Physical security decisions come down to two categories: Thou shalt and thou should. We must bear this in mind as we create safe havens across our campuses and schools. 

In the simplest sense, safe havens are locked buildings or areas which prevent unauthorized people from entering. We have gravitated towards their use in response to personal safety violations over the years. Now we must also think about group protection during active shooter events and the ability to deploy them quickly. 

The “thou shalt” category is one we all can probably recite. It has evolved over time but covers the very basics which the general public has come to expect as the bare minimum during this era of elevated protection requirements. “Thou should” is a call to action, reminding us that solutions cannot be created in a vacuum and speaking with interested parties is critical to creating a secure environment that will stand the test of time.

The age of the open campus has come and gone. Sadly, we have returned to the principles learned in the days of castles: the use of moats, drawbridges and alligators. While impossible to employ those exact elements today, we are indebted to those methods, as we try to recreate them through environmental design and modern technology. 

Recreating a moat means we follow the concept of preventing direct access to our buildings or spaces. In the academic world, we limit entry onto the campus using fences, natural elements and other barriers to direct human traffic to access points we can control. The science of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) owes a lot to the moat. Anyone reviewing their existing campus or building and those designing new structures should be familiar with CPTED and incorporate the philosophy into their design and product selection.

Drawbridges were also very effective. Once they were lifted, they removed the direct access path and, when fully in place, could also be bolted to further repel armed attack. These were the days long before the creation of life safety codes, so protecting against armed intruders was the only concern, not ensuring safe exiting.

This article originally appeared in the September / October 2022 issue of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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