Sanctuary and Safety

The house of worship is universally regarded as a sanctuary both
 in spiritual and literal terms. The church is often sought as the last refuge for people in the most desperate of circumstances. However, as the numbers of the nation's homeless populations have grown exponentially, many religious campuses have found themselves reluctant hosts to scores of homeless men and women camped at their doorsteps. This has led many congregations to adopt measures to discourage itinerant lodging in the interests of safety. Not surprisingly,churches and their affiliated schools, account for about 10 percent of our client roster. Short of hiring a private patrol service there are things that can be done by churches to discourage itinerant lodging on their premises.
First, the most effective way for church staff to handle the the matter is to be proactive, and to address the issue immediately whenever it occurs. As always speak respectfully, and to the point. Avoid the pitfalls of exceptions to the rule; allowing personal belongings such as bicycles,clothing bags, etc.to be stored on property. This will lead to confusion and make matters much more difficult to deal with. The goal is to communicate a clear-cut policy without misunderstanding. It is also a good idea to have a printed hand-out that spells out Church policy in regard to lodging on campus, and also to offer information about other homeless resources available in the community such as meals, shelter and mental health.

Second, prepare for the long term. Properties that have had a long-established homeless presence require time and patience to bring under control.One resource that must not be overlooked is law enforcement. Many police agencies in towns large and small now have officers whom are specialized in working with local homeless populations. Do not hesitate to call the authorities for help.

SELECT PATROL REPLACES iBUTTONS WITH QR CODES

 Select Patrol is in the process of replacing its current patrol tour system with a newer technology that will eliminate the wand scanner commonly used throughout the security industry. The new system is actually a feature of the real-time reporting software that has been used by Select Patrol since 2011. Select Patrol employees can now scan checkpoint locations on their routes with  android phones without the need for a separate scanning device.

The benefit for Select Patrol customers is the ability to see the patrolman's reports in real time, and also view time-stamped location patrols in a single reporting format.

In addition, the scanning software uses pressure sensitive QR code decals that are easier to remove than the former systems' metal ibuttons that were installed with screws or adhesives.  The decals measure one inch by one inch square. For clients who currently use the ibutton system known as Deggy, Select Patrol will discontinue the weekly reports as soon as the new decals are in place.

COMMUNITY ROBOTS

In December of last year, Amazon.com made headlines when the company announced plans to develop a drone to deliver small packages within small geographic areas in under 30 minutes. At the same time, other stories appeared that described robot technology designed specifically for security applications. One example is the Knightscope Inc K5, a five-foot tall, 300lb bowling pin whose makers describe as an “Autonomous Data Machine”. Among its many features, the K5 has a 360 degree camera, a night-vision camera, Optical Character Recognition (The ability to read license plates), Behavioral Analysis software and the ability to detect biological, radiation and chemical elements within its environment. While the K5 and offerings from its competitors; the Robotex Avatar lll and Mobilerobots’ Patrolbot, are far from the bipedal humanoid of science fiction, these devices represent what lies directly ahead in today’s world of security technology. Now of course, one cannot say "Security Robot" without acknowledging concerns about privacy and job elimination. In my view the robots headed our way are no more ominous than all of the other cameras and sensors that capture our movements every day. Another feed of telemetry gathered about our not-so private lives, to me, is not going to reveal much more than is known about each of us already. In terms of jobs, I do not see the coming generation of robots as a threat to the relevance of private security guards. The purpose and abilities of the machines are matched to roles that augment, rather than replace, human security forces. In other words a more a capable K9 and without the bite. From my perspective as a security contractor I see the technology as a good thing. For one, the robots will perform the most mundane of security assignments and relieve human guards to complete other tasks. For example, a group of robots can be deployed in a condominium to provide continuous coverage of the gated parking garages and leave the human guard to handle noise complaints, after-hours pool use, and all of the other issues that can require the complex social skills that are unique to humans. If the robots in the garage do happen to detect suspicious activity, that data can be relayed directly to the guard’s smartphone with streaming video and audio. The guard can evaluate the data from a safe location and decide if police are to be notified. Safety and efficiency will be the strongest assets that robotic technology brings to the private security industry. DW