June 1, 2004

7 Min Read
Protecting Your Security

Protecting Your Security

Save your system from vandalism, theft and defeat

By Doug Carner

What is your concept of self-storage security? While a measuresuch as razor wire will deter criminals, its presence implies a crime issue thatcan make your facility uninviting. Wrought-iron fencing around a propertys perimeter is astrong barrier but is cost-prohibitive. Fortunately, technology can fill the gaps in a facilityssecurity system. But if your security can be easily defeated, you lose morethan protection; you lose the secure image you promote to prospective tenants.You should have a clear understanding of your systems vulnerabilities andoptions to avoid false claims and criminal incidents.

Surveillance Cameras

Traditional surveillance cameras are shoebox-sized units thatrest atop a mounting arm. These cameras are the easiest security measure todefeat. The shape of their housing makes their location and view obvious, makingit easy to stay out of their sight. A thief needs one good swat with a stick toforcibly redirect a camera toward a wall and render the system useless.

Over the last few years, weve witnessed a return to the OldWest as criminal entrepreneurs lasso and pull facilities cameras for quickresale income. J and U-shaped camera brackets have made it easy for even theclumsiest thief to secure his rope on the first try. Eliminate this offense bychoosing flush-mounted wall domes that do not provide grab points. Dome camerasare economical and include a coating to disguise their direction of view. Aminor drawback is the potential for glare when the sun approaches the domecameras field of view.

Critical camera wires should always be protected.High-resolution surveillance means nothing when the video signal can be defeatedusing a pocket knife. You can either bring conduit to the camera or mount thecameras 20 feet high, well beyond the reach of someone with an 8-foot ladder orstanding on top of a car.

Access Control

Unfortunately, all video-surveillance systems can be defeatedwith a $2 party mask. The police cant do much to find an unidentifiablesuspect. This is why you need to keep the bad guys off your site in the firstplace. The primary line of defense is a mechanical gate operated by anelectronic access control.

Access-control points are commonly called access keypads, evenwhen a numeric keypad is absent. Unless you rely on face-to-face tenantverification, these are the true guardians of your facility. You need securitysentinels that stand up to time, weather and abuse.

Access keypads are only as secure as the housing thatsurrounds them. Twenty pounds of industrial steel is useless if the keypadcover is attached with nothing more than a few screws. Even the application ofsecurity screws only requires a thief to spend a few dollars on a specialtyscrewdriver from the local hardware store. Once the keypad housing has beenopened, so has your facility; and the keypad itself is likely to be vandalized. Your security vendor should offer a locking enclosure,preferably one that uses an uncommon barrel or dimple key.

Most access-control systems rely on each tenant having aunique, numeric gate-access code. The tenant enters his personal code each timehe seeks access to your facility. Some of your tenants are business owners, andseveral of their employees may share their access code. Any one of thoseemployees could use the code after they have been fired from the business orshare it with an unscrupulous friend. Your tenant may not learn of theunauthorized code use until several days or weeks later. To stop this problem,you need better controls.

Access Technology

Fingerprint identification has been around for a hundredyears. Since fingerprints can be easily marred with dirt or scratches, expertsrecommend all five fingers be matched to verify a persons identity. However, biometric access keypads can only read one finger. Ifa thief lifts a tenants fingerprint from the keypad housing or a doorknob, he may be able to assume the tenants identity. Furthermore, fingerprintreaders can become confused when it rains, because wet fingers are hard to scan.In the future, biometric keypads may become more practical, perhaps in the formof iris scanners.

A more pragmatic access technology to consider is a proximitycard-reader. Proximity keypads work in all weather and a tenant never touchesthe reader. He simply waves his access card or keychain tag near the receiver.Active proximity cards work from several feet away, so the tenant may noteven need to roll down his car window. However, this convenience is expensive, as active cards costabout $10 a piece.

A fantastic balance between proven security and system cost isthe use of magnetic card-access codes. These are inexpensive to implement anddifficult to clone. Tenants can use items already in their wallet or purse as agate code, such as a drivers license, club-membership card, creditcard, or just about any card that has a magnetic stripe. Furthermore, mostmagnetic access keypads support pay-at-the-gate. This adds a convenient methodto collect delinquent rents.

