Security Plan of Internal and External Theft - Assignment Example

SECURITY Threat/assessment Threat: Internal theft Assessment: The vision of control and monitoring of the employees and resources assumes that the organization, such as the convenience store management, cannot be left to police itself, and requires a locus of control that comes from the outside and that is dedicated to increasing productivity as well as reducing corruption. “Gulick argued for an administrative strategy called ‘external control,’ which he defined as investigative evaluation of government operations by specialized officials located in units outside the operating agencies. Gulick identified external control as a central component of scientific administration… (and) saw no contradiction between corruption control and efficiency” (Anechiarico and Jacobs, 1996). The scientific vision centers around control and productivity being linked. Threat: External theft Assessment: The convenience store currently has a security system with a panic alarm. There are no weapons for the clerks behind the counters that are shown on the floor plan. There are security cameras that could capture an external theft in the process, but these cannot prevent external theft. Threat: Natural disaster Assessment: Natural disasters include hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other actions. No matter what natural disaster is being referenced, the first factor towards successful response and preparation is public knowledge or education about what to do in the event of a disaster. If the general public does not have access to quality information about what to do when a natural disaster strikes, the possibility of there being mass chaos and confusion increases. Often it is not a matter of simply making this information available to the public, but instead it becomes a matter of taking the information to the public in a responsible way through advocacy and marketing avenues which establish and sustain contact. Only when a population is educated about what to do in the event of a natural disaster, can they adequately respond in as a safe and organized manner as is possible. Part of this access to information by the public in the event of a natural disaster must also focus on an evacuation plan that is clear and easy to follow. Vulnerabilities There are no windows for easy ingress/egress. Staff members are not armed. The security system may not connect to a police line (9-1-1). It is not clear whether the fire extinguishers have passed inspection. The type of software and the storage and capture devices for the video surveillance cameras are not specified. Physical security The convenience store has a security system—it is unclear from the floor plan whether or not it connects to a police line. The convenience store has a panic alarm. The convenience store has several surveillance cameras. The doors of the store lock and assumedly have cross-bars, gates, and deadbolt locks. Information security  Information on customers such as credit cards, etc., are assumedly firewall protected on the store’s computer, or kept off site. “But an intelligent application level firewall can monitor whats happening on port 139 (where password protection occurs) and step in to completely block an offending remote computer… It can automatically ‘black list’ the originating IP address to completely prevent any and all future access from that outsider” (Gibson, 2003). When it comes to simply protecting ports from attack, however, most firewalls essentially do the same job. “Network security can be friend or foe. It can clog a network so the network barely runs, or it can make information more freely available, so workers become more productive” (Gittleson, 2001, p. 49). Although it may not be possible to provide complete network security at the present, the future may see a decrease in the number of loopholes and a convergence of security measures. Outsourcing is such a serious problem to some because it is something which is increasing in the marketplace. Personnel security  The convenience store must keep a sharp eye out for internal security, to prevent fraud and embezzlement. From this perspective, to minimize fraud, embezzlement and corruption, the company would focus on control of its employees through observation and punishment, rather than motivation and reward. “CCTV systems are the state of the art surveillance devices and in most cases have replaced still and motion picture systems. The CCTV systems coupled with recording equipment or computers are exceptionally flexible” (Fischer and Green, 2004). The scientific vision of anti-corruption policy backed up by this type of plan focuses on how an organization can be controlled externally to make it more efficient and less corrupt internally. Liability issues  Vicarious liability means that the convenience store is held liable or responsible for someone else’s behaviors and actions. This could be a person that is held responsible, or it can also be an organization. For example, hypothetically say that there is a snowplow operator. They are hired by a company to do a certain job, and the driver does that job and gets paid. However, this driver proves to have many discipline problems at work and also develops a history of abusing or wrecking the equipment of the company, and also develops a drinking problem. If the company, knowing all this and still keeping him as an employee, lets him go out on the job, and he crashes his snowplow into someone’s living room, obviously the driver would be liable. But under vicarious liability, the company would also be liable, even though the company’s president did not commit the employee’s actions. In other words, the company has responsibility for the conduct of its employees. Departmental dependencies  The convenience store may tend to over-depend on the CCTV surveillance, which cannot actually help when a theft is in progress. “Patrols cannot be everywhere, and with the present emphasis on cost effectiveness, other methods must be introduced to supplement patrols. A wide variety of surveillance devices including motion picture cameras, sequence cameras, and closed circuit television monitors with video cameras, are being used” (Fischer and Green, 2004). Although this alternative is perhaps the most cost effective, it raises doubts about its real impact on employee outlooks. Bomb threat  A bomb threat may be just a joke, or it may be a real bomb—in any case, it is best to treat it as the latter, and err on the side of caution. In other words, better safe than sorry. If the bomb squad clears the building, staff should be ready to go back in—they should not go home. Evacuate premises immediately Line up staff outside of building at a safe distance Call local law enforcement bomb squad and fire department Fire  There are many expensive fires that occur each year in America, and there are also fires that claim human lives. Despite technology to prevent or decrease fire loss, there is always the element of human error, people who cut corners or operate businesses that are not up to code, those who cannot afford the new technology, etc. The convenience store must be proactive in terms of having enough exits to facilitate ingress and egress in such an event and also having other fire code violations at the time. This also brings up criminalization in reference to negligence and liability issues because these charges are not precedent based and are instead a reflection of giving social justice. Victims in the zone of the store will be relocated in the event of injury to care centers. Personnel will be managed internally. People must be educated about risk levels before a fire hits so that they know what to do in this eventuality. They must also be educated about features unique to certain types of disasters, and how to use the store’s fire safety equipment (fire extinguishers). “Disaster drills are an important component of action planning because they help expose weaknesses in the disaster plans and problems in communication. The ability to communicate in a disaster is almost always compromised but is the component that is most important to establish immediately” (Disaster, 2002). Fire drills are vital. Evacuate premises immediately upon fire alarm Mangers must make sure staff and customers exit in an orderly fashion Manager or assistant manager may use fire extinguisher if appropriate Call fire department Staff is kept at a safe distance in an orderly fashion Conclusion Surveillance cameras to solve the problem of security at the convenience store represent more of a panoptic vision that is aligned with this scientific vision for controlling and solving the problem. The panoptic vision is also oriented around control, but it is more of a deterrent sort of control that examines consequences directly. This vision is based on the theory of the panopticon, a nineteenth-century idea that is based on the perfect prison system. The panoptic vision is also oriented around control, but it is more of a deterrent sort of control that examines consequences directly. This vision is based on the theory of the panopticon, a nineteenth-century idea that is based on the perfect prison system. “Michael Foucault argues that the panopticon’s architecture and operation were paradigmatic of a nineteenth-century vision of a disciplinary society in which surveillance, monitoring, and control would make undetected deviance impossible. The panopticon operates like a one way mirror” (Anechiarico and Jacobs, 1996). However, although the security camera may be effective at the convenience store as a deterrent against crime, and a record of crime, it is not proactive. In other words, it cannot actively prevent crime as it is happening, by responding dynamically to a growing situation. REFERENCE Anechiarico and Jacobs (1996). The Pursuit of Absolute Integrity. New York: Thompson. Fischer, R and G Green (2004). Introduction to Security. New York: Elsevier. Gittleson, Howie (2001). Red Hot Firewalls. America’s Network, pp. 48-50. Disaster planning and recovery self directed learning module (2002). LA Dept of Health Services. Read More