When he joined American University (AU) in 2003, Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Michael McNair was excited to become part of such a distinguished institution. It has been rated by the Princeton Review as one of “American’s Best Value Colleges,” and U.S. News & World Report ranked AU No. 85 on its 2006 list of top universities in the nation.
Despite these accolades, in 2003 AU’s electronic security system had its fair share of challenges that McNair needed to address. Although the campus had previously deployed the highly reputable and reliable Software House C-CURE 800 access control and security management software, there were problems with the equipment it managed. Many of the devices connected to the system weren’t installed correctly and/or hadn’t been maintained.
“Doors were not locking properly, and some were going into alarm, indicating they were open when they were in fact closed,” says McNair. “We also had some internal issues where we didn’t have sufficient power going to a particular board. We even had some buildings where the back-up battery was never put in.” Additionally, many of the cameras weren’t working.
As a result, thefts from departments and autos were occurring, and some of the perpetrators were not being captured. At one point, someone broke into the registrar’s office and stole the school’s seal. “It turned out we did not have the alarm for the registrar’s office hooked to the C-CURE system, so the officers would never be made aware that somebody was breaking in,” says McNair. “In addition, many of the locking mechanisms were not upgraded in that particular building.”
Using the Lowest Bidder Cost AU in the Long Run
McNair attributed these issues to how the jobs were previously put out for bid. Generally, the lowest bidders won the projects, there was no continuity in the installations and there was no standardization. It was important then for McNair to limit the number of integrators on campus so he could get a standard in quality of work that would be acceptable.
He assigned one of his employees to pull in two integrators that worked well together and agreed on standardizing all of the specific hardware and locking devices. Additionally, AU needed to develop a long-term strategy and cost analysis so it had a road map to follow for upgrades.
According to Michael Ruddo, vice president of business development for Herndon, Va.-based Integrated Security Technologies (IST), which is one of the integrators hired by AU to do the upgrades, “The chief and I went through a pretty arduous process of laying out a phased in approach to basically accomplish his goal and try to do as much up front. We understood right out of the gate that there was no way everything could be done, so we literally laid out a three- to five-year plan.”
Officer Training Helps to Reduce False Alarms
Another issue that contributed to the challenges was user error. Previously, the officers would try to report problems with the system but didn’t know how to report them in a way that could be understood by those tasked with the repairs. It was clear that training was needed.
“We had the integrators come in and teach a class to the officers,” says McNair. “[During the training, they said,] ‘Here’s this kind of lock, and here’s the way it should work. When you report something to us, we need you to report it this way so we know specifically what the issue is.’”
As a result of this training and upgrades, the number of alarms were significantly reduced. Now, when there is a malfunctioning alarm, it is fixed quickly. According to McNair, when deploying any type of technology, not only must the equipment work, the officers using the system must know how to properly operate it. “It’s how you interface the humans with the technology. If you don’t do that, you’re really not going to have a successful installation.”
Students Generally Support Improved Security
According to McNair, getting AU stakeholder approval for the upgrades was not a difficult task. “It’s really pay me now or pay me later,” he says. “Also, some of these things already had the hardware on the doors, just in some cases it was the wrong kind. In other cases, the system simply wasn’t being properly maintained. There wasn’t an issue of selling them on the system.”
The students also didn’t have issues with the new cameras that were installed. “I think their concern was how the images would be used,” adds McNair. “As long as we can assure them that they’re not going to see photos of themselves sent to their parents, I think they’re fine with it being done for security reasons. In fact, I’ve had a number of student groups ask for cameras in specific locations, including dormitories.” It is important, then, for campuses to develop guidelines on how the footage will be used and who will have access to it.
Campus Stakeholders Involved in Planning, Installation
What initially drove the entire upgrade process, however, was the installation of 20 Talk-A-Phone emergency communications towers throughout the campus. CCTV arm mounts were installed so cameras could be added to the towers at a later date.
AU’s IT group, facilities group and aiming group, as well as the architect, all needed to be involved and support the project. IT’s role, in particular, was critical. Spare fiber (also commonly called dark fiber) was provided by the department so security could have its own dedicated network. This was particularly important because video was going to be transmitted, and bandwidth issues could pose a significant problem. “AU’s existing access control system was currently reporting across their existing campus network, which is perfectly fine, but video is another story,” says Ruddo. “You just can’t put 100 cameras on an exiting network; it will create havoc.”
A dedicated network for security has other advantages. “Local area networks (LANs) are maintained by the IT staff, and typically, they take them down on a Saturday at 2 a.m. when nobody is using the word processors,” says Ruddo. “What we explained to them is that this is probably the worst time for a security system to go down. That’s when you need your video the most.”
