoubtedly save lives.

Estimates are that the Internet of Things (IoT) will mushroom in the coming years to between 34 Billion and 58 Billion devices connected to the data grid in some way by 2020.   Even if the world population doubles in the next two years (which is highly unlikely) that’s more than two devices per person.  

The hard part, in all of this is, will be figuring out what data to analyze, what to keep for the future and when to give it to someone to use now.    

The Marriage of Cyber and Physical Security is Not a

Match Made in Heaven

Megatrend #2 from Security Megatrends, The 2018 Vision for the Security Industry, produced and published by the Security Industry Association (SIA) is, “Cyber Meets Physical Security, Threats Magnify with Digital Innovation[1]”  hits the proverbial nail on the head.   With the connectivity of electronic devices to the internet, more and more of the different technologies we use in our daily lives are susceptible to compromise.  I read an article about a year back that talked about how in theory your new toaster could get hacked by someone with nefarious intentions and through that connectivity could steal your personal identifying information (PII).  While I believe that scenario to be a little far-fetched, I do believe the point was made.  The point being, that my smart phone, smart TV and even my smart refrigerator, especially if I had it set up to automatically order milk or bread for me directly with the store, is highly susceptible since I would most certainly have payment information in my stored profile.

The connectivity to the IoT is inherently vulnerable.  Since there’s an electronic connection, eventually given enough time, a “bad guy” will figure out a way to breach whatever security systems are in place.  Just ask Equifax, Sony Pictures, Target, etc.

The only absolute way to keep a breach from happening is not to connect to the IoT.  Unfortunately in today’s world that is just not possible.  We cannot function without being connected.  Now even my wife’s Jeep’s telling her she need servicing, before it was, “Hey, Honey, there’s a red light on on  the dashboard.  What’s that mean? “  Now, she gets a message on her phone that tells her  the tire pressure’s too low.

This convergence of cyber and physical means that physical security must be much tighter than it’s been in the past.  We can’t rely on the good guys to build a strong enough firewall, while vitally important, equally important is the physical security piece.  We need to teach our folks and ourselves how to spot vulnerabilities and how to protect those vulnerabilities from being exploited in a language they can understand.  I know a software engineer and whenever I talk with him, I have no idea what he’s talking about.   Listen if it’s a burden – I can’t understand it – I won’t do or use it. 

The vetting process, to ensure the right folks are working on our systems has to be comprehensive and continual.  Just because a person gets the job, it doesn’t mean the vetting process stops.  The vetting process must be continuing.  Physical security measures must also make sure that only people that have been cleared can physically access systems that they’ve been cleared for and not have a general run of the place.   I believe the DIY days are over.  Sure, there are some things any person should be able to do, like follow the tutorial on setting up a TV but other things that are in the Settings should probably be left up to an expert to change.  There is a tremendous assumption that just because I can read I can also understand the code being spoken.

Cyber security focuses on cyber-threats and the ability to detect and mitigate ransom ware attacks, especially as they’ve become a popular mechanism to extort businesses, will become more and more important.  I’m beginning to understand less and less about computers, how they work and what they can do to make my life simpler, because I have to do more and more of what use to be done by that weird guy down the hall.

I’m not sure I’m ready to have a micro-chip make all of the decisions of my daily life for me.  I have a feeling, it’s going to be a “rocky” marriage because I can't divorce her.

Next month:  If Data is the New Currency of the Modern World Then Why Is My Account Overdrawn?

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[1] Security Megatrends 2018 edition is available here https://www.securityindustry.org/report/security-megatrends-2018-vision-security-industry/

Security Opportunities within the Booming IoT Market

The Future is Bright for Non-electronics, Too

The term Internet of Things was coined back in the late 90’s.  The somewhat official definition is “A network of dedicated physical objects that contain embedded technology to interact internally or externally”.  I think we can all agree that is a very broad brush definition.  I would rephrase it to be, basically “an ecosystem that includes electronic things, and the communications and data analysis between them”.

