A busy Center City location of new high-rise steel construction had temporary fence panels with 9” gaps from bottom of panels to ground (code stipulates less than 4”). Also adjacent concrete “Jersey barriers” provided convenient step to step over 6’ high panels, making them effectively 3’ high to climb over. Perfect “playground” or childhood wonderland for trespassing children to explore and also a deathtrap. Law holds property owner responsible for injuries to trespassing children.

Utility owned an abandoned coal pier on the Delaware River. They decided to not go forward with a half-million dollar security project they bid out to protect pier from riverboat pirates. We observed their bigger risk, which they had missed, was kids on dirtbikes entering from landside into a very hazardous area. 

Housing unit had controlled access motorized slide gates but unauthorized cars would tailgate in behind the tenants’ car.  We installed cameras with status alert from gate activation.

Existing burglar alarm installed by a leading major alarm company had radio backup dialer if telephone wires were cut. The telephone wires were plainly accessible from ground level. During a break-in, the telephone wires were cut and the radio backup did not work. The system was not “supervised” meaning there was no indication of wires being cut or radio not functioning. We were contacted following break-in and per our recommendation, the home owner rerouted telephone wires to enter at attic level, not ground level. We identified that the radio dialer was the wrong type to function in the non air-conditioned space where it was located, the glass break sensor was on wrong wall, and a motion sensor was in the wrong location. A “mock strike” by the original alarm company would have revealed these deficiencies without the loss of over $200,000 in uninsured collector’s valuables, and the anguish and the time associated.