 Over the last several years, the crime rate for most industrialized countries has been accelerating at an alarming rate. In response to this increase in criminal activity, law enforcement organizations throughout the world have been forced to allocate more and more of their resources to reactive law enforcement postures, such as investigative and apprehension operations. These traditional solutions have resulted in increased arrest and prosecution rates. But the threat of crime still remains as one of our nation's most critical problems, and so law enforcement throughout the world is evolving. In order to sustain organized and efficient security control, private industry and governmental agencies alike are augmenting their traditional reactive responses to crime with well-defined proactive law enforcement strategies and physical security techniques that reduce the risk of criminal activity. Modern physical security techniques have had an enormous impact on present-day state-of-the-art law enforcement tactics, but the actual concept of this proactive strategy dates back to the dawn of humanity. The purpose of this program is to discuss the evolution of physical security from the beginning of recorded history to present times. And to illustrate the contributions made by today's organized security forces to the overall law enforcement effort in America. Webster defines security as those measures taken that assure safety and freedom from doubt, anxiety or fear. Physical security dates back to the days of the caveman. Caves not only gave early man protection from the elements, they also provided perimeter protection and access control. With a single small entrance, man could protect himself and other members of his tribe from danger. Approximately 2,000 years before Christ, Babylonian towers began to emerge as the premier method of providing security. Named after the legendary Tower of Babel, these towers were constructed all throughout early Mesopotamia and serve not only as religious monuments, but as fortresses designed to protect the inhabitants from warring tribes. The brick and tile towers had the form of terraced pyramids with several receding stories called ziggurats, the town's most valuable assets and religious artifacts being secured in the top ziggurat. This tiered construction allowed full perimeter protection and access control and provided the most effective physical security of the times. The next major advancement in physical security strategies can be found in the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. This structure was built during the Roman Empire's occupation of England as a defensive barrier against warring tribes in Scotland. Constructed during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, the wall was completed in 128 AD and stretched across England for 73 miles. It was 8 feet wide and 12 feet high, with outpost towers situated every third of a mile. The soldiers in the tower offered intrusion detection. Access to the interior was gained through gates, which were surrounded by small forts called mile castles. Hadrian's Wall is one of the earliest examples of a well-defined security strategy deployed over a large geographical area. Another early example of this well-defined strategy is the Great Wall of China. Begun in the 5th century BC and completed almost 2,000 years later during the Ming dynasty, the wall stretches almost 4,000 miles along the northern Chinese border. Designed to serve as a barrier against marauding Mongols from the north, the wall made of rough stone averages 25 feet in height and is almost as wide. Towers situated all along the wall served as perimeter protection and access control. The next great milestone in the development of physical security is the evolution of castles. Beginning around the 10th and 11th centuries, warlords and kings began constructing castles to protect the citizens of their villages and other valuable assets. These castles were usually constructed on the highest point of land to make access by enemies difficult. A clear-cut area of several meters followed by a moat completely surrounding the fortress added to the security. Towers all along the outside walls provided safe and effective defensive positions for the castle guards. Access to the castle was gained through a small gate working in conjunction with a drawbridge over the moat. Security didn't end at the castle walls either. During this time, a new strategy later called concentric zoning was developed to protect the monarch even further from the enemy. His residence was usually situated near the center of the fortress, and so even if the enemy gained entrance to the castle, they had to fight their way through a series of concentric zones within the community itself. These zones usually consisted of the stables, the peasants' houses, the marketplace, and the merchants' houses. Nearing the monarch's residence, another clear zone and more castle guards completed the zone defense strategy. Hundreds of years later, during the 18th century, we find another form of physical security manifesting itself all along the rivers in the American frontier. During these times, because of the lack of roads, river travel was the only way to get from place to place. Therefore, any enemy movements could usually be detected along the river. For this reason, blockhouses were built all along secondary rivers, as outposts to provide perimeter protection, access control, and intrusion detection. If an enemy was detected moving down the river, an alarm would sound, and messengers were immediately sent to inform the main forces at the fort of the event. Then the troops would fire upon the enemy to keep them from passing through. Most often, a clear zone was established completely around the blockhouse to eliminate any advantage the enemy may gain by storming the fortress, and the numerous firing posts within the facility allowed for effective 360-degree fire. The structure was usually two stories high, with firing posts on both floors. An unusual feature of these blockhouses was the overhanging lip on the second floor. The lip provided shooting holes for the troops on the second floor to shoot straight down at enemy troops who had made it to the walls of the ground floor. Blockhouses were used extensively as security checkpoints along the secondary river routes. But most major thoroughfares were protected by much larger fortresses with much more firepower and personnel. Because of their location near the river and the security they afforded, villages of civilian trappers and farmers prospered in areas nearby. The fort itself was usually surrounded by a large clear zone called a glacis, which was used as an early detection system for anyone approaching. The walls were high and provided a clear and unobstructed shot for a firing line that could be positioned near the top. Towers usually constructed at the corners of the fort were used as lookout positions and firing posts. Access to the facility was controlled through gates or drawbridges that were heavily guarded. Looking at the security strategies utilized in this 19th century fortress, we begin to see the similarities between it and all the other structures we've studied in this program. In fact, we can see that all of them are strikingly familiar. That is because the concept of physical security has never and will never change. Throughout recorded history, man has needed to feel safe and secure. He has achieved this security by utilizing available technology to develop strategies of perimeter protection, intrusion detection, and access control to gain the upper hand on his enemy. So the philosophy of physical security remains the same. What changes