There is no such thing as perfect, airtight security.
This is a hard truth that facilities managers have to accept. Any security setup is going to have gaps somewhere. Our job is to minimize those gaps to reduce the odds of a malicious actor slipping through and help keep the facility safe amidst a rising tide of workplace violence.
A common way to do this is to have a layered set of security systems so that even if a threat manages to slip through one layer, it won’t slip through entirely. Many facilities will have security cameras, as well as an entryway checkpoint that scans for weapons, to ensure that a threat unseen by one will still be caught by the other.
But one of the biggest gaps in your security can be easy to overlook: staff inattention.
How Costly Is a Split-Second Mistake?
A security system is only as effective as its weakest link. It doesn’t matter how tall or high or electrified your fence is if there’s a hole in it, because the problems come through the gaps. And in many cases, a second of inattention on the part of the operator is enough of a gap for problems to slip through.
Imagine a very busy entryway, loud and filled with people in all directions. It’s easy in that environment for security personnel to become momentarily distracted, even for just a second. But what could happen in that second of inattention?
- Someone in line could step around the metal detector instead of walking through it.
- An alert may appear on the screen but be missed by the security officer who isn’t watching the screen.
- The poles of the detection system could be moved out of alignment.
And that can happen even to highly trained staff who work for hours without ever letting their attention deviate for more than a second. Because one second is all the time a malicious actor needs to exploit that gap in your security.
Filling Security Gaps with AI
Modern weapons detection systems can be enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) to act as a second set of eyes. This ensures that even if the security officer has a second of misdirected attention, there is still something keeping watch on all the right places to ensure no threats are slipping through your security.
One effective implementation of this is AI evasion detection. By using AI-powered body
tracking built on a combination of Lidar and camera sensors, AI can automatically detect any individual attempting to bypass the screening area. Even if the operator is looking away for a split second, when the system detects a person attempting to evade screening, it immediately sends an alert with an image of that individual directly to the officer, who can then escort the person back to be screened properly.
Another way that AI can help fill security gaps is through self-diagnostics. A modern weapons detection system can be configured to detect any irregularities in operation and send an alert when accurate operation of the system is disrupted. This can include poles being moved out of alignment or pushed too close together, a disruption in power or network connection, or even improper calibration. AI self-diagnosis can verify that the weapons detection system is fully functional and providing the necessary security to keep your facility safe.
Advanced AI can even embed U.S. Department of Homeland Security best practices directly into your weapons detection system, to ensure your officers are following DHS-approved procedures designed to maximize the security of your facility. These can range from automated notifications and proper logging for illegal items, to AI-powered compliance with secondary screening procedures and wand scanning techniques.
An Essential Solution
As we have seen in the news, the costs of sub-par security today are simply too high. Numerous tragic incidents leave no doubt that closing security gaps must be a goal for any facilities manager. And while security checkpoints and scanners are an excellent start, lives can still be lost in those seconds of inattention.
That’s where AI can truly shine, by providing that constant unwavering oversight to ensure that no threats slip through the gaps. By detecting threats in real time and providing automated alerts to officers when required, AI-powered weapons detection provides a stronger layered security system that also serves as a deterrent. It closes those security gaps of inattention, even in high-traffic areas where distractions are commonplace.
While no security system is perfect, AI-powered weapons detection can offer a valuable force multiplier for security teams by providing a second set of eyes that fill those split-second gaps where threats can leak in.
Lisa Falzone is the co-founder and CEO of Athena Security, a security company providing AI-powered threat detection.
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