Something that makes government buildings very unique is that they are meant to be public spaces. Since the government is its people, it stands to reason that government buildings be open to the public. This makes security quite a challenge since these buildings are often targets for people wishing to do harm.
These buildings are not just government offices, but also libraries, courthouses, and police departments. Ever since the events on January 6, 2021, there has been an increased awareness of needing to secure federal buildings much more effectively while also balancing their need to be accessible by the public. In this article, we will go over several challenges that federal security systems are facing.
1 – Terrorist attacks
Terrorism is a brutal strategy by a group or individual to instill fear over a large population. These events are very effective since it makes people feel that they can be injured or worse when doing their normal everyday activities. It is also a way for them to feel like they are hitting an objective with the purpose to make a point.
This is why federal buildings are such an enticing target to a terrorist and makes them a challenge to defend and secure. When a government building is attacked, it creates political turmoil and fear across a wide swath of society.
Since an attack is hard to predict because of the variety of ways it can happen, it is especially important to have a wide-ranging system to be able to thwart an attack. It should start with making the building bulletproof and having barriers in place to prevent somebody with a bomb from getting too close to the building. The people working in the building should also have the training to be able to identify a threat before it happens so security is everybody’s responsibility.
2 – Theft
Being public buildings means that the perception is that they are open-door establishments where many people come and go freely. This makes them a target for thieves since they feel that they can blend in even in plain sight.
Unfortunately, this means that access needs to be more strictly limited so that thieves are not able to operate freely. Visitors should need to sign in and go through a scanner to make sure they are not hiding things that could help them steal from the building.
3 – Cyber attacks
Any federal building has an agency that is usually storing data that can be sensitive and needs to be secure. There are servers in federal locations all over the country. They are targeted by hackers just as any bank or financial institution is.
Hackers are very clever and can access a server by finding vulnerabilities. It is up to every agency to find ways to secure their data and protect it from hackers. The physical space that the server is located in should be secured so nobody could sabotage it for instance. Then, a comprehensive security suite should be installed to cover it from cyber attacks.