With that in mind, let’s look at where we are today and where we’re going.

Today there are an estimated 7billion devices connected via the internet and applications that use the internet.  That’s a device for every human on the planet.  In just five years that number will increase to over 50billion.  The use of The Cloud is fueling this increase.

What does this mean for the security profession?  Simply put lots of openings and an unlimited number of chances.  In other words, if you can think it, you can make it happen. 

This increase in the realm of possibilities will affect every aspect of our daily lives.  So whether you’re involved in the residential, small business or corporate security market, you can make it.

I usually think of security solutions as following into one of two spheres – electronic or non-electronic.

ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES

Electronic technologies are just that – technologies that are electronic.  Kind of a no brainer, don’t you think?  These technologies run the gamut from intrusion detection systems to access control to surveillance and beyond.  They’re becoming ever more sophisticated and complex.

Unfortunately, as technology evolves it will probably become more invasive.  It will collect more and more data about you. 

These invasive technologies already assault our daily lives.  Just imagine how that will change in the future.  While there is tremendous resentment about governments collecting data on individuals.  Companies, such as, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and other major retailers are doing it and no one really seems to care.

The use of cellphones will become almost an extension of ourselves.  We will be able to do everything from or with our phone.  I suspect someone is going to develop a security app that will read your blood pressure or your heart rhythm to authenticate that you are the correct user, instead of the fingerprint reader or PIN code of today.  Your phone will become your “Mini-me”.  It will know your behavior patterns well enough to “help” you make choices.

If you’re a dealer, distributor, integrator, system installer or work in a parallel vertical the opportunities abound, as you provide solutions for your customers.  It really won’t matter which product or service you provide, as there is a place and need for all of it, and combining technologies will provide even more opportunities.

The development of “predictive analytics” based on data collection will allow companies to forecast their customers buying habits better.  My personal opinion is that “predictive analyst” will become a job title and many security companies will hire them to determine future sales projections and to forecast their future markets.  With that in mind, there is already some technology out there that can analyze behavioral patterns.  Does this mean that access control will be determined by a biometric sensor and as a back-up analysis app that says, this is you because you always show up for work at this time or an even more sophisticated analysis by the pressure you apply to the pin-pad as you type in your PIN code?

NON-ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES

Non-electronic technologies on the other hand don’t use electricity to function. They can range from windows and doors to landscaping or even the way a particular building or inhabited area is designed. 

Fortunately, to counter the invasiveness of the electronic age, non-technologic innovation will become less invasive as we develop better materials and strategies as we design inhabited space. 

I believe we can “socially engineer” inhabited space.  We can incorporate specific urban design strategies that cause positive behaviors so that there is less reliance on the invasive use of electronic means to keep us safe.  Ultimately citizens don’t want cameras that watch their every move; instead they want space that is functional and free of crime and unwanted behaviors.  By increasing the effectiveness in controlling the social behaviors of the people using or transiting the space, the environments will become safer and need fewer electronic gadgets.

We are at the cusp of an explosion in technologies, both electronic and otherwise.  Whether you are in the business of providing solutions directly in the form of a product or service or in the business of providing solutions indirectly, i.e., architect, engineer, security consultant or government official strap yourself in and hold on to your hat because it’ going to be a great ride with lots of opportunities for all to excel.

Question You Should Ask Before Getting a

Home Security System For Christmas

Is a home security system on your wish list from Santa?  If so, here are a couple of things you need to ask before Santa puts your system in his bag.

The first two questions to ask yourself are, “What am I going to protect by buying this type of system?" Then, "Will it do what I want it to do?”  These sound like no-brainers don’t they?  Most of us would say, “I want it to catch the bad guy”.  Well, not really, because it won’t catch a bad guy.  It will let you know when there is behavior inside of your house or when your perimeter is breached. But it won’t tell you if the behavior is good or bad.  YOU have to do that.  YOU have to assess the behavior and determine if it's good or bad.  So, you want to be able to analyze the behavior, like your kids coming home from school or the mailman delivering a package and determine if it is friend or foe.  Which brings us to the next question, which is, “Who will monitor what the system 'sees' and who will respond when there is unwanted behavior?”

