A Veteran Security Expert Weighs in on What it Takes to Make a Campus Safer

RICH: I’ve done this all my life, I’m passionate about it and I want to make a difference. I don’t just come in with a checklist, check the boxes, ask the questions, and write a report and they never hear from me again. I like to establish relationships, get behind the scenes, and stay connected. I’m not a businessman — I’m a lunch pail guy. I get involved and get the job done, whatever it takes.

My assessments are a lot more detailed, intimate, and vulnerability related. A lot of times my assessments don’t line up like a cookie cutter with the grant applications, which causes more work for the grant writers, but I bring a deeper understanding of security and a different outlook from my background. This allows the client to see things the way I see them which makes them better at doing their jobs. I seem to be gifted with an eye for finding things most people don’t see. For example, there may be a door they say is “ALWAYS CHECKED AND LOCKED” and I walk up and pull it open. Things like that have happened everywhere I’ve gone. I love to defeat systems and reveal vulnerabilities people never thought of. That makes their security posture stronger and deeper.

RICH: That’s hard to answer. There is no such thing as a normal day. I have so many irons in the fire. I have a massive to-do list that I need because I would easily miss something if I didn’t. Most of my daily work is deadline driven. I focus most of my day on what deadline I have in the next few days, weeks, etc., and spend my time accordingly. Because of the relationships I build, care, and feed with my clients, I frequently get numerous phone calls, texts, and emails throughout the day from clients with quick questions or various requests.

RICH: I try to get some background to see what their level of commitment is. How much effort are they willing to put into making their facility safer? As I’m making the initial walkarounds, I try to get a feel for what really needs to be addressed and where they are going to end up at the end of the day, taking into consideration the politics and troops in the trenches.

Most consultants — police and other agencies — start an assessment with questions like, “How many cameras do you have?” or “Do you have an access control system”? I start with questions like “Security-wise, what keeps you up at night?” and “What are some of the tribal vulnerabilities?” I will get to cameras, access control, etc., later. I want to establish relationships and not check the boxes. When you establish relationships, you discover the lower layers.

RICH: The most common question I hear is, “What do I really need and how much is it going to cost?”

I like to dig deeper with the client to understand the “why.” If I go somewhere and a client tells me “I want window film. How much would it be?” My response would be, “Why do you want window film?” and “What are you hoping to accomplish with it and what do you think it will do for you?” — because I want them to have a better understanding of what it does, and exactly how it’s going to help them. Then we look strategically where, what kind, etc., so when school parents, management, and other stakeholders are asking them about the project they can intelligently explain what they need and why. Again, I’m not a businessman. Most would say “OK, let’s start measuring” and throw it up.

RICH: Propped perimeter doors and unlocked windows. Unsubstantiated, untested emergency response plans (ERP).

GLENN: In the window film solution space, a major risk is something that we see happen all too often. Facilities managers make a genuine effort to secure their perimeter with security window film, but hire inexperienced technicians to perform the installation, rather than experienced professional installers. If security film is not installed correctly, you may as well not use it at all because if the time comes when you’re depending on it, it has to be installed properly to really work.

Our main objective is to arm our colleagues with the knowledge that we’ve gained in our years of experience to choose the right thing. Even if they don’t use our team, we want them to be educated on what window film can do and help them make the best decision to secure their premises. We don’t want anyone to have a false sense of security. We’re talking about saving lives here. God forbid it ever gets tested, we install it in a way that we can ensure it performs and meets the expectations that were set in the beginning.

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