An increasing number of cities and local governments are adding bulletproof windows. They are choosing to reinforce their reception areas, bill payment centers, county clerks and utility offices. This is a trend Total Security Solutions CEO Jim Richards has tracked for decades. “Over the last several years we haven’t really …
Local government security issues are multiplying. At one time, the primary concerns were around people upset about receiving a high water bill or parking ticket. In recent years concerns have grown to include cybersecurity breaches and ransomware attacks capable of paralyzing communities. Now security issues are at an all-time high …
The COVID-19 pandemic is receding, but state and local governments are still struggling financially. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes a once-in-a-lifetime transformational opportunity for local communities to set their own financial priorities and make much-needed local improvements (without having to seek approval from their states, counties, or …
There are three questions you need to be able to answer when adding bulletproof windows and enhanced security features to a city building — and none of them have to do with gun types or bullet calibers. When they think about security, most county supervisors and city managers focus on …
Local units of government often assume that they’re extremely limited in what they can do to improve security in city buildings. There’s an unspoken sense that having an existing building leaves you with few options when it comes to installing a new bulletproof barrier system. Why else would so many …
Townships don’t have the violent crime rates that urban areas do. But township offices see a wide variety of uses, which makes for a tricky security profile. A single township office building might handle everything from utility bill payments to issuing permits, and serve as the local police station, emergency storm shelter, town …
In the spring of 2019 Virginia Beach suffered a sadly familiar outbreak of workplace violence: Craddock, who had worked for nine years at the city, began May 31, a Friday, in routine fashion: He arrived at the municipal center at 7:16 a.m., went to his desk and checked his email. …
Security professionals or facility managers considering a bullet-resistant barrier for a clerk’s office, courthouse, or utility payment center need to be informed and ready to ask the right questions about bulletproofing for city and municipal offices. Most municipal retrofits can be done overnight or during off-hours, and even complicated projects …
People are often surprised to learn that physical barriers for utility offices are being installed more frequently. Who in their right mind is going to try and rob a power company? Do those payment centers even take cash? But there’s something in that office far more important than the payments. As …