If you are relying on your local 911 or a police department response, then you need to find out what the local policy is for home invasion.  Some departments don’t respond immediately for a variety of reasons; sometimes due to competing priorities and sometimes because they don’t want to get there when the bad guy is still on the premises which may cause a “stand-off”.  They don’t want that and neither do you.

If you are relying on a service provider for response, you need to ask, “What is the guaranteed respond time?”  If it’s less than seven minutes the good guys will catch the bad guys.  If it’s more than that, the bad guy will get away with your stuff.  Actually you don’t want the good guys to get there while the bad guy is still there, as it increases the likelihood that someone is going to get hurt.

The National Institute of Justice reported a couple years ago that perpetrators of housebreaking/ burglary usually stay on site less than seven minutes.   I doubt it’s changed much in the last couple of years.

DO-IT-YOURSELF (DIY) SYSTEMS

Many professional installers will swear up and down that home owners cannot do this alone.  But let’s face it.  Just about anybody can do just about anything, given the right tools and knowledge.  Most home kits include instructions, so they’re pretty simple.  Tab A goes into Slot B.  If you can put together IKEA furniture you certainly can install a couple of cameras and sensors around your house.  That’s the tools part.  Now for the knowledge part – where to put cameras and where to put sensors?  Think of your house as an onion.  Start on the outer skin (property line) and work your way in.  Use a combination of sensors and camera that overlap so that all areas are covered by at least two components of your system.  Say a sensor and camera, or two cameras.  By using a combination of different technologies and creating an overlapping system you will, in all likelihood, get notified that something’s going on.  The chances of both systems failing simultaneously is very low.  Make sure you get "real time" notification.  The ability to talk into the system and tell the perpetrator that you're watching him or her (sorry ladies) is a plus.  However, it also let's the bad guy or gal know you are not at home.  So make sure you system covers the perimeter and you can engage before they ever get to the house.

HOME DELIVERY SERVICES

When Amazon recently announced that they would place your parcels just inside your front door if you signed up for this service many security folks cried “foul”.  They cited this service as basically allowing an intruder to enter your house.   Well, not really.  Amazon vets their delivery folks/employees during the hiring process.  If Amazon trusts them then why shouldn’t you?  Sure, there are always a few bad apples, but I see the risk of the delivery person rummaging through your house as a very low possibility since they don’t know if you’re going to come home suddenly and find them in the bedroom.  That just doesn’t make sense.  There are really two factors that are in play here that make this a good idea.  First, Amazon vets their employees and secondly the door lock and code is specific to your home. Additionally, the kit comes with a closed circuit television camera that you can set up to see if the person does more than deliver the package(s).   Plus there’s an electronic record of when the lock opened and when it closed.  Anything more than a minute or two, the amount of time to place the packages inside, would be cause for alarm and indicate something out of the ordinary happened.

If I ordered stuff on line and wasn’t home all day I’d use this service.

NO SYSTEM IS FOOL PROOF

Just remember that no system no matter how sophisticated is fool proof or offers one hundred percent protection one hundred percent of the time.  There will always be some risks involved.  The goal is to reduce the risks as much as possible and accept some risk.   

Why People Are Wrong to Think That

CCTV is a Detection Tool

When we talk detection we are talking about observing behavior – all behavior both wanted and unwanted.  It is very common within the security field, and even outside of the security field, for people to think that detection means detecting the bad guy doing a bad thing.  Well, not really.  What we are trying to do is determine if the behavior we are watching is authorized or not.  If we assess it to be allowed, then we take no action.  If it’s not allowed, the security force responds.  Again, we can use electronic and non-electronics to assist us.  The thing to remember is technology is a tool to assist and it has to be treated that way.  It is not the “cure all”. 

