Preserving order in the court

Jan 1, 1999 12:00 PM, WILL POLLOCK

A multi-phased, integrated system brings high-tech, networked security to courthouse buildings in Collin County, Texas.Municipal buildings and facilities more than ever need intensive security. To meet the challenge head-on, Collin County, Texas, officials are taking steps to preserve order in the court system while involving employees in the security process.

Previous security measures provided ease of use rather than sophisticated access control, says Larry Hawkins, Collin County buildings superintendent. "The system we had in place was really not for security at all, it was mainly for conven-ience," he explains. "It was a keypad-based system, and it was put on a few exterior doors for the convenience of locking down and unlocking without having to send personnel around to open and close doors."Designing security chambers

Collin County's new security and access control installation is a giant leap over its previous security program, Hawkins says. Designed by SecureNet Inc., a Dallas-based security systems integrator, the new system starts with the courtrooms as a focal point and moves to the secondary departments.

Security priorities are the courts, court personnel, and nearby and associated departments, Hawkins says. Citizens can also get belligerant and cause security concerns in other departments such as probation, or the district or county clerks' offices, he says.

The first phase of Collin County's security installation, expected to come on-line this month, includes the main courthouse and two other buildings. Phase two, slated for completion later this year, will add between seven and nine buildings to the network. Both phases encompass buildings in McKinney and Plano, also in Texas.

For the system's framework, SecureNet chose a networked Open Options Inc. enterprise-wide access control and security management system running under Windows NT 4.0. One server and two clients will be installed to enable the county to manage all data in one system and to interface with an existing database. Two frame-relay lines will connect the buildings of each client to the server, while ISDN lines will link each of the remaining county facilities to the server.

According to Jeff Gravley, business development director for SecureNet, one of the most essential components of the installation is PALS 9000 (Personal Alarm Locating System), the duress alarm system. The product, designed and manufactured by Act-all, San Dimas, Calif., provides 42 IRT-M locators to be installed on four floors. ISC-16 input controllers from Open Options Inc. will enable the courthouse system to be integrated.

"The judges carry a beeper-like device on their belt," Gravley explains. "Each of those devices uses an RF signal to be in continuous contact with monitors hung in the ceilings to track the individuals' locations. If a judge is attacked, he can push a button and it will annunciate the alarm and register with the overall system." Ademco 269 panic buttons have also been installed throughout the facilities.

"The duress system is designed to spark a series of events," adds Greg Thornbury, vice president and Dallas branch manager for SecureNet. "Monitoring controls are in place so that, when the alarm goes off, it pinpoints not only where the event happened but which judge was involved. Each one of these devices has a unique identifier that tags each of the people wearing it, to show where the alarm was set off and a picture of who was involved."

The duress system is linked directly with a Motorola-based PeopleFinder LT system, which also is bridged into the Open Options software. "If that alarm is annunciated, the Motorola pagers are set off so the response team can react on that alarm," says Thornbury. "It's a sort of domino effect in which everything is all tied together."

The PeopleFinder system also will be alerted when the buildings' access control is compromised. All buildings in the security program, in both phases one and two, will be fitted with 135 HID Thinline access readers controlled by 135 Open Options Reader Interface Controllers.

In addition to readers, an extra 68 doors will have Sentrol door contacts, with door hardware and magnetic locks manufactured by Rutherford. Adams Rite crashbars, Detection Systems' motion detectors and Rutherford exit buttons will provide the system's panic hardware. HID ProxCard II and HID readers will be used for all building access.

Although the system design does not currently include a CCTV component, it can expand in the future to accommodate that feature. Collin County decision-makers declined the use of CCTV at the outset - for access control or anything else - while reserving the ability to add that function later, Hawkins says. "The courtroom has corridors leading back to multiple courts, for judges' chambers and such," he says. "We were originally going to put CCTV at the corridor entrances with access buttons on the desk and in different courts but decided against it."

A network with one-source controlAlthough the installation's expandability with additional features is an essential dimension for any security system, Collin County also can add future buildings to its network. After phase one is completed, attention will be turned to the rest of the installation - and perhaps some locations beyond that, Hawkins notes.

"We're going to phase two, which will encompass the rest of the courts," he says. "We're looking at other spaces for some outlying courtrooms, and in the near future we'll add those to the network along with other non-courthouse county buildings."

Each building will be controlled by the main server from one remote location, which will collect all security controls in one epicenter.Collin County, as a government entity, can use a one-source operation to have consistent security control and to make sweeping system modifications quickly and easily, Thornbury says.

"They can centrally manage the entire system, allowing them to administer their policies and procedures equally and across the board," he says. "The system also allows them to make changes that affect all the buildings in instant fashion. So if they have employees who are terminated, they can automatically turn off their access privileges globally."

Hawkins likens Collin County's new security initiative to a commercial HVAC system. "We've got a central control room at our plant and it provides manpower savings and the ability to monitor and control all these buildings from one point," he says. "We're monitoring fire alarms, energy management systems and equipment such as chillers and mechanical systems. So we can add the access system monitoring to our control room environment."

People powerAs well as a high-tech security system can protect the buildings from breaches of security - and can provide for security needs as they evolve - Hawkins points to county employees as the key to the new system's success.Although the employee base will experience possible frustration and confusion with new security practices, an up-to-speed end-user will ensure the installation's safety and success, he says.

"The most important aspect of all is communication to the system's end-users," he says. "Any type of new security is an inconvenience when people aren't used to it. So explaining and selling the system to end-users - what it can do and how it can help them - is the key.

"We didn't just put it in and say, 'Here's a card and start operating,'" he continues. "We got a good buy-in from our people because they saw how much it could help and what exactly to expect. We've had great cooperation to drive the program with employees and there's been great interest, overall."

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