subject: Prevent Terrorist Attacks with Hardened Security Measures [print this page]
As the foiled car bombing plot in Times Square demonstrates, terrorism is an unfortunateand increasingly frequentfact of life. The enormity of this act, which was averted by a rare combination of luck, happenstance, incompetence (on the suspect's part), and quick thinking (by police and civilians), reminds us that no placeat least of all Times Squareis immune from potentially massive destruction.
Indeed, New York City Police Chief, Raymond Kelly, made this same point, when he said, "The whole lethal assembly turned the [Nissan] Pathfinder into one big hurt locker." And Mayor Michael Bloomberg added, "We were very lucky. We avoided what could have been a very deadly event."
But no onecertainly not New Yorkers or tourists or commuters or the policeshould have to make luck the final arbiter between life and death. Luck means we have to hope a terrorist fails, that a bomb does not detonate or a hijacked plane does not hit its intended target. By that calculus the 500,000 revelers who celebrated New Year's in Times Square, just months after 9/11, should have put their faith in luck, not improved security or increased policing. Instead, there are actions we can takeimmediatelyto protect a specific facility, building, or organization from a terrorist act.
Bear in mind that these terrorist acts are criminal acts, certainly, differentiated only by motivation. For example: While all criminal acts are not terrorist acts, all terrorist acts are criminal acts. Faisal Shahzad, the suspect arrested in the Times Square incident, may be a "lone wolf" in the words of General David Petraeus, but the act itselfwhether committed by one person or in concert with a network of enemies in the United States and Pakistanleaves people, buildings, and the overall environment vulnerable to additional terror. In fact, other reports indicate that Shahzad had contact with Taliban leaders wanted in the attacks against Mumbai, India, as well as other acts of jihadist terror. Hence the need to take steps to prevent acts of terror and/or lessen the damage a terrorist can inflict upon a target.
Terrorism prevention strategies address five specific issues: (1) the identification of potential targets (like Times Square) that, if attacked, could cause catastrophic injury; (2) the reduction of the value of the target to potential terrorists; (3) reduction of the visibility of the target; (4) the reduction of access to the target; and (5) increasing security around the target.
Specifically, target hardening and increased physical security measures reduce the value of the target by lessening the degree of damage that a terrorist can inflict. For example, good access control makes it more difficult for a terrorist to gain entry to a facility to do harm, while explosion-proof trash receptacles and shatter-resistant windows help to contain a blast should a bomb detonate.
Access control systems serve to restrict access to only those authorized to enter the facility. The degree of access control is directly related to the value of the target and the presumed threat. These controls include:
Access control that is as simple as a key and a lock (not very secure), or as sophisticated as the use of smart cards tied to biometric readers to positively identify the user prior to allowing access.
Biometric systems currently on the market range from fingerprint identification to using the retina (the blood vessel pattern in the back of your eye) and the iris (the colored ring around your pupil) as a means of positively identifying the user.
Other systems use the size and shape of your hand or the pattern of the blood veins in your wrist as an identifier.
Blast mitigation is also critical when protecting against terrorist acts. Bombs are a favorite of terrorists and are frighteningly easy to build and place. Blast mitigation includes the use of fragment retention films to safeguard glass. Terrorists know that glass and explosives form a lethal combination. In addition, history proves that upwards of 80% of all bomb blast injuries are glass related. Additional steps include the removal of all trash receptacles (a favorite placement of bombers), or the addition of ballistic-rated trash receptacles specifically designed to contain a bomb blast.
Perimeter security is a core defensive measure. A perimeter system serves to deter an entry, prevent an entry, or if neither of those options is successful, slow down an intruder sufficiently so that the likelihood of getting caught increases. Perimeter options include fencing, walls, and barricades. Fencing may be chain link, or if aesthetics are an issue, bent metal or a variety of ornamental metal options. Depending on the risk, barbed wire or razor ribbon may be attached to the top. Realistically speaking, tests show that barbed wire and razor ribbon have very little effect on slowing an intruder's climb, but the visual effect can be a huge deterrent. Depending on the threat present, there are a variety of vehicle barriers available to prevent cars and trucks from gaining unauthorized access to a facility.
As with other security devices, closed circuit camera systems offer a deterrent. In the event of an incident, recorded video provides a record of what occurred and can possibly be used as evidence in the apprehension and prosecution of the terrorists. The deterrent value is proactive, while the prosecution value is a mitigation technique. As technology advances, the quality of closed circuit cameras greatly improves while physical camera size gets smaller. Advances in storage technology mean that more and more video can be stored, allowing for more cameras and a longer "keep" time.
Terrorist targets such as Times Square are obviously not random. But what makes a target attractive? Target suitability can be influenced by factors including value, inertia (the size and weight of an object), visibility, and access. There is information to suggest that the Alfred P. Murrah Building, in Oklahoma City, was not Timothy McVeigh's first choice of a target, but it was the closest target to him that met his needs.
While nothing can prevent terrorism, steps can be taken to prevent terrorist attacks. Steps can be taken to harden a facility, lessen the attractiveness of a target, and better prepare a facility to deal with an attack.