Just putting a CCTV camera to watch a store shelf or a gas pump will not prevent crime.  The reality is, by putting a camera we are allowing someone who is monitoring what the camera sees to assess the behavior that is being seen.  Therefore, CCTV is actually an assessment tool.  Those installing cameras must remember how the system is going to be used for assessment and not how it will capture what happened.  An article in the Chicago Tribune a couple years ago mentioned that less than three percent of crime is solved by the use of a camera system.  Recent articles about the enormous number of cameras watching the public spaces in London puts that number somewhere around 22 percent.  I think it would be fair to say the numbers somewhere in between.  Just placing the camera is not enough it has to be monitored too, and in real time.  Otherwise, the bad guy will get away.

Other facts about CCTV discussed during Free webinar 12 December

The Security Industry Association (SIA) is sponsoring a webinar at 1pm (ET) on 12 December 2017, when I'll talk about the Five Pillars of Physical Security: Misconceptions, Myths and Truths at https://www.securityindustry.org/ .  I will post a direct link once we get closer to that date.  We hope you'll join us.

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) or Credentialed Security Consultant, That Is the Question

My brother built his house.  He borrowed a back-hoe and dug the hole.  He set the foundation and built his house from the ground up.  I look at him and say, “why can’t I even drive a nail straight?”  Well, there are two reason, first he has the knowledge and secondly, he had the right tools.  I, on the other hand, don’t have the knowledge nor have I ever purchased any tools.  Oh sure, I can unplug the toilet or figure out that a fuse is blown but much more than that, I’m in the dark.  The pun was not intentional, I swear. 

This got me to thinking.  Whenever I have something around the house that needs more than my minimum skills I have to call someone.  They usually arrive and the first thing they ask is, “Who did this?” as they look at the thousand mile-an-hour tape or screwdriver wedged against the window or the string hanging from where the handle should be on the screen door.  Then they go about fixing it and charging me the equivalent of a mortgage payment.  They leave with a smile on their face and say, “Call us before you try to FIX IT again.  You’ll save money in the long run”. 

I asked my brother, where he got his knowledge and he told me that he asked lots of questions to people in the know and when he needed to, he bought or rented the tools.  If they had the skill set for roofing he asked roofing questions, same for plumbing and so on.  I was glad when he told me this because up to this point, I thought my Dad shared house building skills with him but not with me.  I was made at my Dad.  Forgive me Dad.

Well, the same holds true in security.  There are projects you can do on your own and there are things you really should get an expert to handle.  With the advancement in technologies in recent months you can basically, “plug and play” all types of electronic security systems.  This is a good thing.  I remember a day when programming the VCR was a disaster.  Even though my English is pretty good, I could never understand the instructions.  I had to get a friend to do it for me.  But back to security.  Electronic security systems have become sophisticated but you don’t have to be an “IT geek” to use them.  Most can be monitored on your phone with an App download.

But, if you’re going to assess your property and take a holistic approach you probably want someone with knowledge in vulnerability assessment/risk analysis or in developing mitigation strategies or someone with a Physical Security Engineering (PSE, SPSE or MPSE) designation.  If you have a very large project or are worried about cost overruns, you could also get someone with credentials from the Security Industry Association (SIA) in project management or a Certified Security Project Manager (CSPM®).  Another reputable organization is the American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS), which provides a variety of designations.   The security consultant having one of these credentials or designation is your guarantee that the person doing the job has the right tools sets and the knowledge to use them.

DIY is okay but remember one thing; good advice has a cost but free advice may cost you more.

THE 5 MINUTE/5 DAY PLAN TO KEEP BURGLARS AWAY FOR

HOME AND BUSINESS OWNERS

Whether you’re a business owner or a homeowner “security” is about the protection of stuff and the people who use that stuff.  In the case of the business owners, that stuff is the store premises, the merchandise, the customers and employees.  At home, it’s about family members, keepsakes and property.  Even though, the stuff we are protecting is different, the concepts are the same.  They differ in application.  Good security means keeping someone from taking that stuff.  So, let’s look at what the business owner can do that the home owner can do as well.  For the next five days, we’ll spend 5 minutes each day taking steps that will keep would be “bad guys” away.