is the technology. So let us look at some of the strategies we use today in protecting our government assets. We'll compare the similarities and the differences from times gone by and consider the impact that technology has made in their application. Physical security in today's modern government facility can be applied in a number of different strategies, depending on risk assessment and threat analysis. The level of security required will vary from facility to facility, but all have some form of strategy in place. Perimeter protection, for example, is usually provided by some form of barrier around the facility. There hasn't been much change in this concept over the years, but the moats, clear zones and stone walls of the past have been replaced by technologies which allow the building itself to act as its own outer perimeter. In addition, high-tech fencing allows outer perimeter protection away from the building. There are many different configurations of modern-day security fences and many different materials that are used in their construction. The choice of protection will depend on the required level of security for a given facility. And depending on that required security level, fence protection is oftentimes augmented by patrols on the outer perimeter. Technology has also changed access control operations within government facilities as well. Again, the concept remains the same, the idea being the restriction of specified area access to only those who are authorized to be there. But over the years, technology has brought about procedural changes. The four criteria now used to authorize area access are visual recognition, unique possession, unique knowledge and unique biometric signatures. These four criteria are used to varying degrees depending on the required level of security. Visual recognition is pretty much what the name implies. In very small organizations where everyone knows each other, this form of access control is sufficient. However, in larger organizations requiring a secure environment, access control operations should include both visual recognition and unique possession. This ensures that even if the officer does not recognize the individual, if he or she is in possession of something that only authorized people have been issued, then access can be granted. Some forms of unique possession include automobile decals, identification cards and badges. The third criteria of access control is unique knowledge, and this form has only come about in the last several years. Within any facility, some restricted areas may be protected by combination locks, and only those who know the combination are allowed to enter. The fourth access control criterion is strictly high-tech stuff. It's called unique biometrics, and it relies on the principle that everyone in this world is different. Just as we all have our own unique fingerprints, so do we have a unique hand geometry. Retina architecture and other biological differences. These devices recognize and measure these signatures, and depending on the level of security required, these automated systems can be configured and programmed to control access to any sensitive area. One of the most significant changes in physical security operations brought about by technology comes in the area of intrusion detection. In the past, intruders were detected by sight and information concerning the intrusion was carried by messenger or in more recent times by radio or other communication systems. The advent of the electronic age has changed all that. Now, automated intrusion detection systems, or IDSs, can provide effective and accurate real-time intrusion detection from remote locations. Multilevel IDSs can be designed to fit any required security strategy, and there are several devices to choose from. Electronic fence sensors can be attached to existing fences to detect the vibrations of fence climbers or cutters and send an alarm back to a monitoring station. Taught wires can also be attached to fences that, if disturbed, will also send an intrusion alarm. Active infrared and microwave detection devices are designed using the transmitter receiver method. Whereby, if a signal from the transmitter to the receiver is broken in any way, the incident will be electronically sent. Another form of this electron detection comes in the way of leaky coax cable. A coax cable with the sheathing stripped away has an electric current sent through it. This sets up an electronic field in a specified area. An intruder walking through that area will alter that electronic field and cause an alarm to be sent. Detection can also be obtained through the use of seismic detectors buried in the ground. These devices measure the vibrations of an intruder's movements. Video devices which detect motion over a wide area can also be utilized. They operate on the principle of changes in the contrast of video signals. Closer to the facility itself, electronic alarms on doors and windows have been vastly improved over the last few years and are very effective in detecting any break-in attempts. Once an intruder has been detected, additional equipment can help the monitoring station determine pertinent information concerning the intrusion. One of these assessment tools is closed-circuit television, which allows the monitoring station to visually appraise the source of the incident and analyze the threat. In low-light situations, security lighting is also used to augment the video signal. The more sophisticated the intrusion devices are at a facility, the more sophisticated the monitoring station must be to collect, analyze and act upon the data. These monitoring stations can be situated on the facility itself or they may be located remotely, hundreds of miles away. And on many government facilities, that's exactly what's happening. In an attempt to make the security systems and many facilities more effective and cost-efficient, some agencies have consolidated the monitoring of all the facilities within each geographic region under one roof. They're called Regional Control Centers and each is responsible for the security monitoring requirements of each of the facilities within its region. All the intrusion alarms from all of its facilities get sent to the center where several highly trained workers stand ready to assess the threat and, if necessary, dispatch the appropriate local emergency teams to the affected location. This form of security monitoring has proven to be very successful. By consolidating all the monitoring operations under one roof, effective security procedures can be standardized. The duplication of expensive monitoring equipment is avoided and thousands of hours of manpower are saved every year. In addition, facility managers can feel assured that their intrusion detection system is being monitored by only highly trained officers. Law enforcement is an ever-evolving science. By necessity, the traditional methods of reactive engagement are making way for a more comprehensive strategy that involves physical security measures as an integral part. As we move into the 21st century and as our need for a more secure environment continues to grow, the role of law enforcement officers, state, local and federal will evolve as well to include a more proactive stance. As we have seen in this program, although the concepts of physical security have remained the same for centuries, the nature of the technology is that it will continue to advance. Accordingly, a well-defined and ever-improving physical security program administered by well-trained law enforcement officers will become more and more effective at preventing crime and will reduce the requirement for reactive law enforcement operations.