PHYSICAL SECURITY SYSTEMS INSPECTION TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

Inspection techniques have long been a concern to those who have the responsibility for implementation as well as management and oversight of protection program operations. Inspection in the area of physical security systems is certainly no exception. It is reasonable to expect a systematic, repeatable inspection process applied consistently across facilities of the same type and mission. The development of inspection guides helps to accomplish these goals as well as strengthen this process, ultimately enhancing protection program oversight. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Security Evaluations, has developed a comprehensive inspection guide for physical security systems that can be used by the relatively new or seasoned inspector to enhance the inspection process. At the same time the guide provides some utility for those in the field of physical security systems management and implementation. This guide provides a standard framework for consistent inspections and allows enough flexibility to accommodate widely varying situations and conditions. The guide does not provide a single methodology for accomplishing inspections, but rather offers tools that can be applied at the discretion of the inspector, thereby facilitating better planning, data collection, analysis and report generation. Consistency in structure and format of inspections should minimize difficulties in the management, implementation, and inspection of physical security systems.