DAY 1 – From the outside looking in.  Stand on the outside of your property, beyond the property line or boundary and look at what you see.  You must do this on all sides of your property.  Remember, the “bad guy” will exploit your vulnerabilities no matter where he/she finds them.

Business/Homeowners – Look for avenues of approach, especially those that will allow access undetected.  If they exist, remove them to the maximum extent possible.  Since most likely you won’t be able to remove them entirely, add features that will assist you with detection; i.e., lighting, barriers (barriers slow forward movement or channel it).  The goal is to make it so that if the would-be perpetrator choses that route you will slow him/her down enough to detect him/her.  Warning:  CCTV is not a detection tool, so don’t think you can put a camera for detection.  CCTV is an assessment tool and as such, must be monitored 24/7 so that someone can assess the unwanted behavior, AND you must have a response force capable of responding within minutes.  If not, the “bad guy” will not get caught.  Another misconception is that, by putting a camera it will allow the police to catch the bad guy later.  Fact is less than one percent of the time this is true.  So, chances are you’d be wasting your money.

DAY 2 – Repeat Day 1 activities.  Return to the property line only this time at night or during hours of darkness.  Again, what do you see?  Additionally, look for any burned out exterior lights.  Lights are an effective tool in assisting assessment of unwanted behavior.  Bad guys don’t like light because it increases their chances of being caught.  

DAY 3 – Access points.  Walk to the nearest point of the structure where you would enter.  Then walk to the next one and so on until all access points have been looked at.

Business – This is usually an established entry/doorway from the public side-walk.  Check the locking mechanism.  Does the door fit snuggly against the frame?  Could someone “jimmy” the door open with a tool?  Don’t forget about your windows.  They can also provide access.  Just because they are large it doesn’t mean they won’t get broken.  The application of a fragmentation retention film (FRF), if installed properly, may assist with keeping the window intact and from being shattered.

Homeowners – This probably means that in the front of the house the access points would be the front door and any windows.  Check them for functionality.  Do this on all sides.

DAY 4 – Storage areas (shed/storage room/ garage)

Business – This may mean a separate structure or internal warehouse/storage room.  Observe the method of entry.  Can the door be secured when not in use?  Is the door monitored?  Does it need to be?  If a free-standing building, check all sides.

Home owner – If you have an outside building, such as, a storage shed where the lawn mowers, bicycles, etc. are stored, make sure there’s a lock that works.  Just because the shed is in the backyard, it doesn’t mean, a “bad guy” won’t get in to it.  If the bikes/lawnmower are stored in the garage, check the garage door that leads to the side or back yard.  Don’t forget about the car/driveway door.  Does it lock?  My wife always locks the door from the garage that leads into our laundry room and subsequently, in to our house.  Good job Honey! 

DAY 5 – Check your internal spaces. 

Business –  I was in a coffee shop the other day and noticed that they were using a laptop and a tablet for processing payments.  Both were left unattended on the counter.  It would have been real easy for an opportunists to grab the laptop or tablet and run out.  All they needed to do to reduce their risk was place the items behind the counter or on a shelf underneath and to take them out only when they used them.  If you own a business that stays open late or 24 hours, there are special considerations you need to make.  Primarily for the protection of your people/staff.  Remember, stuff can be replaced.  That’s why we have insurance.  People can’t.

Homeowners – The most common place for people to store valuables in their home is in their master bedroom.  Thieves know this.  Consider storing your valuables somewhere else that’s secure.  Just because you have a wall safe it doesn’t mean your stuff is secure.  The wall safe can be taken out of the wall if given enough time.  Remember, slow “bad guys” down so you can detect their behavior.

More tips and tools available at https://hainessecuritysolutions.com/Technology_Improvements  or by calling 805 509-8655.

