Scheduled for October 27-October 31, we begin the event with a visit to the fantastic Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, OK.  After special tours and an outstanding evening networking event, conference participants will depart the following day for beautiful Bentonville, Arkansas, where our hosts at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art welcome us to their world-renowned institution. Attendees will marvel at this beautiful new museum, and learn in a superb and unique setting.

Check out a bit of what’s in store for us at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_rgjzkL840

Conference Sessions will include:
CIPM Certification – New conference participants can earn industry certification with the only management-level professional designation offered in cultural property protection. 

Topics include: Personnel Management; Fire Protection; Litigation Avoidance; Protecting Collections/Assets; Emergency Management; Technology Considerations; Workplace Violence Prevention

Disaster Planning – IFCPP’s all-new interactive workshop. Leading experts will moderate a discussion group allowing participants to acquire input and creative solutions for your specific disaster preparedness and response considerations and concerns.

Agency Collaboration – Our hosts at Crystal Bridges will be leading a multi-disciplinary panel of local emergency response agencies to discuss creative solutions for cooperation, preparation and response.

Departmental Collaboration – Several Crystal Bridges team leaders will conduct a series of workshops and tours discussing challenges and success stories from a variety of collaborative efforts.  Learn how museum-wide cooperation and collaboration has been achieved, helping to make Crystal Bridges one of the world’s leading new institutions.  Plan to bring your own challenges to the table for group discussion and problem-solving.

And More – Stay tuned for program updates as we finalize details for an outstanding new educational program…

Thanks very much to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. for hosting CIPS officer certification classes on September 17-18, immediately preceding and in combination with the CIPI classes above.  For registration information, please visit: http://ifcpp.org/training-&-events

IFCPP Associate Member, SecTek, Inc., will be hosting the next CIPI instructor certification class at their training facility in in Reston, VA September 19-20, 2015.  Thanks very much to SecTek for their continued contribution to cultural property protection, and for hosting our 2015 CIPI class.  For registration information, please visit: http://ifcpp.org/training-&-events

Congratulations to several new CIPS graduates that have completed training through CIPI and DVD instruction, including officers working at the Palm Springs Art Museum, Barnes Foundation, Yale University Art Gallery, Wadsworth Athenaeum, and Woodruff Arts Center.  And thanks to CIPI-certified instructors at AlliedBarton, Securitas, and Walden Security for providing outstanding instruction.

Our heartfelt congratulations to 12 new CIPM program graduates that completed coursework at the Association of Midwest Museums conference in Cincinnati on Saturday.  IFCPP thanks you for your participation and your professional contribution to the cultural property community!

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our friends at AMM and the Cincinnati Art Museum for hosting, and to Doug McGrew and Steve Layne for their outstanding instruction.  Great job everyone!

Finally, we would like to congratulate several IFCPP members for their recent completion of CIPS and CIPM online certification!  We are proud of your professional development accomplishments, and look forward to working with you toward award of the CIPM II designation and beyond.

By Nella Letizia, WSU Libraries

PULLMAN, Wash. – Not every librarian can say she met Peter Graves on the set of the “Mission: Impossible” TV show during the late 1960s in Hollywood or that she helped bring an infamous book thief to justice. But Washington State University’s Eileen Brady has done both – and much more.

In fact, after 31 years, there aren’t many mysteries or problems that Brady, Owen Science Library’s preservation manager and research librarian, can’t solve.

Need to know how to save water-damaged books and journals by freeze-drying? Brady figured that out in 1986, enlisting the late John Guido – head of Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections  – WSU’s food services department and the College of Veterinary Medicine to help with the task.

Did Charles Darwin contend that animals and babies couldn’t feel pain in his landmark “On the Origin of Species?” Yes, he did, as Brady discovered for Vicki Croft, former head of the Animal Health Library and fellow retiree this year, who asked Brady to answer the question for a WSU student.

“When I think of Eileen’s strengths and achievements within WSU Libraries, these come to mind: her excellence as a reference librarian; her collegiality to her co-workers, particularly as a mentor to new librarians; and her user advocacy,” Croft said.

“I know of no other WSU librarian with her range of expertise and knowledge in subjects from the sciences, engineering and agriculture to the humanities and social sciences,” she said. “She is a Renaissance librarian, one who can ferret out answers to the most difficult questions.”

Brady’s versatility and can-do spirit will be celebrated at a retirement reception 2-4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, in Owen Science Library’s main lobby.

Read full story here: ‘Renaissance librarian’ Eileen Brady retires

By Stevan P. Layne, CPP, CIPM, CIPI, Certified MOAB Instructor

The determination to place deadly weapons in the hands of some security officers is enough to give some administrators cause to consider staying home from work.   But the sad truth is, in this world at war, with growing crime rates and increasing levels of violence, consideration for armed security is at our doorsteps.

