Lancaster & York, PA Security News

Secure Your Property with the Onion Approach

What can you do to reduce the risks of crime occurring at your properties? Prevention and deterrence are smart investments that pay dividends in reputation, property values and safety.

Implement a security plan for your properties, whether residential communities, commercial buildings, construction sites, convenience stores or auto dealerships, that takes a layered security approach. Think of it like an onion with its outer and inner layers. A layered security plan is when building owners, property managers and landlords have combined multiple security controls to protect and lessen the potential for crime to occur.

When deciding the most appropriate security measures or layers to implement, keep in mind the assets that need to be protected, the location of those assets and the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities they face. This is the only way to determine an optimum level of protection. When you know and understand the people and the environment, you can provide appropriate and adequate levels of protection for each element.

Outer Layers

The outer perimeter, or outer layers, of a community or property include various aspects where security measures can be applied. These measures are elements that, in general, lead up to building walls and do not include conditions that are controlled by the residents, employees or visitors of the property.

These include :

– The grounds on which the building sits
– The roadways within the community and if they are private or public
– Structural external barriers, such as fences, gates and walls, that prohibit or limit access
– Natural external barriers, such as bodies of water and terrain, that are difficult to negotiate
– Buildings and doors
– Parking areas
– Lighting
– Miscellaneous openings, such as sewage drains and HVAC ducts

Inner Layers

The inner layers of a property refer to internal access controls. These are elements where residents, building owners or property managers can exercise control. Security and protection should keep all of the following in mind:

– Doors and windows, including the type of glass used on each
– Door locks, keys and combinations
– Roofs and roof access
– Other rooms or facilities within a building or on property

Access controls should keep in mind who and what has access to the property besides the residents and employees. This includes vehicles, contractors, delivery services and guests.

Defense in Depth and Breadth

Security is best implemented in layers, but it is enhanced when the layers have both depth and breadth. Defense in depth and breadth is a security strategy that uses redundancy and different measures across many access points to stop crime or at least buy time to allow for synchronized reporting and a timely response. Walls, fences, gates, signs, vegetation, cameras, security officers, security patrol vehicles, access control doors, foyers and good lighting all work in tandem with other specialized security tools to help defend and secure property in depth and breadth.

Implement a Layered Security Approach

Layered security is essential to keeping your property, residents and employees safe. We can help you develop and implement a layered security approach. Contact us at 717-686-9588 to learn more.

Signal 88 Security of Lancaster and York is a world-class, industry-leading security services company for residential, commercial, retail and institutional customers. We provide customized security solutions including roving vehicle patrols, door checks, pool lockups, event security and emergency response.