Security for Courthouse Occupants and Assets
Essential to the security plan and design of a high quality building is the implementation of appropriate countermeasures to deter, delay, detect, and deny attacks. Often the countermeasures work on the layered defense concept or "Onion Philosophy." This concept provides for increasing levels of security from the outer areas of the site or facility towards the inner, more protected areas. Some or all of the issues outlined below need consideration for effective security design and building operations.
Unauthorized Entry (Forced and Covert)
Protecting the facility and assets from unauthorized persons is an important part of any security system. Some items to consider include:
- Compound or facility access control
- Control perimeter: Fences, bollards, anti-ram barriers
- Traffic control, remote controlled gates, anti-ram hydraulic drop arms, hydraulic barriers, parking control systems
- Forced-Entry-Ballistic Resistant (FE-BR) doors, windows, walls and roofs
- Barrier protection for man-passable openings (greater than 96 square inches) such as air vents, utility openings and culverts
- Mechanical locking systems
- Elimination of hiding places
- Multiple layer protection processes
- Perimeter intrusion detection systems
- Clear zone
- Video and CCTV surveillance technology
- Alarms
- Detection devices (motion, acoustic, infrared)
- Personnel identification systems
- Access control, fingerprints, biometrics, ID cards
- Credential management
- Tailgating policies
- Primary and secondary credential systems
- Protection of information and data
- Acoustic shielding
- Shielding of electronic security devices from hostile electronic environments
- Computer screen shields
- Secure access to equipment, networks, and hardware, e.g. satellites and telephone systems
Insider Threats
One of the most serious threats may come from persons who have authorized access to a facility. These may include disgruntled employees or persons who have gained access through normal means (e.g., contractors, support personnel, etc). To mitigate this threat some items to consider include:
- Implement personnel reliability programs and background checks
- Limit and control access to sensitive areas of the facility
- Compartmentalization within the building/campus
- Two-man rule for access to restricted areas