As the foiled car bombing plot in Times Square demonstrates, terrorism is an unfortunateand increasingly frequentfact of life. The enormity of this act, which was averted by a rare combination of luck, happenstance, incompetence (on the suspect's part), and quick thinking (by police and civilians), reminds us that no placeat least of all Times Squareis immune from potentially massive destruction.
Indeed, New York City Police Chief, Raymond Kelly, made this same point, when he said, "The whole lethal assembly turned the [Nissan] Pathfinder into one big hurt locker." And Mayor Michael Bloomberg added, "We were very lucky. We avoided what could have been a very deadly event."
But no onecertainly not New Yorkers or tourists or commuters or the policeshould have to make luck the final arbiter between life and death. Luck means we have to hope a terrorist fails, that a bomb does not detonate or a hijacked plane does not hit its intended target. By that calculus the 500,000 revelers who celebrated New Year's in Times Square, just months after 9/11, should have put their faith in luck, not improved security or increased policing. Instead, there are actions we can takeimmediatelyto protect a specific facility, building, or organization from a terrorist act.
Bear in mind that these terrorist acts are criminal acts, certainly, differentiated only by motivation. For example: While all criminal acts are not terrorist acts, all terrorist acts are criminal acts. Faisal Shahzad, the suspect arrested in the Times Square incident, may be a "lone wolf" in the words of General David Petraeus, but the act itselfwhether committed by one person or in concert with a network of enemies in the United States and Pakistanleaves people, buildings, and the overall environment vulnerable to additional terror. In fact, other reports indicate that Shahzad had contact with Taliban leaders wanted in the attacks against Mumbai, India, as well as other acts of jihadist terror. Hence the need to take steps to prevent acts of terror and/or lessen the damage a terrorist can inflict upon a target.
Terrorism prevention strategies address five specific issues: (1) the identification of potential targets (like Times Square) that, if attacked, could cause catastrophic injury; (2) the reduction of the value of the target to potential terrorists; (3) reduction of the visibility of the target; (4) the reduction of access to the target; and (5) increasing security around the target.
Specifically, target hardening and increased physical security measures reduce the value of the target by lessening the degree of damage that a terrorist can inflict. For example, good access control makes it more difficult for a terrorist to gain entry to a facility to do harm, while explosion-proof trash receptacles and shatter-resistant windows help to contain a blast should a bomb detonate.
Access control systems serve to restrict access to only those authorized to enter the facility. The degree of access control is directly related to the value of the target and the presumed threat. These controls include:
Access control that is as simple as a key and a lock (not very secure), or as sophisticated as the use of smart cards tied to biometric readers to positively identify the user prior to allowing access.
Biometric systems currently on the market range from fingerprint identification to using the retina (the blood vessel pattern in the back of your eye) and the iris (the colored ring around your pupil) as a means of positively identifying the user.
Other systems use the size and shape of your hand or the pattern of the blood veins in your wrist as an identifier.
Blast mitigation is also critical when protecting against terrorist acts. Bombs are a favorite of terrorists and are frighteningly easy to build and place. Blast mitigation includes the use of fragment retention films to safeguard glass. Terrorists know that glass and explosives form a lethal combination. In addition, history proves that upwards of 80% of all bomb blast injuries are glass related. Additional steps include the removal of all trash receptacles (a favorite placement of bombers), or the addition of ballistic-rated trash receptacles specifically designed to contain a bomb blast.
Perimeter security is a core defensive measure. A perimeter system serves to deter an entry, prevent an entry, or if neither of those options is successful, slow down an intruder sufficiently so that the likelihood of getting caught increases. Perimeter options include fencing, walls, and barricades. Fencing may be chain link, or if aesthetics are an issue, bent metal or a variety of ornamental metal options. Depending on the risk, barbed wire or razor ribbon may be attached to the top. Realistically speaking, tests show that barbed wire and razor ribbon have very little effect on slowing an intruder's climb, but the visual effect can be a huge deterrent. Depending on the threat present, there are a variety of vehicle barriers available to prevent cars and trucks from gaining unauthorized access to a facility.
As with other security devices, closed circuit camera systems offer a deterrent. In the event of an incident, recorded video provides a record of what occurred and can possibly be used as evidence in the apprehension and prosecution of the terrorists. The deterrent value is proactive, while the prosecution value is a mitigation technique. As technology advances, the quality of closed circuit cameras greatly improves while physical camera size gets smaller. Advances in storage technology mean that more and more video can be stored, allowing for more cameras and a longer "keep" time.
Terrorist targets such as Times Square are obviously not random. But what makes a target attractive? Target suitability can be influenced by factors including value, inertia (the size and weight of an object), visibility, and access. There is information to suggest that the Alfred P. Murrah Building, in Oklahoma City, was not Timothy McVeigh's first choice of a target, but it was the closest target to him that met his needs.
While nothing can prevent terrorism, steps can be taken to prevent terrorist attacks. Steps can be taken to harden a facility, lessen the attractiveness of a target, and better prepare a facility to deal with an attack.
Prevent Terrorist Attacks with Hardened Security Measures