Unit Alarms

While keypads control who is allowed access to your facility,adding an alarm sensor to each tenants storage door goes straight to theproblem by protecting unit contents. Since a tenants individual unit alarmsare only disarmed when entry is granted through the accesskeypad system, someonewho manages to sneak onto the premises will have to otherwise disable thewarning system.

Because each storage door is individually armed, wires mustconnect to every unit. Not only must these wires be protected from vandals, theymust be saved from legitimate tenants who carelessly use exposed wiring as aclothes line as well as chew-happy rodents. If you live in a lightning-pronearea, storms can create voltage differentials across door-alarm wiring anddamage the electronics that monitor the doors. Protecting against all thesehazards, or dealing with their aftermath, will dramatically increase the cost ofa wired security system.

To overcome wiring issues, most major security vendors offer awireless alternative. Being wireless, their sensors must be located on theexterior of each storage door. This is a major advantage, as it provides avisual crime deterrent, and unit access is not required for installation orservicing. Unfortunately, it also means the sensor itself may be vulnerable toattack.

Each wireless sensor has a tiny computer and transmitterwithin a protective shell. The shell is often made of plastic so the internalradio transmitter can communicate with the security controller, usually in themanagers office. These systems can be easily destroyed with a cigarettelighter or common nail-polish remover. Systems with nylon housings will havegreater protection and longevity.

With a wireless door-alarm sensor, the housing is mounted tothe door frame using screws. To prevent vandalism, the housing cover shouldlatch over the mounting screws, thereby preventing anyone from attempting wallremoval. Be wary of systems that still use the old boxy housings with exposedscrews. To be truly secured from tampering, the sensor needs a case-open andwall-removal detection switch.

System Extensions

All door-alarm systems can activate sirens and tie into yourphone system so the outside world is alerted to the intrusion. Sirens should bemounted beyond reach, preferably in bell boxes or cages. Your phone lines shouldbe protected so they cannot be easily cut from outside your building. Phonecompanies normally drop lines at the highest point of your perimeter wall.

Door-alarm systems generally allow for the inclusion ofcomprehensive office security and perimeter beams inside your fencing. These become additional zones that are armed and disarmedaccording to their own access keypad codes and special conditions.

You can also add controls so your lighting system respondsappropriately, highlighting every nook and cranny. Your exterior lighting shouldbe safe in protective housings to prevent breakage. Metal lighting cages presenta good, inexpensive solution.

Your camera-recording system should have Internet access foroff-site monitoring. You may also want to consider hiring an armed responseservice. It can access your surveillance cameras and determine if an alarm eventis a real emergency or just a loose door-alarm wire.

Does your facility have an automated attendant kiosk? Thesekiosks provide 24/7 customer service like a bank ATM. They are usually placed ina well-lit location outside of a facilitys access-control gate. Although a kiosk is monitored by lights and videosurveillance, it still needs to be well-protected from direct attack. This isespecially true if it accepts cash payments. For the greatest protection, thekiosk should be mounted into an exterior wall.

Look at your site as a thief would, and protect itaccordingly. Exterior doors should be made of steel. Large access panelsshould be protected by locking bars. Trees should be kept far from perimeterfencing to prevent them from being used as ladders. Your entire electronicsecurity system should be protected from failure with an uninterruptible powersupply.

The end result is a complete security system that works inconcert. Access codes are automatically assigned by the kiosk ormanagement software. Individual door alarms trigger sirens and/or activatelights whenever unauthorized unit activity occurs. Video surveillance beginshyper-recording when the alarm system triggers. As all the elements of yoursecurity system work together seamlessly, you gain a barrier against crime and a rapid response should it occur.

Doug Carner is a former member of Self Storage AssociationsWesternregion board of directors. He is also the vice president of QuikStorSecurity & Software, a California-based company specializing in accesscontrol, management software, digital video surveillance, kiosk and corporateproducts for the self-storage industry. For more information, call 800.321.1987;e-mail [email protected]; visitwww.quikstor.com.

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