Today’s Lesson: Know Your Security System

By J. Matthew Ladd

Teachers have their lesson plans and students have their homework. The goal with both is to be prepared — either for a day in the classroom for educators, or for that upcoming quiz or test for scholars.

But school districts that have recently spent thousands of dollars on security system installations — many of which were sent out from bid last year and then were put in during the summer months in time for classes to resume in September — need to educate themselves as well.

With all that the latest surveillance and access control technology offers to school security personnel, too often these systems are rushed into place to coincide with the new school year. As a result, training becomes an afterthought.

Taking the time to familiarize yourself with the features of each system means you’ll get the most out of it. While the project may have met your first day of school deadline, it’s incumbent on security personnel to spend time getting to know the inner workings of the cameras, recorders, analytics, card readers and the like.

Fortunately, you have an excellent tutor available — your integrator. We can walk you through everything you need to know about your new school security system as well as help train your staff on its nuances.

Sometimes it’s as simple as making sure all the features are completely operational: Are all the cameras turned on, are the readers working properly? In other cases, it’s sharing the capabilities of your new system with local law enforcement so they can best respond to an event at a school, should something happen.

You may also want to seek input from your integrator on setting up system rules and procedures for responding to particular types of situations so you can offer the best security coverage possible.

Today’s systems are fully featured and can provide a plethora of information before and during a crisis as well as forensically. If you do a little homework now, we can help you learn how to maximize your system.