Perimeter security often needs to include vehicle screening. This only becomes more important for any facility with on-site parking, especially attached parking structures with direct entry into the facility. A comprehensive security solution often needs to include some sort of vehicle screening. Here’s what to know about vehicle screening in your security solution, including different types of vehicle screening, why it is important, and considerations for how to include it:

4 Core Types of Vehicle Screening

Different methods of vehicle screening are available to suit your facility and your needs. These are the core types of vehicle screening to consider when mapping out components of a broader security solution:

1. Manual inspections: The traditional method of vehicle screening where security personnel do a visual inspection, use mirrors for undercarriage inspection, and check credentials, sometimes asking questions or using behavioral screening techniques to assess access authorization.
2. License plate recognition (LPR) systems: Systems that use intelligent cameras and sensors to monitor license plates and can be programmed to grant or deny entry based on the license plate.
3. Under-vehicle inspection systems: Automated systems that use advanced imaging for a view of a vehicle’s undercarriage and use AI to detect anomalies for advanced, automated threat detection. X-ray scanners for Under Vehicle Surveillance Systems (UVSS) are becoming more available on smaller-scale applications.
4. Non-intrusive inspection (NII) systems: Large-scale X-ray and gamma-ray imaging systems that scan vehicles and entire cargo areas to detect concealed threats or items. These are most often used by high-security facilities or government sites.

Why Your Security Solution Should Include Vehicle Screening

Vehicle screening is a critical security layer for facilities with vehicle access points. These are a few of the main reasons why your security solution should include vehicle screening:

1. The security threat landscape is constantly evolving.
2. A security solution needs to address a wide variety of security threats.
3. Effective security requires a layered, integrated approach.
4. Comprehensive security needs to begin before a point of entry.
5. Vehicle access points are potential vulnerabilities.
6. The accuracy of manual inspections varies widely and can increase risks.
7. Automated vehicle screening eliminates blind spots and improves accuracy, consistency, and speed.
8. If a threat is present, it is detected sooner and further away from critical infrastructure.

5 Considerations For How to Include Vehicle Screening in Your Security Solution

The front line of your facility’s security is not the front door or facade; it’s the perimeter. Solid perimeter security becomes even more important when vehicles are involved. Here are some considerations for how to include vehicle screening in your security solution:

1. Identify high-risk access points.
2. Assess access points and current vehicle screening processes.
3. Consider traffic flow, especially high-volume areas.
4. Think about deployment flexibility and scalability.
5. Determine the integrations you need for full visibility.
6. Include updated training protocols for your team.

1. Identify High-Risk Access Points

An essential step towards comprehensive security is assessing building vulnerabilities, including the perimeter. Especially when thinking about access control, video surveillance, perimeter security, and vehicle screening, you have to identify high-risk access points.

Doors, windows, and other entries are access points for your facility, while any vehicle entry points are high-risk access points for securing your perimeter and your facility. When you’re trying to get a comprehensive security solution for your facility, you have to know where your high-risk access points are and ensure they are covered appropriately.

2. Assess Access Points and Current Vehicle Screening Processes

If your facility security already has access control, video surveillance, and some sort of vehicle screening processes in place, take the time to assess them and identify potential weaknesses and security gaps that you need to address. This also allows you to reassess the physical environment and existing infrastructure

Vehicle access points are potential vulnerabilities. If your current vehicle screening processes rely on manual inspections, it’s better than nothing, but still leaves your facility exposed to threats. Manual inspections vary in accuracy, and conditions can make it more difficult for security personnel to properly inspect and screen vehicles, especially in high-volume areas.

At the same time, not every access point will have the same level of risk. Some access points may require more security measures to cover more risks; these are your highest-risk access points. An assessment of your current access point infrastructure and processes will give you a good idea of what you have, as well as allow you to identify current inconsistencies or weaknesses and areas for improvement. It will also allow you to categorize your access points and prioritize any that are deemed to have the highest risk levels.

3. Consider Traffic Flow, Especially High-Volume Areas

Another consideration for including vehicle screening in your security solution is traffic flow, particularly your high-volume access points. Wherever you have an access point with high volume and the demand for quick, efficient throughput, you have a high-risk access point with an increased chance of error.

When relying on manual inspection or a security solution that isn’t designed to perform under those conditions, these are the types of situations that can negatively impact accuracy and increase the risk of errors. Consider traffic flow, traffic requirements, and traffic volume when you are working with your integrator to map out your needs and determine where and how you need automated vehicle screening to ensure accuracy and maintain efficiency.

You can also review the physical security components and setup:

• Is the area large enough and flat enough for a vehicle screening checkpoint?
• Can vehicles line up if needed without blocking traffic on public roads?
• Are there clear pathways with enough room for vehicles to enter and exit?
• How do you separate vehicles that are granted access and those that need a closer inspection?
• Do you have security gates or barriers to help stop vehicles from entering?
• What about heavy gates or barricades to stop vehicles trying to ram through and force entry?

4. Think About Deployment Flexibility and Scalability

Flexibility and scalability are qualities of good security systems, and they are requirements for deploying vehicle screening and other security measures. Your facility will have permanent access control and vehicle screening needs, but you may also need to accommodate temporary configurations.

If you have special events that temporarily increase volume or periods of increased risk where you need to temporarily ramp up security or have additional security checkpoints, your security solution needs to be able to be flexible enough to scale with your needs without creating additional risks or vulnerabilities.

As you are evaluating vehicle screening with your integrator, think about those situations and make sure whatever you’re considering has the flexibility to scale with temporary deployments when needed. This generally includes the technology and infrastructure to support portable configurations and rapid setup and teardown. These are best practices for college event security and considerations for stadiums that also apply to your facility and perimeter security.

5. Determine the Integrations You Need For Full Visibility

Seamless operation and full visibility are benefits of integrated security systems. Separate systems limit visibility and leave security gaps. Modern comprehensive security requires integrated systems and components that operate as a multi-layered, seamless security solution.

When vehicle screening is included in a security solution, it is typically integrated with access control, including security gates, license plate recognition, and monitoring systems. This is a good foundation to start with, but your facility may need vehicle screening to integrate and communicate with other systems in other ways. Partnering with the right security systems integrator can help you make sure your security solution includes any custom configurations or integrations with other systems to meet your needs.

6. Include Updated Training Protocols For Your Team

Your team needs to be trained on your security systems. An undertrained team often results in an underutilized security solution or missed critical alerts. You can have the highest-tech security solution, but if the team behind it isn’t on board or doesn’t know what to do with it, your facility can still be left vulnerable. On top of that, an undertrained team adds its own set of security risks.

Make sure you have standardized processes and protocols with clear rules for what happens if drivers refuse security checks, if a threat is identified, or other incidents occur. Include the necessary components of an emergency plan should an incident occur or a threat be identified, but go beyond that and make sure your team knows what to expect with day-to-day operation and how to get the most out of your updated security solution as well.

Get the Security Solution Your Facility Needs With NEPPS

This is a brief overview of what to know about including vehicle screening in your security solution. Every facility will be unique and have different considerations that a comprehensive security solution needs to take into account.

Working with an experienced security systems integrator ensures your facility ends up with the seamlessly integrated, comprehensive security you need. If you need to update or upgrade your facility security, contact Northeast Protection Partners at 1-800-736-1456.