CCP 11-19-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Communitv Resvonse to the Threat o{Terrorism -- A Public Entitv Risk Institute Svmvosium . Public Works and Terrorism By Richard Evans Nol many years ago public works people were seldom, if ever, concerned about terrorism. However, events such as the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers, the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the assassination of the Mayor and a Supervisor in San Francisco, anthtax scares in a number of cities, and other incidents have poinled out the need for public works and building management people to become involved in building and system security matters, Building security is a mixed bag at best, especially for public buildings which, by their very nature, must be open 10 the public on an almost unlimited basis. This is even more lrue when the buildings are populated by elected officials, The issue of how to provide access and yet maintain a level of security is complicated at best. . To begin wilh, you cannot accomplish these goals by yourself, nor can you do it by using local law enforcement people, Not that they are not competent, far from it, but they are often too close to the matter to be 10tally objective. Nor can you jusl go out and buy magnetomelers, x-ray machines, and hire a couple of security guards and think that the job is finished. Although this might be what you end up doing, you should first make a serious effort to analyze the problem, review the alternatives, seek the advice of trained professionals and then refer to the body politic the range of solutions and your recommendation for the preferred alternative. You might want to visit your local airport, jail, or courthouse to see the levels of complexity in equipmenl, operations, and management of security systems, During these visits you need to discuss with the people in charge of the facility issues relative to maintenance, operalions, and management oftheir systems, You might even enlisl these people 10 serve on an advisory board for you during Ihe decision making process, This will, of course, depend on the level of confidentiality you need to maintain. There is a wide range of cost and quality for the various pieces of equipment that are available, However, it can only funclion to the level of the people thai are hired to operate it. Again, there is a wide range in the cost and quality of the people that you might hire, With all of this in mind, it is now time to begin the quest for a security syslem for your building( s), including the people to manage and operate it. There are several sources that might offer a high level of expertise for your project. These include utility company security employees (retired or on loan), retired FBI or Secret Service employees, retired law enforcement officers, and retired military personnel to name a few, If you are in a lime crunch, you may be able to get some pro-bono help from any of the above to help you get started, Remember, check their qualifications before accepting any help -- free or not. . J Public Works and Terrorism