The cannabis industry is certainly causing quite a stir as more and more states allow the growing and selling of medicinal and recreational products. In turn, as the need increases to secure what, in most cases, is literally a “cash crop” with businesses still mostly cash-only, high security is indeed taking on new meaning for security professionals who are working in this high-growth area.
“High security has taken on a new meaning because we have a product line that has been embraced by the cannabis community,” says Mark Berger, general manager, Securitech Group, Inc., ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions. “What we're finding is that the need for forced entry protection is just growing exponentially because [these businesses] are locking up the merchandise behind all the glass sliding doors during the day, and now [criminals] are coming back at night with crowbars to empty out stores and other things like that.”
Because of all the different referendums across the country, growth of the cannabis industry “is the equivalent growth pattern that we saw with chain drug stores 20 years ago,” Berger points out. “They just started to proliferate like crazy, where we went from like mom and pop stores in town to all the growth of Walgreens and Rite Aid and CVS, and then buying up the smaller regionals and standardizing around the level of security. That was way different than what the small guys did and the respect for code compliance while implementing high security measures has also grown tremendously.”
In the following Q&A with Locksmith Ledger, Berger continues the conversation on top verticals, trends and products within the high security world.
Locksmith Ledger: In addition to the cannabis industry, what are some other verticals and trends that you are seeing within high security, forced entry or otherwise?
Berger: The other big trend is how mechanical locks now are all being ‘belled and whistled’ a little bit so that they've got signal switches and communicate effectively with cameras and security systems. So, we're now seeing that real integration or synergy that you see between mechanical locking coming in and being a part of the full-monitored security situation, which continues to evolve and sees a lot of movement.
I am also seeing the use of more mantraps – interlocks is probably more correct to use – so those are coming into play a lot more.
We're also seeing a lot more on the critical infrastructure side, so the protection of exterior buildings against the whole forced-entry thing – keeping transient or other folks walking around or even staff that doesn't belong, out. But we're living in the age where the crowbar and the old popular tools are becoming more prevalent, and folks are using them again because they don't have access to these spaces anymore. So, they're sort of forced to use these methods.
And then in the school space, we're also seeing that folks are understanding compartmentalization a lot better, and forced entry products are finding their way into the perimeter for sure of school buildings and for individual classrooms and other spaces, so there is a lot of movement there as well.
LL: Building on that last question, let’s take a closer look at what is going on within K-12 and higher education.
Berger: Higher-Ed has traditionally concentrated on the perimeters of buildings. At an open campus you would secure the buildings, and that's sort of been a trend over the last 15 years. They just can't walk into whatever building they want. What we've seen in the last year among schools is to be able to protect interior spaces. So that K-12 mindset has moved into [higher-ed] and I think part of it very honestly is that kids have become conditioned to a certain minimum level of security that they have seen over their K-12 years. And now when they get into the university world and they're sitting in classrooms – it's kind of like a naked door if they don't see the ability to lock it down if something happens.
LL: You talked earlier about how everything's becoming more connected. People are wanting audit trails, and they want access control to be connected with video and streaming to a single pane of glass on-site or remote management platform. Are you seeing this as well?
Berger: We're seeing a lot of requests for remote multipoint lockdown capacity with just one button, so just like that they're locked down. But during the day, they are still access control doors. But there are two tiers of that, one which is just the forced entry side, and one which is lockdown, where you're also locking out access card entry.
One of the things about perpetrators of active shootings and stuff like that is the recognition that they could just as likely be someone who's credentialed for your facility as someone who's not. So now the folks who are behind the protected wall need to determine when to lock the door, or when to put down the drawbridge and let people in.
And then there's a lot of deadbolt monitoring where you can't arm your security system unless you're getting a signal that the deadbolt has been projected.
In the high security world, we're working with one company and they are using security signaling from deadbolts. We've got a deadbolt sensor that's in the strike plate that's an add-on to time entries into their restrooms so that it's a blind signal that goes to the cashier at the cash register, for example, so they know someone's been in for 5 minutes or 10 minutes, etc. So that's where high security is coming in these days. We've got a deadbolt sensor that doesn't use a traditional mechanical switch, but uses an optical switch, so that's using the latest technology that doesn't wear out. Pretty cool and unique stuff there with plenty of those opportunities that are coming up.
LL: Staying on the new product side and technology side of things, anything else you wanted to talk about that is new and exciting, such as biometrics, mobile access or AI?
Berger: For me, the fact that Clear at the airport finally put a reader in that can read my face because it couldn't before – they've got a new face machine in there that's just terrific.
And similarly, you know when I board Delta at JFK, they've got mobile ID and I don't pull out a boarding pass; I don't pull out my license. I walk up and I show this ugly mug and somehow, I get to go through to get on my plane. So, there are advances that are related to what we're doing. I'm not necessarily saying that these are things within our space just yet, but I know that those technologies are going into other areas as well on the security side of the street, so that's neat.
I am also keenly aware of the overuse of technology. In certain markets where products are placed into the school environment, for example, that have no business being there that are frankly security theater and put a black mark on all of us in the security industry. So, we have to be vigilant and educate people.
One of my standard stump speeches is that whatever security product you're recommending to an organization must be supportive of their mission. So, if you're bringing locksets into schools, or you're bringing other things into schools, they must be done in a way that doesn't frighten kids, but makes them feel comfortable, or empowers them and helps them learn better.
LL: Looking at the big picture, what do you see on the horizon for the next couple years for security?
Berger: The need [for security] is growing out there. The big line for me is that kids who've been raised to a certain level, what may have been high security when they started now becomes the ground floor in terms of expectation as they get older. So that's why we're seeing a lot of advances that we're seeing moving forward.
And, of course, the whole code compliance part is critically important and will continue to be. I am the chair of the Codes and Government and Industry Affairs committee for Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA), and there has been a lot of work on the code front from the team at BHMA to make sure that our codes enable the use of the latest technology and are not restricting advancements. So, a big shout out to the BHMA team that have done some tremendous things in that area that we'll see over the next few years as the codes are being revised.
Note: Look for the Locksmith Ledger article in February on codes and compliance including an interview with John Woestman, who is an integral part of the team at BHMA working to pass the newest codes related to the security industry.
