Access Control
& Security Systems

An Illinois postal worker protesting against human rights in North Korea jumped a metal fence and fired seven shots in the air at U.N. headquarters recently, spurning a debate over the New York City building's continued vulnerability.

Chief of U.N. security Michael McCann told The Associated Press that the complex on New York's east side has needed better perimeter protection, including CCTV cameras and sensors, for years. He called the fence "low and easy to get over." He also said the complex needs more trained security personnel.

McCann cites "financial restraints upon the organization" as the main reason for the continued lax security. The man who jumped the fence was arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents. Nobody was injured, but it was not the first attack on the complex. In 1964, for instance, anti-Communist Cubans fired a bazooka at the building, but the shell fell into the East River instead on into the building where a Cuban guerilla leader was addressing the General Assembly.

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• More from April's issue