How security ensures 2,000 employees can conduct the business of the world's largest producer of packaged consumer goods.
May 1, 1999 12:00 PM, DON GARBERA
Security Systems At Philip Morris, security is riding tall in the saddleTurnstiles are stationed in the lobby of the corporate headquarters of Philip Morris. Card access and CCTV provide further safeguards. Still, several times a year, anti-smoking demonstrators challenge the security measures.They fail to make an impact.
Vincent. S. Colangelo is in control of security for the 29-story Philip Morris skyscraper in the heart of New York City, not far from Grand Central Station. The corporate security manager sets the rules of access for employees and visitors, and the rules mesh with sophisticated security equipment and a well-trained staff to provide top-notch security for the 550,000-square-foot building.
Philip Morris encompasses more than the well-known cigarette brands. In fact, it is the world's largest producer and marketer of packaged consumer goods, not to mention the single largest taxpayer in the United States, according to the company. Its subsidiaries produce some of the world's most popular products in hundreds of communities in 42 states and 178 countries. From Post cereal and Marlboro cigarettes to Miller beer and Kraft cheese, their products can be found in most American homes.Colangelo joined the company two years ago as manager of corporate security. Before joining the company, he worked as a security consultant in investigations for the McGraw-Hill Companies. He also served 23 years with the New York Police Department. While at the NYPD, Colangelo was assigned to the Justice Department's Drug Enforcement Task Force, where combined efforts of DEA agencies, state police and city detectives fought the flow of drugs into the New York metropolitan area.
A Westinghouse SE 6000 and a remote terminal Westinghouse backup system provide card access control to the Philip Morris headquarters. (Westinghouse recently changed its name to WSE.)Proximity readers are located on every floor of the building. The employees must have their cards read in order to gain access to a floor. Egress is free-flowing.
If an employee resigns or is terminated, his or her card is immediately removed from the system, eliminating internal and external access to the building. If an employee is terminated due to negative circumstances, a "Deny Access Memo" with photo is generated by the security department and sent to the lobby desk, loading dock and security command center. With this tight security, what happens if one morning some of the building's 2,000 employees forget to bring their proximity cards to work? "We get this fairly often. So we've set up a one-day-pass program that provides employees with a temporary proximity card that is automatically removed from the system at 11 p.m. - whether it has been turned in or not," says Colangelo. Turnstiles in the building's lobby were provided by McKenzie.
Access across the streetThe card access system is also used on four floors the company occupies in a building across the street from corporate headquarters. The floors are monitored during off-hours by motion detectors."Because it is a multi-tenant building, there is always a possibility of illegal access," says Colangelo. "If motion is sensed after-hours, an alarm condition is instantly activated within the command center."
Currently, employees carry a separate photo identification card, but Colangelo is in the process of improving the flow of employee traffic through the lobby, so he is converting the ID cards to the Datacard Chaser EL-3 digital ID system. Each card will be used both for identification and access. Seventy-nine Sony closed-circuit television cameras cover the interior and perimeter of the corporate headquarters. Pan/tilt/zoom cameras monitor areas such as the lobby, corridors on lower floors and the loading dock. During off-hours, motion detectors on the lower floors will trigger CCTV cameras and alert the security command center if tripped.
Center of commandThe command center houses 16 Burle monitors, three Sony monitors and one Panasonic call-up monitor, as well as seven Aurora multiplexers. Colangelo runs his operation with 37 proprietary security officers, and five console operators man the command center 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He has also created an associate console operator position because it affords upward mobility for security officers. And it is cost effective: When a console operator is out, the associate console operator can replace him or her at a standard hourly rate, rather than an overtime rate. In the past, a console operator from a previous shift would have covered the hours by working overtime. "Now, if a console operator calls in sick, the associate console operator, who doubles as a security officer when there are no console duties, can cover for the person," says Colangelo. "In other words, the associate console operator is an extra security officer that is a floater."All console operators, including the associate console operator, are certified fire safety directors and are trained to use the Johnson Controls Fire Command Center. They must pass a fire safety course, and receive on-the-job training in console operation. They must also pass an on-site building test given by the New York City Fire Department.
Security officers receive training over and above what is mandated by the state of New York. A Philip Morris medical officer conducts emergency mock situations for training security personnel. A certified CPR medical alert team works with company doctors for medical emergencies. Security officers also receive firefighter training. A security department fire brigade is first to respond to a fire condition. The security department also conducts routine fire drills, and has a fire warden program that trains company employees to be floor fire wardens.
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