FST21 Saferise Solution Raised the Bar on School Security
The recent, profoundly tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut brought to light very sadly, and all too clearly, the urgent need for heightened access security in our schools. Measures must be put in place to better protect our school children, their teachers and all school staff from random acts of violence.
The Bais Yaakov School for Girls (BYLA), a high school in Los Angeles, has long been a proactive leader in this arena and has taken some serious, ongoing steps to harden security at the school. Adam Cohen, a volunteer facilities manager for BYLA, initiated the effort as far back as 2003, when he oversaw the installation of seven doors with access keypads and electric door strikes. Cohen began working with systems integrator OMD, Inc., owned by Barry Belkin and Sam Levari, based in Reseda, Calif. in 2006, when they upgraded security with the installation of additional cameras and DVRs. They also replaced the seven access keypads with more secure fingerprint readers and upgraded electric door strikes.
In the summer of 2009, Cohen hardened school security even further when he had the FST21 SafeRise solution installed.
"When I heard what FST21 was developing," he recalled, "I said 'I want it!' Given what is going on in the world, I saw the need to enhance the security at the school. What prompted the upgrade is that we wanted something better than fingerprints alone," he explained. "Using the fingerprint readers provided us with the needed security, but it was far from convenient. The students didn't like using the fingerprint readers; they complained it was slow and unreliable. Strangely enough, the enrollment process was not reliable for some users, and their fingerprints don't even register. The enrolling system simply says there's nobody there. We needed a better system."
He went with FST21's SafeRise solution, an in motion identification system, that employs quick and highly-secure identification. The system registers users, can identify anyone at the door and allows approved user access through a fusion of biometric recognition, face, behavioral, voice and even license plate recognition. No keys, cards or access codes are needed. The system can verify individuals and make an informed decision whether to allow entrance. (It also earned the coveted Security Industry Association - SIA - Best New Product Award in 2011.)
There are currently over 400 students and staff members at the Bais Yaakov School for Girls who are using the system. It spans seven, secured, exterior doors, including the front entrance, three back entrances and three doors between each floor of the building. Lights and canopies were added where needed.