The most recent media reports predict that the West Coast is the next site of a terrorist attack.   Two targets are identified for Los Angeles.   One is the busy commerce waterway of the Port of Los Angeles and the other is the high-rise business community.   If the earlier forecast that there was no imminent threat in this area was correct, it would appear that occupants of high-rise buildings in Los Angeles would have nothing to fear.   We now know that is not exactly true.

High-rise building managers should not only prepare for terrorist, they should also consider that opportunists pose major security threats as well.   Individuals or groups may take advantage of the terrorist scare to promote their own agendas, by carrying out personal vendettas while emulating terrorists' acts in the form of bomb threats.   The possibility of collateral harm to individuals, as a result of these acts, is real.   High on the list of those being considered as suspects when bomb threats are made against companies, are disgruntled employees and clients.  

According to a well-placed source who is involved in security at one of the Fortune   500 companies, on average 4 to 5 bomb threats per week are made against their office buildings in the Los Angeles area.   Usually, the threat is phoned in and the building is immediate evacuated.   After everything is checked out, the occupants are cleared to return to the building.   When normalcy resumes, another threat is received, usually from the opportunist.  

To help protect buildings vulnerable to acts of terrorism and bomb threats, several things need to be done.   First, security needs to be tightened in areas not presently accessible to the public.   Building visitors should be required to show proper identification before access to the structure is granted.   Metal detection devices are recommended for high-rise buildings that have a large number of visitors.   Walk-through scanners are deemed the best and may used as stand-alone units or customized to fit most doorways.

Unattended packages, bag, and briefcases should immediately be considered a possible threat.   Security should immediately attempt to determine ownership.   If that fails, the area should be cleared and the local law enforcement agency notified right away.

In terms of the building structure, stairwells should be well lit and exterior doors designed for easy exit while difficult to get through from the outside.   Building managers should provide consistent and vigilant monitoring of entrances to dissuade attempts to damage property or harm individuals.   Building security should use roving patrols to protect the property.   Extra perimeter and parking garage patrol is an effective way to deter terrorists or opportunists.   High guard visibility serves as a deterrent to those attempting to cause damage or harm because they become apprehensive about being discovered.

Surveillance cameras are excellent devices for "real-time" activity.   Monitors are positioned at the guard station for optimum surveillance efficiency.   Additionally, building managers may consider an intrusion alarm system.   The enunciator panel, which indicated a building or perimeter breach by using both audible and visual signals, should be located at the guard station.   Window- if applicable, door, and motion sensors are companion pieces to a comprehensive intrusion alarm system.   Companies may also opt to have duress sensors, which are devices designed to be activated by guard personnel to call for help when they find themselves in a threatening situation.

Another way to ensure personal safety is for guards to carry two-way radios.   The radio is the officer's link with the dispatcher, who is just a phone call away from law enforcement or the fire department.   The officer can also use the radio to get back up from the other officers on the premises.

Finally, companies should provide disaster response and recovery drills on a routine basis to assure that their people know precisely what to do in the event of a terrorist or terrorist-type act.   Companies that do not have strategies in place to respond to and recover from a disaster should immediately appoint a coordinator and develop these critical procedures.   There are experts in these areas that can provide professional services to develop such plans.

At best, these are tenuous times for us all.   Owners of high-rise office buildings are advised to take pre-emptive actions now, as indemnity against injury or death to employees and visitors and to minimize property damage.