Clearly Speaking

Oct 1, 2003 12:00 PM, BY JAMES GOMPERS jgompers@gtdgrp.com

With today's integrated security solutions, both video surveillance and audio surveillance can be leveraged for higher levels of verification and risk management.

Intercoms, for example, once acted as stand-alone units that simply linked rooms or facilities together. Now, they are being integrated with other systems, such as access control and alarms, to provide added intelligence and increased security. But is this entirely a good thing?

The role of intercoms and audio surveillance is constantly changing within the contemporary security environment.

The Many Uses of Intercoms

Intercoms have been around for years, and since their inception, they have been used in countless applications from access control for apartment buildings, hospitals, offices and correctional facilities to inter-office communications.

Thanks to the convergence of IT and security, intercoms have become even more sophisticated and useful. For example, pop-up video screens associated with intercom activation can be enabled by tying the intercom activation output to an input in the video system. Through an IP connection, these systems can be monitored and controlled from centralized locations. Taking the technology one step further, audio can be recorded and archived from intercoms and microphones built into cameras.

These advancements in technology have produced a significant effect on the way we manage our security environments. Adding audio into the surveillance mix provides the ability to respond to events in a more intelligent and efficient manner. It also creates a more complete audit trail for investigation purposes.

With the Good, Comes the Bad

Organizations and security professionals need to be acutely aware of laws — not to mention public backlash — surrounding audio surveillance.

The Federal Wiretapping Act of 1968 (and its amendment, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986) prohibits conversations from being recorded unless the people who are being monitored are notified in some way. In an effort to avoid heavy fines and possible jail time, many organizations that wish to videotape for security purposes do not record audio.

In January 1999, a case in Monticello, Ky., involving audio surveillance attracted national attention. After four Wal-Mart employees were fired for stealing damaged nuts and candy — all caught on tape — they took the company to court. They said their rights had been violated because the tape had also recorded personal conversations.

The jury concluded that the four plaintiffs had been wrongfully fired because the store had an unwritten policy that employees could eat damaged goods. The $20 million settlement, however, was prompted by the outrage the jurors felt over the eavesdropping and lack of respect shown to the employees. The jurors said they wanted to send Wal-Mart a strong message.

As this case demonstrates, organizations can never be too cautious. Whether an integrator, manufacturer or end-user, it is important to take the time to learn how audio surveillance and wiretapping laws affect security implementations. When in doubt, consult a qualified attorney.

Case study: Leveraging Intercoms to Keep Our Public Water Supplies Safe

As the threat of terrorism rises, a demand for increased protection of public water supplies and public facilities has followed. Let's examine how an example water district leveraged intercoms and integration to proactively increase public safety.

In recent years, a number of water districts have decided to beef up security and fence in their water plants, pumping stations and water towers. Although commendable, there's certainly more work to be done. On a recent project I was involved in, for example, we implemented an IP video surveillance system, placed fixed cameras over the main gate and entry to the building and used PTZ cameras to monitor the fence line. Next, we implemented an access control system for gate entry and building access and a perimeter fence system to monitor penetration of the fence line. We also placed intercoms at the gate and building entrance, a speaker for annunciation and a good lighting plan for proper coverage of the facility.

When a person tries to gain access to the facility, he/she is required to swipe a smart card or press an intercom button. Because the access control and intercom systems are connected to the IP video surveillance system, a portion of video immediately appears on the dispatcher's PC during normal business hours and at the public safety office after hours. An audio channel is also opened.

The dispatcher allows authorized personnel with an access card to gain entry and logs the event for audit purposes. Entry by intercom requires the dispatcher to fill in predefined fields of information such as name, company and purpose before the system will allow the dispatcher to open the gate or door. This creates increased accountability as well as a complete audit trail.

Taking the technology one step further, fence detection was tied into the PTZ cameras to enable pop-up video and trip alarms. Also, tying an open audio channel to a paging system and playing a predetermined warning, helps deter vandals and keep unauthorized personnel from gaining entry.

Although the technology seems relatively simple, intercoms can be very effective tools that can yield very powerful results in the ongoing battle to keep public facilities secure.

Conclusion

As discussed, audio surveillance can help accelerate response time, increase accountability, verify incidents and provide a complete audit trail. While the technology offers numerous benefits, it's important to tread a careful path when looking to integrate audio surveillance into an overall security strategy. Integrators, manufacturers and end-users need to ensure they understand the laws surrounding audio surveillance and wiretapping and comply with them; and organizations that decide to use audio surveillance in the workplace owe it to their employees to explain how and why the system will be used.

Like everything else in the security industry, it all comes down to education and best practices. Audio surveillance can be an extremely powerful tool when used properly, but without ongoing awareness and sufficient training, it has little or no value at all.

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For the Record

About The Author

James Gompers is founder of Gompers Technologies Design Group Inc. and Gompers Technologies Testing and Research Group Inc. He has more than 20 years of expertise in the security industry as a consultant from the end-user perspective. This is another in a series of columns he is writing for Access Control & Security Systems. E-mail him at jgompers@gtdgrp.com.

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