In several locations, particularly those where law enforcement is not readily available, or high crime rates dictate harsh measures, officers are armed and have been for some time. While some of these officers are commissioned federal, state, or city law enforcement officers, others are proprietary or contract security officers.

Where are discussions on this controversial subject leading?  Is it time to re-consider the basic security philosophy of “observe and report,” leaving everything else to the police?  
In a quickly escalating violent confrontation, waiting for law enforcement to arrive may have deadly consequences.  Proliferating incidents continue to change the responsibilities of private security, but training and licensing requirements have not followed suit.

An important consideration for all institutions is the availability and timing of police response to serious incidents. On one hand, what are the liabilities imposed upon the institution for using excessive force or force applied by an unqualified practitioner, as opposed to the liability imposed by failing to provide adequate protection for patrons, staff, or even security officers?

We do not, as a rule of thumb, recommend the arming of private security, unless very stringent standards of hiring and training are met.  These standards must be equal to, if not in excess of, those required for police officers.  Placing deadly weapons in the hands of any individual opens up a broad spectrum of concerns.
 
Consideration should certainly be given to less-lethal or non-lethal weapons.  If only a firearm is issued to an armed officer, the officer has limited choices during a violent confrontation.  Less than deadly alternatives should include electronic stun guns/weapons, tasers, chemical agents (mace or pepper spray), expandable batons, hand-irons, or other restraints.  All arming options come with important training implications.

As you might imagine, the decision to arm involves a complex array of considerations.  What are the standards for qualification? What are the costs involved?  What are the necessary procedures and protocols? What are the requirements for training?  Are local and state legal requirements enough?  What are the required pay levels for persons with these qualifications? 

We now recommend the following minimal requirements for armed security positions:

• A thorough background investigation*
• Completion of a professional training program on Use of Force
• Physical examination
• Psychological examination
• Complete substance screening
• Oral board (stress interview)
• Completion of a certified range training course
• Completion of a certified “shoot/don’t shoot” course
• Completion of a certified ASP (expandable baton) course
• Completion of a Use of Hand-Irons or other Restraints course
• Ongoing training in all areas

*A complete background investigation should include a nationwide criminal history search, local criminal history checks, driving record, credit history, employment history, extensive reference checks, and follow-up investigations on unanswered questions or suspicious findings.  Any false statements made by the applicant are grounds for immediate disqualification.

Another consideration is whether officers shall be private officers serving as security officers, or specially commissioned officers capable of arrest.  If the determination is to commission officers, an additional level of training and licensing must be added, to familiarize officers with legal requirements and restrictions, and to enable them to act as dictated by local statutory requirements.

We hope this information is useful to you.   It is a subject that should not be taken lightly.   We are happy to discuss these matters further or provide additional information.

Monitoring, Patrolling & After-Hours Staffing

We have often been asked for our opinion on after-hours security staffing for cultural institutions.  As we all know, the decision is often based purely on budgetary considerations rather than actual operational needs.  Whether the institution has its own central alarm monitoring station or relies on off-site commercial monitoring, threats to the security of valuable collections and other assets do not lessen after-hours.  We’ve listened to the arguments… “We have smoke detectors, sprinklers and security alarms, so why not lock the doors and rely on our systems to protect us?”  The answers are based on common sense and best practices…

Smoke detectors cannot detect pre-fire conditions, water leaks, overloaded circuits, overheated small appliances that have been left plugged in by staff, and a variety of other hazards.  Sprinkler systems are activated by flames melting fusible links, by which time collections may be past saving.  Security systems are not foolproof.  Any electronic system is subject to failure.   The most effective, statistically proven prevention method is the alert, well trained, and professionally supervised live human being, performing consistent patrols throughout the night-time hours, and throughout the entire facility.

The next question that arises is the determination of the number of security officers necessary to properly protect the institution after-hours.  We spend thousands of dollars equipping our facilities with electronic detection systems, including video surveillance, intrusion detection, fire protection, and environmental sensors, but we often fall short in providing the appropriate staffing to effectively compliment system monitoring and operation. 

Placing one person in an on-site security control center works, as long as that one person stays awake, doesn’t need to use the restroom, and all systems are in perfect working order (and properly installed).  If only one officer is assigned to the facility after-hours, what can that one officer do when a problem is discovered by system devices somewhere in the building?  Someone needs to physically respond to the area in alarm to determine the nature of the problem.  If the control center operator abandons his/her post to respond, no one is left to monitor alarms.  Furthermore, the responding officer is placed at risk if the problem was generated by an intruder. 

