TECHNICAL SECURITY OF THE PHYSICAL PLANT A. Introduction The dams, reservoirs, power plants, canal locks, and other similar water resources projects operated by the Corps of Engineers each require some degree of security for two major reasons. First, some of these installations, such as power plants, need to be adequately protected against intrusion by persons intending to gain control of or damage these facilities. Second, the security of these installations should also afford some degree of protection to visitors, thus minimizing the chances of accidents. Naturally, the type of security measures to be employed will be dependent upon the relative importance of the installation to be protected and the accident threat it may pose to the visiting public. Although the majority of Corps installations are protected by some means, there is a need to reexamine security requirements for one or more of the following reasons: Existing security systems, designed years ago, may not provide adequate protection in today's changing environment. The time required to respond to a security problem may be excessive because of delays in the notification (alarm) process or in the response process or both. New Corps policy in law enforcement may dictate changes in Current technology can provide reliable security systems at modest costs which may, in part, make up for deficiencies in existing systems. The following paragraphs highlight the basic features of the major alternatives in providing facilities security. The past decade was one of dramatic growth for security systems technology. The state of the art was advanced in the areas of alarm systems, surveillance systems, control systems, and others. This section summarizes security system concepts, both hardware and personnel, as they relate to the problems faced by, or anticipated by, the Corps of Engineers. Access Control The primary means of controlling a restricted area is through the use of mechanisms which limit access to an area. These devices include perimeter fences, locked gates, adequate lighting and posted notices. In buildings, locked steel doors, windowless rooms for sensitive areas, limited access corridors, etc., contribute to the security of an installation. Personnel authorized to be in these areas may wear badges which, when equipped with a magnetically coded "stripe," can function as keys to allow access to other areas. Alarm devices, discussed below, may be incorporated into some access control devices to notify Corps personnel of a possible intrusion. Un Although these types of devices are relatively inexpensive, they are essentially passive and, as such, represent only a deterrent. less they are specifically alarmed, or continuously observed, no notification is given when these mechanisms are defeated. Alarm Systems The need to quickly determine a change in the local facility environment may be met through the use of alarm systems serving two purposes. The first is to detect changes in such important parameters as ambient temperature, water levels, air purity (smoke detection), etc. These functions are usually performed by electromechanical sensors located at appropriate sites throughout an installation. The second type of alarm system is that oriented toward the detection of unauthorized personnel (intrusion) in a restricted area. These occurrences may be determined through the use of high frequency, ultrasonic, microwave, infrared, optical, and other types of detectors. Both types of alarm systems would be connected to a central terminal point discussed below. The advantages of alarm systems are that they provide rapid notification of a change from normal conditions and do not require the co stant attention of an operator. The main disadvantages lie in the faci that many such systems produce false alarms which may be the result of a situation such as the failure of a component or the triggering of an intrusion device by an animal. Of course, each alarm would need to be investigated even if it is suspected to be false. Surveillance Systems The mainstay of modern surveillance systems is the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system which includes cameras, monitors, and video tape recorders which may be incorporated into the system to enable the playback of observations. A CCTV system may be used by staff or in combination with an alarm system to detect or to verify the presence of unauthorized personnel. CCTV offers the advantage of minimizing false alarms by enabling easy verification from a remote location and, therefore, does not expose Corps personnel to unnecessary risks. Also available are Low Light Level (LLLTV) cameras which enable the observation of areas in poorly lighted areas. The disadvantages of CCTV systems are in their relatively high equipment costs and the requirement of personnel to continuously observe the pictures being received. Control and Communications All of the security systems can be supervised from one or more central control locations where alarms may be received and CCTV pictures monitored. The center may also function as the dispatching point or provide a link to a dispatching point from which Corps personnel may be directed for investigative purposes. Various options are available in designing a central control station including fixed remote terminals, such as in another office or in the supervisor's house, and mobile terminals which could enable a single guard or outside law enforcement agency to rapidly respond to an alarm when the control center is not manned. Particular alarms could be associated with automatic disking equipment which would notify the rangers, local or state police, or any other designated person or agency. As indicated above, the various types of systems that may be put into use at a Corps facility should be terminated in a central center, and preferably in a single console. The design of this console should be dependent upon the equipment currently in use, as well as foreseen, to meet future requirements. Most importantly, the console should be designed to be easily operated by the personnel most likely to be assigned those duties. The Corps should periodically and critically review the security requirements and capabilities at each of its facilities in conjunction with the provost marshal's evaluations and compare these results with the equipment and systems capabilities offered by various manufacturers in the field. It should be noted, however, that pre-packaged systems often are not ideally suited to specific requirements. Rather, a modular building block approach, allowing the use of standard equipment while providing flexibility for future expansion that may be required, is recommended. TRAINING CORPS RANGERS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND VISITOR PROTECTION A. Introduction In virtually every occupation and profession today, central themes of concern are the educational preparation, training, and development of the manpower involved. In industry, the rapid advance of technology and automation has created a demand for higher levels of education and skills among workers. At the same time, the need for professional technicians in education, health, counseling, and the broad spectrum of other community services is growing faster than the educational system can produce them. At the national level, a great deal of effort is going into a continuous and long-range study of the manpower resources of the country. Along with this is being developed a national policy dealing with the upgrading of educational levels and skills as well as with the distribution and the most effective utilization of national manpower resources. In effect, the manpower problem is becoming defined more in terms of an educational and training crisis rather than in terms of manpower shortages. The recreation ranger profession has not only been caught up in this complex of social and economic change but it is also feeling, more directly than in the past, the combined impact of new concepts and techniques in management, the technologies underlying the application of system analysis to social problems, and the results of research on differential effectiveness of programs. Even the traditional boundaries which kept rangers confined within the conventional limitations of resource management, recreation program development, and visitor security are undergoing considerable reexamination. Implied in all of this change are some very 275 |