BY CAROL CAREY
Access Control & Security Systems
Read H1 News Report: Port Security

NORFOLK, Va. — In most instances, security directors wishing to install sophisticated access control or surveillance systems at their workplaces must be sensitive to both employees' and customers' reactions. Public relations considerations may determine where and how surveillance cameras are placed, for instance. Concerns about maintaining good customer and employee relations often lead to the purchase of systems that are user-friendly.

At the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) in Norfolk, Director of Port Security and Emergency Operations Norris E. (Ed) Merkle has had occasion to take such concerns to the "next level," integrating his security program with the unique business and operational issues faced by one of America's busiest and most successful ports.

"We're one of the first U.S. maritime ports to have fully electronic automated gates, remotely monitored, at our ports," says Merkle, referring to his administration of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Access Control Gates (Gates) grant for $2.1 million, which the VPA received in 2005.

He notes that the gate systems are fully operational at two of the three maritime ports, the Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) and the Newport News Marine Terminal. An electronic gate system is being planned for the third and largest marine terminal, the Norfolk International Terminal (NIT).

Merkle believes the VPA is unique in having terminals that are completely, rather than partially, covered by electronic gate systems.

A major concern in implementing the technology was to allow for maximum traffic flow through the gates while maintaining the highest levels of security and safety, Merkle says. "It was important to incorporate security measures without impeding the flow of materials through the gate," he notes.

The Portsmouth Terminal, for instance, has seven automated tollbooth-like lanes, managed by two individuals at a remote location. There are four lanes, all automated, at the Newport News Marine Terminal. The lanes include integrated access control and camera surveillance points and are run by software designed by L.A. King, a California marine terminal gate integrator.

"All the cameras record the entire transaction once the person uses his or her prox card," Merkle says. "Pedestrians, cars and trucks go through the gates."

HID proximity cards are used with Lenel-based card readers. Both network and digital video recorders are used for the camera system. ID cards are issued to some 18,000 individuals who need to access the terminals, including employees, drivers, railroad personnel, vendors and contractors.

The VPA owns four general cargo terminals - three marine and one inland. An affiliate, Virginia International Terminals Inc. (VIT), operates the terminals. The VPA and related maritime industry are responsible for 343,000 jobs and $41 billion in total revenues throughout the state. The 1,200-acre port is among the largest such facilities on the U.S. East Coast, with an infrastructure that includes six direct trains to 28 major cities daily, and more than 50 motor-carrier companies offering freight handling.

Managing a staff of approximately 101 people, 89 of them sworn police officers, within the port environment requires the ability to incorporate the goals of top management with specific departmental goals. David Stevenson, security integrator with Zel Technologies, admires Merkle's ability to juggle security, business and management issues with equal aplomb. In addition to the police officers, Merkle's staff includes about nine administrative and support personnel, including dispatchers, I.D. clerks and administrative support staff.

In the process of implementing the gates project, for instance, Merkle regularly met with both VPA senior management staff and his own department's senior management. His sense of teamwork, no doubt honed by years in the U.S. Coast Guard, enabled him to forge solutions that would take into account both his police officers' preference for hands-on contact with people passing through VPA gates, and the technological managers' strong faith in the automated systems.

"We could have let the entry be 100 percent automatic. An IT professional might look at a 100 percent automatic solution," Merkle says. "On the other hand, the police officers value the human interaction and the instincts that tell them if something is amiss."

Ultimately, a compromise was reached in which, "Technology gives the green light, but the officer chooses whether to clear the driver and open the gate. The officers, speaking remotely through our voice communication system, will greet the driver or pedestrian, and ask questions such as whether they have any other occupants in the vehicle," Merkle says.

Perhaps no single facet of the VPA operation better illustrates the teamwork skills of top managers like Merkle than its recent achievement of the ISO 9001:2000 certification, the internationally recognized quality management designation. The VPA is the first port owner and operator on the East Coast to achieve the certification, and only the second in the nation, according to Merkle and the VPA.

"We're only the second port to be ISO compliant - Oakland is the first," Merkle says. "To achieve this, you've got to have very detailed document control, for instance, relating to e-mails and investigations."

Teamwork among department managers is crucial for success, Merkle says. "The executive director sets goals, and the team applies them. Managers pass down the goals to their line people. In general, we're measuring our performance - shipping volume, number of transactions, time-length of the transactions and their efficiency.

"So security must fit into these standards. Security breaches can impact the ISO measurement because they delay traffic flow. Theft is one of the measurements, as are the reliability of our systems, of every sensor."

The process of documentation and security management have recently been improved with the installation of a new security management system that can help keep track of "every sensor."

"We have brought together all our surveillance systems with a security management software system by ORSUS called the Situator," Merkle explains.

Stevenson, whose company installed the ORSUS system, explains that it "has enabled port security personnel to better manage terminal and facility access control, perimeter security and enforcement and closed circuit television monitoring."

Merkle notes that the Situator brings together information from security sensors throughout the VPA. "Because we cover three geographically diverse areas (the three maritime terminals) we're receiving sensor and video information from many sources, including a 10-mile perimeter, gate complexes, restricted area buildings, doors and hallways," Merkle says.

It is now possible to monitor all these points - more than 100 access control devices - from a central area. "The Situator takes information from all these sensors and puts it through a rules-based analysis and alerts the dispatcher when there are concerns. The system presently integrates video and access control; we will soon be integrating fire alarm and smart perimeter systems as well," Merkle says.

The ORSUS system is a cornerstone of the newly constructed Port Command Center (PCC). Merkle is currently implementing a $2.3 million DHS "Port Command Center" grant (which is actually 75 percent federal and 25 percent VPA funded).

When developing important projects, Merkle looks for input from other VPA managers, his senior staff and other port security specialists. He has overseen the development of the PCC by looking at the work of other maritime ports. As a member of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), Merkle enjoys the twice-yearly meetings during which information is freely shared by other Port security managers.

"Even though ports are competitive, security is not a competitive business," Merkle says. "At our AAPA meetings, we share information on lessons learned. What's working and what's not working? I knew other people were also working on their command centers. I took our security integrator, IT people and senior port police staff and we visited a number of ports to get input for the PCC."

The team visited ports in Corpus Christi, New York, Houston, Charleston and the Bridge Port Authority in Niagara Falls, N.Y. They looked at such things as workstation configuration, methods of operator communication, room layout, noise levels and climate control.

The new Port Command Center was well worth the effort, he says. "We came up with a hybrid of the various sites we looked at, constructing a brand new room within an existing building."

In addition to the inclusion of the ORSUS system, other upgrades to the PCC include an improved video-screen configuration. Each operator has four video screens at his or her station along with three shared projection screens. Other additions, which were part of a nearly $100,000 construction project, include a new dispatcher console, communications equipment, computers, flooring, electrical upgrades and furniture.

Merkle is a 51-year-old native Virginian who, when he isn't working, enjoys reading thrillers and spending time with his wife, a fourth-grade teacher, and two daughters, ages 16 and 24.

Given the demands of his job, it's not surprising that Merkle spends eight to 10 hours daily in his office, and "lives with a Blackberry and laptop at home." He did attempt to turn off the Blackberry during a recent cruise vacation, but, "after day five, I contacted the office."

While his dedication to safety and security at Virginia's Port Authority isn't likely to change with a change of place, the new security management should make the task of "contacting the office" easier.

"I now have access to what the dispatcher is seeing at any given time. I can see what the status of security at the Port is by looking at one screen, even on vacation," he says.

Copyright 2008 Penton Business Media, Inc.