It makes best sense to utilize the services of no less than two security officers, working in tandem, making welfare checks on each other throughout the night, performing assigned tasks, and documenting the results.  Based on the size of the institution, additional officers may be necessary to cover all facilities.  We recommend that no less than two complete patrol rounds (per shift) be performed, checking all public and non-public areas, storage areas, restrooms, mechanical/electrical equipment rooms, and storage closets.  Systems rarely cover all of these areas, any of which may be the source of a threat to the protection of the institution.

We do not recommend exterior patrols unless every precaution to protect the patrol officer is exercised.  Our preference, when exterior patrols are necessary, is for two officers to perform this function together.  Regardless of whether the patrol is interior or exterior, with one or two officers present, the security control center should perform welfare checks by two-way radio no less than once every 15 minutes.  In addition, we recommend that management perform unexpected inspection visits, during after-hours shifts, on a fairly regular basis.

We have learned, on numerous occasions, of major incidents being averted by the alert observations of an effective foot patrol.  Equally important, we have learned of incidents that did occur, and may likely have been prevented by an alert patrol that was not in place.  We’d also like to point out the need to properly train after-hours patrols, which we address in “Safeguarding Cultural Properties,” as well as in CIPS and CIPM certification programs.  But please contact us anytime with questions about your unique operation.

IFCPP is currently surveying a number of institutions to determine the present use of after-hours patrols.  Please feel free to submit your comments, questions, or opinions.  Thanks very much, Steve Layne

IFCPP welcomes it's newest Associate Member, MOBOTIX, and looks forward to their August 11 presentation at the Annual Conference in Denver.  Thanks very much to MOBOTIX for sponsoring Monday's conference luncheon!

About MOBOTIX AG:

MOBOTIX AG sees itself as a software company with in-house hardware development in the area of digital, high-resolution and network-based video security solutions. The company focuses on the development of user-friendly complete system solutions from a single source. The publicly-traded company with headquarters in Langmeil, Germany, is known as the leading pioneer in network camera technology since its foundation in 1999 and its decentralised concept has also made high-resolution video systems cost-efficient. From 2010 onwards, MOBOTIX will extend its product range to include intelligent building automation products that are developed in-house. Whether in embassies, airports, railway stations, ports, gas stations, hotels, museums, art galleries, libraries or highways, over one hundred thousand MOBOTIX video systems have been in operation on every continent for years.

Mobotix Technology:

MOBOTIX has been producing megapixel cameras exclusively for many years now and is regarded as the global market leader for high-resolution video systems. With a higher resolution One single MOBOTIX camera with 3.1 megapixels records around 30 times more detail than regular CIF analog cameras. Unlike other systems, with the decentralised MOBOTIX concept, a high-speed computer and if necessary, digital long-term memory (MicroSD Card) is built into every camera, providing several days of recording time. The PC and the video control center now serve only for viewing and controlling the cameras (PTZ), not for analysis or recording. With the intelligence built in the camera, at the edge, Mobotix systems are capable to monitor various building sub-systems and trigger notifications when changes within the environment are detected. Furthermore, combining sound with motion detection and the ground breaking Mx Activity Sensor, Mobotix cameras can issue highly accurate alarms and reduce the load at onsite and remote Monitoring Centers, reducing fatigue and increasing response time of security personnel.

Successful Solutions:

The Vatican Apostolic Library does not need any introduction. Mobotix project’s innovativeness and originality distinguishes it from any other security system. MOBOTIX IP megapixel camera technology is combined with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology that uses microchips. With RFID technology, which is used both for identification cards and microchips integrated in the books, people can be linked to the volumes they have consulted and their movements within the library can be monitored. To do so, the motion detection feature was activated on the MOBOTIX cameras positioned at 20 exits. This way, it is possible to identify these people and assign them to the correct ID and the books that they have checked out. Thanks to the specially developed AI software (Artificial Intelligence),it is possible to assign the microchip to the corresponding video clip from the camera, allowing the operator to evaluate the recordings quickly and easily using a single search key, for example, the book title, the name of the person or the time at which the person left the building. All images from the cameras are stored for a year in a center for data evaluation and it is only accessible to authorised persons. This cutting-edge system ensures the security of all volumes in the Vatican Library and any anomalies can be identified immediately. If a person accesses a library volume without authorisation, this is detected immediately by the combined RFID and video surveillance system, and if this person tries to leave the building with the unauthorised volume through one of the library exits, an alarm is triggered. Combining the highly reliable and intelligent Mobotix cameras with the AI software, not only ensures immediate detection, but the system learns from its experience and gets more and more accurate with time.

