Traditionally, security personnel begin with their building’s main entrances when planning to secure their facility. While that is an effective start, it is important to consider the entire facility or campus to ensure that all areas are protected.
We’ve all used different types of entrances as we move about in the world: swing doors, sliding doors, revolving doors, gates and turnstiles. Aside from providing access into buildings, how many people consider that certain types of entrances can reduce costs and sometimes create opportunities to make money?
In Part I of this two-part article, “Defining Basic Tailgating Prevention Capabilities and Goals,” we organized different types of pedestrian security entrances into four distinct Capability Levels for combatting tailgating: Crowd Control, Deterrent, Detection and Prevention. We showed that each level has a different impact on an organization in terms of capital cost and whether security staff are recommended based on the entrance location and the need to respond to jumping over, crawling under, or other tailgating infractions.
Not all security entrances work the same way. Their different capabilities, therefore, have an impact on an organization’s overall anti-tailgating strategy in terms of capital outlay, manpower needed, annual operating costs, ROI, and user education and preparation.