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Section 2. The Basics of Securing your Premises

Site: Extension Foundation Online Campus
Course: Farm Security
Book: Section 2. The Basics of Securing your Premises
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Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024, 8:42 AM

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The basics of securing your premises

Table of contents

The Three Ds of Farm Security

Private property signSecuring your premises doesn't have to be complicated. Determine and implement basic actions, and add more protections when necessary. An effective physical security system for your premises 


Well-hidden permanently installed mailbox is based on the following three basic principles:

Deterrence 

Detection 

Delay 

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The Three Ds of Farm Security Video



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Locking Your Facilities

Keep important areas such as your pesticide storage area locked. Well-hidden permanently installed mailboxImplement a system for checking facilities at the end of the day to ensure they are secured.

  • Use high-security locks. These locks
    • have keys for which the lock manufacturer controls key blanks
    • require the owner to personally authorize key duplication
    • are pick-resistant and tamper-resistant
    • should have case-hardened steel shanks (padlocks)
    • have keys that are embossed by the manufacturer with the words, “Do Not Duplicate”
    • prevent unauthorized persons from having duplicates made at the local hardware store. High-security locks are a bit more trouble than standard locks, but "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...."
  • Use the same brand-name locks for everything to make it easier to detect unauthorized locks. Periodically look for signs of tampering.
  • Use locks with built-in, programmable keypads to secure your most valuable items. Codes can be changed easily at a momentʼs notice by the owner.
  • Use hasps that fold over the screws when locked, which prevents access to the screws. Locks are only as good as the hasps to which they are attached.

Cable ties do not provide protection. They only provide an indication that the lock has been opened. Seals are effective only if there is a system in place to check and verify seal numbers. An example is the metal clip electric power companies use on meters.



Applying Key Control

Locks are effective if you keep track of the keys.Well-hidden permanently installed mailbox

  • Keep a record of all locks and keys with the location of each lock or piece of equipment, the total number of keys that exist for it and the names of the people who have a copy of each key.

  • Require employees to sign for keys, and inventory all keys periodically to account for every one.

  • Keep key control records and spare keys locked in a safe or other secure location. Only the “key control manager” should issue and have access to key control records and spare keys.

  • Issue keys to employees only as needed, and verify that each key is returned precisely when it should be. Keys to equipment should be returned at the end of each workday to the person in charge of key control.

  • Do not issue keys merely for the convenience of employees OR employers. Locks are used to protect your assets. Keep keys to critical assets on-site at all times.

  • DO NOT HIDE KEYS! Intruders know to look under rocks, over doors and beneath doormats.

  • Avoid or limit the use of master keys. Never take them off-site. The loss of a master key requires the re-keying of all locks in the system in order to restore security. Even temporary misplacement is a concern because there is no way to know for sure who might have access to the key while it was missing, or if it has been duplicated.

  • Never leave keys in unattended vehicles or equipment.








Using Signs to Deter

Post  and maintain “No Trespassing” signs along farm roads and property lines. Too often, signs are posted and forgotten, so they deteriorate, fall down, or get knocked down by vandals. As you do routine maintenance, remember to check your signs and replace when needed.

Although signs will not keep out criminals, they will deter those who are simply unaware that they have entered private property. However, signs announcing the presence of alarms, detectors, or surveillance devices may be helpful in deterring crime.

Signs warning of hazards may be important in limiting your liability. “Do Not Enter” signs for hazardous materials and hazardous areas such as manure pits, animal areas, hazardous materials storage, should be posted in languages understood by all employees and visitors, or as pictograms.

Maintaining Clear Zones

Eliminate vegetation to maintain clear zones along fences, Farm at sunriseroads,
around structures and especially along property lines. A distance of 15 feet is recommended.

Remove all obstructions and places of concealment near your facilities. Do not use vegetation to conceal unsightly areas. It does not really hide anything and may only provide cover for intruders. For example, if shrubs are used to conceal an old well, the effect is purely cosmetic. Proper measures should be taken to lock or seal off the well.