An eye on the media

Aug 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Carey Adams

Cox Enterprises Inc. is one of the largest multi-media companies in the United States and also operates the world's largest automobile auctions. Under Cox's umbrella, 16 daily newspapers, 15 weekly newspapers, 13 television stations, 83 radio stations, 97 automobile auctions, and 71 Web sites are operated and maintained. Cox's cable television holdings serve 6 million customers.

Some of Cox's most well-known properties include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, the Dayton Daily News, Austin American Statesman, Manheim Auctions Inc., Autotrader.com, and Cox Interactive Media. With such high-profile properties, security is a top priority.

Inside its Atlanta headquarters, as many as 3,000 employees, visitors and contractors move throughout a massive 300,000-square-foot complex secluded on 26 acres northwest of downtown and at numerous satellite offices throughout the city. Rick Snively, manager of corporate security, leads the effort to make sure the facilities and the campus are protected and safe environments for the company's most valued asset - the employees.

"Cox is a decentralized management culture. Our dress is business casual, which fosters communication and a creative environment for our employees," says Snively. In the metropolitan Atlanta area, access control to a large office complex is a primary security objective. "When it comes to security, we must have a system that is robust, user-friendly and as architectually open as possible."

Security officers offer helping hands For Cox, flexibility begins with the security staff. Under Snively's leadership, 21 contract officers from Wackenhut (a national preferred vendor for Cox) patrol facilities and parking lots that make up the campus. Officers are stationed at the reception areas in the east and west lobby entrances of the main building at 1400 Lake Hearn Drive. Guards are also posted inside the Pavilion and Palisades buildings where Cox departments occupy numerous suites.

Two officers patrol the parking lots driving a security vehicle during the autumn and winter months. The main campus officer sports uniformed shirt and shorts for bicycle patrol during the spring and summer months.

"We train our security staff to provide value-added service to internal and external customers. If someone has a flat tire in the parking lot, we will help them change it. If they prefer that an officer walk them to their car, we will do it," says Snively. "Quality is intended and expected in customer service, and I believe you should exceed the expectations of customers in every interaction with them."

Each officer is given 40 hours of training before they set foot on the complex (TWC Pro Program). An additional 17 hours of training are given on-site inclusive of orientation and post on-the-job-training. Each security officer is trained in CPR, first aid and use of automatic electronic defibulators.

Snively, a retired Norfolk, Va., police detective and former owner of a private security consulting and investigative company, wants his security staff to be prepared for anything. Each month, officers go through a mock scenario based training to test their readiness, as well as formalized mandatory in-service training.

"The officers aren't sure whether it's a drill or not, so they react as they are trained. It definitely keeps them ready," says Snively.

Cox Enterprises also offers workplace violence training for its employees and security officers, helping them learn how to diffuse possible violent interactions or confrontations and the importance of reporting conduct or behavior which could lead to a violent act.

Access control limits entrance points Security officers are also stationed inside a 24-hour, 7 day-a-week security command center in the main building where they control and monitor 36 internal color CCTV cameras. There are also five black-and-white pan/tilt/zoom cameras located in the parking lots, controlled and monitored by security officers.

Inside the command center, a vast array of security technology is used. Four Sony quad monitors show real-time pictures from the CCTV cameras. The system also uses dedicated macro multiplexers and SVHS time lapse recorders. Simplex fire alarms are placed throughout Cox's corporate headquarters.

Controlling access to certain areas enables the security department to keep a tight grip on unauthorized entries. A Hirsch access control system restricts entry into 156 doors throughout the campus and other remote facilities. The access control points in 14 locations are linked together via the LAN. All security systems in the 27 locations throughout the metropolitan Atlanta area are managed and monitored from the command center, as well as remote sites from across the country.

Photo ID badging system enhances security effort EPISUITE photo identification badging software by G & A Imaging Ltd. has been installed in the Atlanta campus lobby and reception areas. According to Snively, the system gives Cox flexibility to integrate for future needs.

"EPISUITE is a robust system that can grow with you. It is user-friendly and it is a value-added service," Snively says.

The badging system allows Cox security to import employee information onto a stand-alone PC in the command center. A database utility in the system can pull up employees' existing data from the original database and store it in the system's own database.

The system can also verify someone's identity even if he has forgotten to wear the HID proximity card and ID badge. Security officers located in the guard stations in the lobby can pull up employee information within seconds.

"Their information is stored in the computer. Once their name is pulled up, their face comes across the computer," Snively says. "It allows you to authenticate anyone not wearing a badge without inconveniencing the person or having him search through a wallet or purse for an ID badge."

"In a time when you have office creepers and opportunists, photo ID badging is a serious issue. This is a system that allows us to address that issue," says Snively.

According to Jerry Von Kohn, data control room system supervisor, the photo badging system allows him to import a person's information into the system within minutes.

"If someone changes their name, perhaps because of marriage, all I have to do is pull up their information and change the name. The new card is ready by the time they are able to walk to our office," Von Kohn says. "I can import the old photo into the new card."

A MAGICARD Turbo printer prints the cards. The system also allows Von Kohn to design the cards. He is using the system to design media badges for all the Cox newspapers that will be sending reporters to the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Von Kohn, a veteran U.S. Naval officer and former Pentagon worker, says the system allows Cox to integrate it with any security system upgrades.

"I can set it up the way I want to. It is an extremely flexible system, and we plan to use it with everything we will do in the future," says Von Kohn.

Cox is planning an expansion that will move the command center into offices a few miles away. The move will allow the security department to use the current command center as a backup office. The current office is responsible for monitoring activities at other offices throughout the Cox system.

Snively says that Cox Enterprises Inc. is always looking to enhance its physical security systems, providing more efficient, effective and flexible tools to use.

"We will embrace new technology as the industry provides it and as we upgrade, using technologies such as smart cards, biometrics, enterprise-based access control systems, digital CCTV and archive-capable systems using our broadband communication infrastructure," says Snively.

"We believe we have set up a system that will benefit us for a long time. You must always plan for the future, and I think we have put together a foundation that is flexible for us and comfortable for our employees."

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

This month in Access Control

• Opening Up About Door Closers
• An Enterprise Approach
• The Framework For Open Systems
• On A Higher Plane
• More from April's issue