In part two of this story, we explore the many benefits of locks and access control technology on campus.

This article is the second part of a two-part cost/benefit analysis of locks and access control. Read part one here.

Now that we’ve covered the costs associated with locks and access control systems in part one, let’s look at their many benefits.

For campuses that choose to install locks on doors so teachers can lockdown their classrooms in the event of a mass shooting, history has shown us that this strategy does much to mitigate the carnage resulting from these tragedies. In the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, for example, “Not a single student or staff member was killed behind a locked interior door,” Safe Havens Executive Director Mike Dorn noted to CS in 2013. “This affords additional evidence that lockdown is still one of our most effective tools to prevent death in mass casualty school shootings.”

Although the death toll from Sandy Hook was horrific, with 20 children and six adults being killed, many lives were saved because lockdown was implemented quickly in most of the classrooms. What that number actually is we will never know, and it’s impossible to put a price tag on who was saved.

Rate of Other Crimes Decreases Too
Active shooter events are one of the most dramatic crimes that can occur on a campus, but what about other crimes? Access control and locks can reduce the occurrence of these types of incidents too.

“We have saved a substantial amount of money by locking down some of our dietary serving areas and nourishment closets on the patient floors,” says Carolinas HealthCare System Locksmith Supervisor and Application Specialist David Moore. “In one instance, we were losing hundreds of dollars per week over a two month period because people were getting into our serving area of the cafeteria after hours.”

Read more about The Costs of Crime and the Benefits of Security Technology, Part 2 …

Here’s an estimate of what your organization might spend on access control and locks, as well as the lives, resources and money you could save as a result of the installation of these technologies.

This article is part one of a two-part cost/benefit analysis of locks and access control. Check out part two here.

One of the biggest challenges facing any school, hospital or college protection professional is demonstrating to other campus stakeholders the value of the various security and public safety technologies they want to adopt. Whether it’s a new or upgraded two-way radio system, emergency notification solution, video surveillance system or other technology, overcoming the perception that security is just a cost center can be daunting.

That’s why Campus Safety magazine is embarking on a new, year-long project to determine the actual costs of the security solutions that campuses frequently deploy, as well as the tangible and intangible benefits that are realized as a result of their adoption or upgrade.

RELATED: Managing Access Control & Video Surveillance System Maintenance

This first installment focuses on access control and locks. In this article, several end users, consultants and manufacturers in healthcare and education discuss the expenses their organizations have incurred, as well as the benefits they’ve experienced as a result of their access control and lock upgrades. These benefits could include the prevention of crime, apprehension of suspects, brand/marketing improvements, insurance rate reduction, improved student/staff recruitment and retention, and force multiplier benefits.

What is the Actual Cost of Campus Crime?
The first challenge when conducting a cost/ benefit analysis of any security solution, be it technical or otherwise, is to determine the actual financial damages that are the result of crime. Of course, there really is no way to put a dollar amount on a life that’s been cut short or has been permanently altered as the result of a traumatic event, not to mention the impact on others. That being said, assessing financial damages appears to be the only quantifiable way to measure the losses associated with crime — even if this method may seem cold and calculating.

Read more about The Costs of Crime and the Benefits of Security Technology, Part 1 …

In addition to adopting various types of security and life-safety technologies, campuses must put an equal amount of effort into developing a culture of safety and wellness.

I’m a big fan of security technology. The advances in two-way radios communications, video surveillance, emergency notification, access control, records management and even fire alarm systems are remarkable compared to 10 or even five years ago. If you are a regular reader of CS, most likely you too are a bit of a techno-phile, and you’ll enjoy my article titled Weighing the Costs of Campus Crime and the Benefits of Security Technology, Part 1 and Part 2. In this year-long project, I’m trying to get my arms around the real costs and benefits of the various types of security and life-safety technologies on the market today.

While working on this project, it was tempting for me to let the left side of my brain — the side that loves numbers and certainty — take over. I even went so far as to cite research from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations in an attempt to estimate the financial impact of various types of crimes, including murder and rape. But then again, how can you put a dollar value on a life that’s been lost or a psyche that has been severely traumatized? You can’t. Yet, many of us who are responsible for balancing budgets, risk management and/or the deployment of technology on campus could fall into this type of trap.

Read more about Are Your Protection Programs Balanced? …