Luciano Ammenti, who is responsible for coordinating the library‘s information services is excited: “We are incredibly satisfied with this project because we now have a video surveillance system that is head and shoulders above any of the other systems in use today. The IP megapixel technology from MOBOTIX creates recordings of outstanding quality. It was important for us to have clear and distortion-free images so that we can precisely recognise people’s faces and their identities. The cameras are easy to install, which is why we don’t have to make any structural changes to buildings that date back to the sixteenth century.” 

General Director of the Völklinger Ironworks World Cultural Heritage Site, Dr. Meinrad Maria Grewenig, succeeded in bringing 120 masterpieces from the Larco Museum in Peru and 50 other exhibits from the Linden-Museum in Stuttgart into a unique atmosphere of a 6,000-m2 furnace hall in the ironworks to stage an exhibition entitled ”IncaGold”. It s no wonder that the press is talking about a ”bizarre combination well worth seeing”, which is expected to draw more than 150,000 visitors from July 2004 to April 2005. This is the first time that the exquisite gold exhibits from Peru have been on display in Germany. They provide an overview of 3,000 years of highly sophisticated culture in South America.

“We were especially careful in our planning of the security measures for the ”IncaGold”exhibition and went to a great extent right from the beginning.”In view of the extraordinarily valuable exhibits, Arno Harth, chief administrator at the exhibition company, based his actions on these words: “God forbid anything should happen!”

The monument protection laws prohibited the exhibition organisers from laying any additional cables in the building. Instead, they were required to use the existing computer network , which consisted of fibre glass and copper cabling.

In addition, to comply with further monument protection laws, it was also necessary to have the cameras positioned as inconspicuously as possible. There is not a lot of light available in the exhibition area itself. An extremely delicate feathered piece of jewellery can tolerate a maximum of 50 lux, which is equal to the light emitted by 50 votive candles. The design of the exhibition also presented problems. While the setting is in deep blue and violet colors (carpeting, walls, display cases) and provides an excellent backdrop for the glittering gold, it also absorbs much of the red portion of the light and adds to the already difficult lighting conditions.

It was not difficult to integrate the digital camera system into an existing network infrastructure. With the help of diffused 8-watt infrared spotlights and a highly sensitive low-light, infrared sensor, the MOBOTIX cameras are able to generate sharp, high-resolution black-and-white images. If more light is available, the cameras automatically switch from the night lens to the day lens for better color reproduction. Of course, the colors of the exhibition environment absorb most of the red portion of the infrared light, but the MOBOTIX color correction mechanisms counteract that problem. Also, installing the cameras in unnoticeable places allows inconspicuous surveillance. 

The National Museum of Iceland safeguards and displays some of the most valuable objects that the Icelandic nation owns.“Our old system was simply not up to the task. It was analogue and controlled with a Video Management Software that was more than a decade old”, says Haukur Sævar Bessason, Supervisor of Buildings and Security at the National Museum of Iceland. He explains that besides aiming for an upgrade of the surveillance function, the National Museum of Iceland was also on the look-out for a new solution that integrated a counting system –in order to track the number of visitors at the museum and gauge the popularity of different exhibitions, among other thing. Another important criterion was to avoid any “hidden”costs not immediately apparent from the purchase costs of the cameras alone, such as license fees.

“The MOBOTIX system could replace our old counting system and upgrade our surveillance system in one go. We had seen the MOBOTIX solution in use at other locations in Iceland and the proven durability, high quality images and easy management of the cameras –along with the fact that there are no license fees –were the crucial factors for us”, says Haukur Sævar Bessason and continues: “The system is mainly used for security purposes, but there are Q24 cameras that are counting as well as recording”.

In the Americas, the latest high profile project is currently under way, Mobotix securing the centennial events at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, ON, Canada. With continuous improvement to the product line and 100% free of charge software solutions, Mobotix is looking forward to expand and duplicate their success stories while protecting cultural property worldwide. 

Important Note:

This notification contains statements that are based on assumptions and estimates of MOBOTIX AG. Even though the management considers these assumptions and estimates to be true and accurate, the future actual development and the actual results may deviate from these assumptions and estimates for various reasons. Among those reasons are changes of the overall economic situation, foreign exchange rates, interest rates as well as changes in the market trends or the competitive environment. MOBOTIX AG does not assume any liability for deviations of the future development and actual results from the assumptions and estimates as contained in this ad hoc announcement / press release / corporate news.

All communities around the U.S. have an obligation to be as disaster-ready as possible, and citizens of these communities work every day to achieve this goal. This year, FEMA has released a funding opportunity announcement for the Continuing Training Grant totaling $11 million!