It was about 4:30 a.m. in Oak Ridge, Tenn., when sensors on the perimeter intrusion detection and assessment system alarmed. There was an unauthorized entry into a high-security, protected area. A well-trained and heavily armed guard force responded.
An emotionally disturbed man allegedly climbed a six-foot security fence to enter a Newark port and boarded a cargo ship. He was found hours later asleep in the captain's cabin.
Keeping pedestrians safe, protecting structures from accidental or intentional automobile crashes, and force protection (keeping employees and visitors from harm) have always been campus safety concerns.
In the decade since 9/11, the United States has invested enormous resources into protecting our critical infrastructure from asymmetrical attacks, such as car bombs and hijacked airplanes. The problem is that our most vital facilities – pipelines, ports, refineries and power plants – are also vulnerable and difficult to secure due to their remote locations.
After his jet ski sank in Jamaica Bay, Daniel Casillo swam three miles to the airport, seemingly effortlessly bypassing the million dollar security system around the international airport.
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is getting a state-of-the-art security gate to blend into the environs and control inbound and outbound traffic to the high-security facility.
The Energy Department is replacing guards and supervisors on duty last week when three peace activists breached perimeter fences at the "Fort Knox of uranium."
For perimeter security applications covering large outdoor areas, thermal video analytic cameras with greater detection range offer significant economic advantages.