Because of these issues, the security upgrade included the acquisition, installation and configuration of a dedicated Cisco Ethernet network. This is the communications infrastructure that supports the transmission of video and access control data from across the campus to the central command center in the public safety building.
Access Upgrades Incorporate New, Legacy Equipment
When the actual access control installation began, IST had to contend with disparate systems that had been installed at various times throughout AU’s history. If possible, an existing reader would be tied into the upgraded system. Because much of the equipment was antiquated, however, it usually had to be replaced. Of the approximately 160 readers on campus, at least one-third were transitioned.
The C-CURE system is now campus- wide, and all of the access control readers are connected to it. Most of the cards issued are magnetic stripe, however, when AU is ready, the new system will accept proximity and smart cards. Protected locations include the Katzen Art Center, office buildings, residence halls and high-traffic areas.
Access rights are granted depending on the cardholder’s status: students and faculty rights are reviewed every semester; staff members’ access rights are reviewed when they are hired and when management indicates a change is required. A database keeps track of all vendors.
McNair would also like to add access control to classrooms so the projectors in them can be protected after hours. Card access could also help with key management at those locations. “If a professor resigns or for whatever reason we need to assign temporary access to a professor because another one called in sick, it’s simply a matter of clicking the button,” says McNair. “Right now, we have to manually go over to that particular room and use the key to unlock the door.”
Security Cameras Are in the Process of Transitioning to IP
The CCTV installation is a work in progress and is now beginning to incorporate IP video. AU currently has an analog system with a Pelco Endura switch and American Dynamics Intellix digital video recording. All of this will remain in place until the system transitions completely to IP. Currently, there are 60-80 cameras on campus, but that number should increase to as many as 120 when several construction projects are completed. Right now, the cameras are located throughout the campus, strategically placed where needed. Other locations include a parking lot and the library.
Security personnel can simultaneously display live and recorded video along with associated audio and text, archive data, and search for data — all while recording multiple video, audio and text streams.
According to Ruddo, the new CCTV system will be able to handle streaming video to officers in the field should AU stakeholders choose to go in that direction. “They haven’t currently deployed, and I haven’t proposed specific requirements for that. But I do foresee at some point them pushing video to a PDA or some sort of device so that roving patrols will have the benefit of that.”
Access, CCTV and Alarm Upgrades Have Led to More Arrests
With all of these installations, AU has experienced several successful apprehensions of suspects.
The registrar’s office was equipped with a motion detector, new door hardware and the C-CURE alarm system, which reports directly to the dispatcher. This equipment led to the arrest of a young man suspected of attempting to get transcripts so he could change his and his friends’ GPAs to a 4.0.
The new cameras have also had some successes. “There was one guy vandalizing the elevators by drawing lewd pictures of women,” says McNair. “Using the camera system, we were able to catch him. We used the cameras to say ‘This is you,’ and bar him from campus.”
McNair’s department was also able to issue a warrant for the arrest of another suspect who allegedly broke into many cars. The warrant was successfully obtained due to identifying information obtained via CCTV footage.
With Greater Security Comes Peace of Mind
Overall, the installations are quite popular with the campus community. “Students, for the most part, have raved about it,” says McNair. “Faculty and staff have been very supportive of the access control because it has really saved a lot of the stuff that they are doing. The registrar thinks we’re the greatest thing since canned grapefruit.”
Improved AU security also helps with recruitment of new students. McNair claims that parents really love the upgrades. “They hear about the kinds of things we can do and have been doing. They say, ‘I’m going send my kids to your school, and I’m going to tell other people to send their kids here because these guys are interested in protecting my kids and keeping everyone safe.’”
Robin Hattersley Gray is the executive editor of Campus Safety magazine. She can be reached at robin.gray@bobit.com.
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Campus at a Glance
Campus: American University (AU) is located in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 30 buildings on its campus. AU has more than 5,800 undergraduate students, 3,500 graduate students, 1,600 law students and approximately 2,000 faculty and staff. AU’s Department of Public Safety has 30 sworn officers, as well as eight dispatchers.
Problem: Electronic security on campus was administered by Software House’s C-CURE® 800 access control and security management software, but the devices it was tasked with managing had not been maintained and/or installed properly. Also, AU officers weren’t trained on how to use the security equipment and correctly report problems.
Solution: AU hired qualified integrators to repair the legacy security equipment or, when appropriate, install upgraded access control, CCTV and alarm technology so C-CURE 800 could function properly. Additionally, AU officers received training on the new system.
Results: Improved monitoring of campus access points and crime-prone areas, such as parking lots. Several successful apprehensions of suspects as a result of the proper installation and deployment of upgraded access, video surveillance and alarm equipment.
