The goal of securing residential halls is to minimize risk and maintain an open environment
A security breach in a residence hall involving an injury or sexual assault of a student can be devastating to the University community, to impacted families and the reputation and brand of the institution. The primary goal of residence hall security is balancing openness with providing a reasonable level of student safety from potential threats, crimes and dangerous situations. This article will cover some of the many physical security best practices for campus residence halls, drawing on guidelines from my own experience of more than 30 years as a veteran in campus security and respected organizations such as the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) and the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I). The topics to be covered include:
- Building physical security
- Exterior considerations
- Education and training of students and residence hall staff
- Auditing
- Other considerations
Physical Security of the Residence Hall
Access Control: The foundation of residence hall security lies in controlling who can enter the building. It should be standard practice that residence halls are access controlled on a 24/7 basis, but sadly, in some places, this is not the case. Business Protection Specialists, Inc. (BPS) and IACLEA recommend using secure key cards or fobs to implement electronic access control systems. Electronic access control systems in residence halls should leverage the alarm monitoring capability of these systems so that residence hall staff, security, or Public Safety is notified if a door is propped or forced open. It is also important that access control systems are designed by an experienced professional (Security Design) considering the flow of students. We have observed the incorrect incorporation of request-to-exit devices on high-traffic doors, resulting in thousands of “nuisance alarms” each month.
Visitor Management: An important element of physical security in a residence hall is visitor management. ACUHO-I emphasizes the importance of robust visitor management protocols with some of the more important ones listed below:
- Implement a sign-in/sign-out system for all guests. Ideally, this would be electronic.
- Set and communicate clear visiting hours and overnight guest policies.
- Set a maximum number of guests per resident or per room. This discourages parties and other disruptive behaviors.
- Maintain a staffed front desk during peak hours to monitor visitor traffic. Many universities use residence hall staff while others opt for contract security. The latter choice usually causes more issues than it is worth. Piggybacking and tailgating into residence halls is here to stay. No amount of training will stop it, particularly with a population that turns over as often as students do in residence halls. This also illuminates the need to minimize entry points, ideally to one.
Credits By: www.securityinfowatch.com
