Technology Services

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July/August 1994 Volume 6 Number 4

CTC4 Preview: Security Technology Update

Fred A. Geiger

Courthouse security planning is an essential element of court facility management. If judges and court administrators are to provide a safe venue for the rational resolution of disputes, participants in the judicial process must be free from assault, intimidation, and undue influence. Moreover, court employees, evidence, cash receipts, records, and equipment should be secure.

Proper court security planning requires a proactive, systems approach. An active security oversight committee should analyze the particular needs of each facility, and establish goals and objectives that address those needs. To maintain and improve court security, the committee should always consider the latest developments in security technology.

Access Management

A universal court security problem is access management and key control. Lost or stolen keys, or keys that remain in the possession of discharged employees, can lead to facility access problems. Although electronic locks have reduced the complications and cost of rekeying, the rekeying process remains expensive. Additionally, if a lock is activated by card, combination, or even personal identification number, there is no assurance that the person using an entry device is the authorized person.

With the development of inexpensive biometric input devices, it is now possible to prevent unauthorized parties from using security access codes of others. A biometric input device compares physical characteristics of a person attempting access with a prerecorded template of characteristics for the authorized person. If the characteristics match, access is granted. Biometric input devices compare physical characteristics such as retinal blood vessel patterns, finger and thumb prints, facial features, and hand geometry.

To illustrate how biometric devices may be used in a court setting, let's consider a hand geometry reader by Recognition Systems, Inc. Once integrated into the court access control system, the biometric reader authorizes access by checking the geometry of an entrant's hand. To set up an individual as an authorized entrant, a facility manager assigns a personal identification number and enters a master code to start the system "enrollment process." Simple display prompts ask for the assigned I.D. number and corresponding hand print. The individual being enrolled places a hand on the unit platen, which "reads" the hand three times. A template of the hand's geometry is recorded for comparisons. Once enrolled, the individual can access controlled areas simply by entering the assigned I.D. and placing a hand on the platen.

System storage and speed are adequate for court applications. The basic unit stores up to 256 templates, and can be upgraded to store over 20,000. How long does it take for the device to accept an I.D. number and compare an entrant's hand characteristics with the prerecorded template? About two seconds.

Prisoner Control

Prisoner control during trial also presents unique challenges. While it is necessary to prevent a potentially violent defendant from escaping or injuring anyone during the trial, it is also necessary to ensure that the jury is not prejudiced by visible security measures. For this reason, judges have traditionally been reluctant to keep a defendant in restraints during a trial, unless some violent act has already occurred. The solution to this problem would be a nonvisible security device that would allow normal movement but prevent a violent outburst or escape.

The REACT system provides this solution with minimal direct risk of injury to the defendant. The system consists of an elastic belt that contains a radio-activated electric stun device. The stun device is placed on the defendant's back and held in place by the elastic belt, which is placed around the defendant's waist. A court security officer can activate the stun device through a small radio transmitter if the defendant becomes violent or attempts to escape. The unit has a range of 300 feet over open ground and can deliver 50,000 volts in the 3- to 4-milliamp range. The device is presently in use in sheriff's departments and correctional facilities across the country.

Duress Alarms

The technology of duress alarms also has been improving steadily. Of particular interest are the many wireless systems now on the market, which offer a distinct advantage over hardwired systems if you are retrofitting an existing courthouse.

It is now possible to add duress alarms or other monitoring devices to a courthouse without hardwiring the units to a central receiving office. These systems use sending devices that are either manually or automatically activated. When activated, the battery-powered sending units generate a radio signal that may activate a repeater, and, finally, the main control panel. Each sending unit is individually identified by the receiver/control unit, thereby locating the signaling device. Radio signals, as the transmission vehicle, eliminate the need for hardwiring between the sending units and the main control panel.

The receivers can be interfaced with computerized radio transmitting equipment that broadcasts to pagers carried by court security personnel. The pagers can emit an alert signal and indicate the nature and location of the alarm via an alphanumeric display panel.

These duress-alarm systems can also include wireless infrared transmitters, located throughout the facility, which transmit the digital address code for each personnel-carried transmitter. Court personnel carry pocket transmitters that automatically receive a change of address when passing from the area of one infrared transmitter to the next. If the duress alarm is activated, it transmits not only the alarm, but also the location of the person requiring assistance.

Although technology will not replace a trained, motivated, and attentive security staff, or operate effectively without one, it will increase the efficiency of a court security program. Whether a particular type of equipment fits within your budget and meets your needs - you must decide. The one certainty is that as the risks of running a courthouse increase, security technology will develop to confront those risks. As judges and court managers become aware of the new technologies and incorporate them into their security systems, they can get back to their primary function of rationally resolving disputes in a just and safe environment.

To learn more about security technologies, attend CTC4 in October 1994. Call the CTC4 Information Line for registration information (804) 259-1850. For more information on security technologies, call the Technology Information Service of the National Center for State Courts 800-616-6164.

Fred A. Geiger is a justice of the Illinois Court of Appeals, Second Appellate District. At the upcoming Fourth National Court Technology Conference (CTC4), Justice Geiger will give a presentation on advances in court security technology. Here are some excerpts from the article he wrote to accompany his presentation.