The Security Week That Was: A Recap - Oct. 1-7, 2005

Oct. 7, 2005
SIW Editor Geoff Kohl gives a weekly surveillance of news shaping your profession

It's been a heavy week in terms of security incidents that garnered national attention, furthermore pointing to the fact that our industry can't slow down and can't sleep.

Most recent was what has been called a "credible threat" against the New York-area commuter transit systems. That came to head this morning with a suspicious suitcase left at Penn Station. The incident was cleared, but not before it affected business operations. If you've ever heard questions from senior management about what security's value is to operations, these recent incidents underscore the importance that the C-level has to give to your duties. And while these incidents picked up by the national news media are often DHS-level scenarios, can you, with confidence, say that you know how to deal with suspicious packages at your facility, whether you're as large as Penn Station, or a retail store in an American mall?

Also slamming into the national news this week was the incident at the University of Oklahoma where a student committed suicide outside a busy football stadium. Fortunately claiming no lives other than his own, this incident serves as a strong reminder that terror-type acts don't have to come from anti-American interests. On the bright side of that, the security plan for the Texas-Oklahoma apparently was tight enough, that administrators of that plan felt no reason to change their response following the suicide bombing.

At the technology level, SecurityInfoWatch.com, together with Marconi and Telindus Surveillance Solutions and industry consultant Ray Bernard, provided a thought-provoking webinar on IT/Physical security convergence this past Thursday. If you're wondering how to begin the process of a network-based security system, this archived webinar is a good place to start. While designed for security directors, the content is great also for integrators serving as the bridge between IT and physical security staff, and for dealers who are going to have to negotiate this often-precarious relationship as well. Ray Bernard also published an article, seen previously in ST&D magazine, about how to hold effective meetings between the two staffs; it's well worth your time reading.

Speaking of technology, a number of vendors are beginning to provide quality product education tour stops around the country. Panasonic is doing that with its P-Tech courses; IQinvision is doing the same on its technology. Check our events calendar for the most thorough online guide to security industry events and education classes.

Dealers got an eyeful on Monday when they saw our headline that Ventura, Calif., was moving quickly to a non-response policy, at the same time that Dallas is doing the same. Neither ordinances are set in stone yet, so it's not too late to contact your customers in these areas and let them know your thoughts about how these kinds of policies can affect public safety.

Also making news this week:

A robot from Japanese company Semcom is designed to replace guards with roving surveillance on four wheels. ... Credant Technologies showed the numbers behind their study of laptop thefts. ... The Smart Card Alliance released a whitepaper about the impact of FIPS 201 compliance. ... Bioscrypt made it to No. 5 in a ranking by Deloitte of Canada's fastest growing companies. ... Vidient and G5 are working to build a major intelligent video system at the Tallahassee Airport as part of a series of pilot projects sponsored by the TSA nationwide.

In our forums this week, we saw a discussion on hospital security, as well as a look at what the DHS edict on 10-codes means for security and LE.

Finally, a look at what your peers are reading this week on SecurityInfoWatch.com: