Prepare For 'Soft Terrorism,' RMs Advised

He said adequate preparation is especially critical for building operators and owners whose property is in proximity to national landmarks, tourist attractions and other high-profile locations such as airports, cultural centers, retail stores, shopping centers and government buildings.

Mr. Soloway offered the following security steps to implement to keep those within a premises safe:

? Surround the building with physical barriers, such as concrete and/or automatic tire-spikes, to prevent forced entry of explosive-laden vehicles into the premises.

? Implement closed circuit TV surveillance throughout the building, including perimeter and exterior coverage. Have the footage monitored live by security staff and captured in a time/date-stamped recording for archival review as needed.

? Install a point-of-entry access control system and employ a security guard and pass-through turnstile.

? Control access points into and out of your building from a common lobby or similar reception area staffed with trained personnel. Have mandatory guest registration so you always know who's there and for what purpose, whether it's for a business appointment or to service a machine. Registration must minimally include name, company name, who is being visited, and time in/out.

? Distribute ID badge or register credentials for all permanent, official building occupants. These credentials can range from an ID card with a magnetic stripe or proximity encoding, to more sophisticated biometric entry readers which compare an entrant's fingerprint, retinal scan or hand geometry to one stored on file.

? Implement a temporary badge system to track all visitors and service people. Whether it's a wearable sticker that literally fades out in a given time period or a physical badge which is only temporarily valid for a particular duration of time, a specific program must be in place and security staff must be trained to screen all atypical personnel entering the premises.

? In guard-controlled buildings, have all incoming baggage inspected and recorded to its associated visitor. Check laptops and similar electronics for proper function–so that a PC is really a PC and not a veiled explosive device.

? In multilevel, elevator-controlled buildings, have each floor require the use of a badge to gain access, so that only authorized people with a proper badge encoding can gain access to each floor–otherwise the elevator will not stop there.

? Make sure elevators are equipped with phones for emergencies and CCTV cameras so security guards can see what is happening and record activity.

? Make sure "power room" or "control room" areas also are under CCTV surveillance and controlled with an access point reader or an electronic PIN code lock. (Standard lock keys are too often lost and/or duplicated.) These often-desolate locales house all the building's power distribution, phone lines, environmental controls and water plant, and are thus vulnerable and attractive to attack. Patrolling these areas is also advisable.

? Install shutdown controls and detectors on the building's ventilation system to prevent dissemination of airborne diseases, such as anthrax, etc.

Mr. Soloway explained that some high-profile sites may be of particular interest to terrorists because of the visibility their attack would bring a terrorist group.

These sites, including well-known retail stores, shopping centers and company headquarters, for example, should heavily rely upon the continuous active presence of security guards on perpetual tour.

Security sweeps should be often and obvious to all building occupants and would-be troublemakers, he said. Covert security guards should also be active at these locations. Also at high-profile sites, both visible and covert CCTV systems should be in place with dedicated security guards scrutinizing the building's cameras to uncover suspicious people and situations. Whenever appropriate, intercepting guards should be dispatched to investigate.

Of particular concern to these security officers, which may or may not be accompanied by bomb- and drug-sniffing canines, should be unattended parcels, bags and luggage. All such parcels should be immediately noted and anyone near the vicinity should be questioned as to the package's origin and ownership so as to rule out planted explosives.

Higher profile buildings should consider installing walk-through metal detectors and explosive "sniffing" machines?all operated by high-skilled security personnel.

Additional information can be found on the company's Web site at www.richardsoloway.com