The Myth About Size – It Doesn’t Matter

 

Most small businesses and homeowners, for that matter, think that due to their small size they are exempt from conducting analysis of their crime risks or other threats.  Larger organizations; however, understand the necessity to conduct a formal vulnerability assessment and risk analysis review on a regular basis – usually once a year or sooner if necessary.

Every organization, large or small, MUST conduct a formal assessment of their risks.  If they don’t they won’t know what their risks are or what mitigation strategies to employ. The process doesn’t have to be too complicated or lengthy or expensive.  But some type of formal analysis MUST be done.  When conducting a risk assessment, the formula goes something like this; assess the criticality of the asset (see definition below), determine what threats there are (both natural and man-made should be considered), and what vulnerabilities there are.  Once you’ve done that you have your risk.  For you math geeks the formula is written C x T x V = R.

Asset

Assets are anything of value to the owner and can also be anything the owner has that is of value to someone else (the bad guy, for instance).  A diamond ring, a house or a store full of products – anything of value.  You also have to determine how critical the asset is to you.  So, yes, even your kids and other relatives.  Although some of my relatives I wouldn’t mind if they were to get taken by aliens. 

Something else to remember, assets can have many parts that should be evaluated; i.e., a gas station - has gas pumps, a cashiers cage, and retail space.  Each piece of the asset should be evaluated, so that a clear picture of what needs protecting emerges.  I found it best to use, a quantitative system, using numbers to assign value.  One to ten works fine but one to 100 works, too.  Find a numbering system that works best for you.

Threat

Next, what are you protecting your asset against (threat).  Threats come in all shapes and sizes.  I can in very short order come up with several dozen natural threats and almost as many man-made threats.  And, as the recent incident in France just showed us, threat scenarios can be almost limitless.  Suffice it to say, concentrate on the one or two most likely to occur AND the ones that would be the most disruptive.  Again use a numbering system to assign value.

Vulnerability

Another way to look at vulnerability is to ask the question, “How much trouble am I in”?  Vulnerabilities can be physical in nature; i.e., a fence isn’t high enough to deter a burglar or it could be procedural, we don’t lock the gate to the backyard for example.  Both are vulnerabilities that can and will be exploited by a would be perpetrator.

Risk

These factors combined are your risk.  The risk tells you how much trouble you’re in. 

Solutions

Once you know what kind of shape you’re in, you need to develop mitigation solutions, determine the cost benefit (like you wouldn’t put a $500 lock on a $100 bike) and what solution you are going to do first.

I recommend implementing solutions that produce the highest reduction in risk to the largest number of people first. 

The Trap

Don’t fall in to the trap of thinking the solution to mitigate all threats is to buy and install a close circuit television camera (CCTV) system or home security system.  While CCTV can be a very effective solution, it has to be connected to a response force of some type that is capable of responding to the treat in an adequate amount of time.  A recent article in the Chicago Tribune revealed that CCTV solves crimes less than three percent of the time.  This is primarily due to the fact that the cameras are not continuously monitored or responded to when bad behavior is detected.  If you rely on a police agency or security company to respond, you need to make sure they guarantee response within 5 minutes.  Research conducted by the National Institute of Justice in 2015 revealed that a burglar spends about seven minutes on average on site.  So if the responding force doesn’t get there when the bad guy is there, there’s a 97 percent chance he won’t get caught.  This is the reason large organizations have dedicated security forces on site.

Ultimately our goal and that of every asset owner is to deter, prevent and respond to a variety of threats, regardless of the size of the organization.  Whether large or small, everyone asset owner MUST conduct a formal assessment to know what their risks are.  So size, doesn’t matter.

Other risk management strategies and assessment methodologies will be discussed 6 – 8 September in Jacksonville, FL.  Call 805 509-8655 for more information about seat availability.

On-line assessment tools for small businesses, homeowners and schools are available at https://hainessecuritysolutions.com/Technology_Improvements.html