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Independence National Historical Park: Continuum at the Heart of Protecting the Liberty Bell
How does one go about protecting a nation’s most treasured historical resources while at the same time making them highly visible to the three million visitors eager to visit them each year? This was the problem that confronted Hollis G. Provins, Chief Ranger, National Park Service at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
Independence National Historical Park is one of the most significant historical properties in the United States, consisting of over forty sites and buildings which house artefacts that range from little known objects to their most popular exhibit—The Liberty Bell. Other significant buildings that make up the park’s buildings include Independence Hall, Old City Hall, and the home of Benjamin Franklin, just to mention a few. Protecting these priceless national treasures against vandalism and theft is no small matter.
To begin the task of protecting these priceless treasures Mr. Provins enlisted the help of a team of security experts. For the design and engineering of the project, the firm of STV Incorporated was selected. Thomas G. Nelling, RCDD, was assigned to engineer the project. Robert Betty of Pinnacle Electronic Systems, located in nearby West Chester, Pennsylvania, was chosen to assist in the engineering process and to accomplish the installation and integration of the various systems The goal of the planning team was to design a system that would offer the greatest degree of security while at the same time offer a minimal degree of inconvenience to the park’s visitors. One of the initial problems was the existing security systems already in place throughout the various buildings. Some of these systems dated back to the early days of electronic security. The Park Service could not afford to replace all of the existing systems with new state-of-the-art security technology. Therefore, it was up to the team to determine the most feasible and economic method of integrating these existing systems into one functional system—all controlled from one central control center.
The problem of having visitors wandering into areas, which are unprotected, is being solved by using Security International’s Continuum Intelligent Facilities Monitoring and Control System. This networked system allows the Park Service to control who goes “where and when” throughout their entire campus. Continuum features a totally modular plug and play design, a powerful 32-bit CPU with FLASH memory, and a Windows® front-end workstation—all connected via the high speed Ethernet network. Employees are required to have a photo ID badge displayed at all times while on the premises and they use this same badge to access restricted areas by holding the badge close to a proximity card reader connected to the Continuum system.
With Continuum in place, other security systems are easily integrated together to produce a powerful and yet convenient system. At the core of the new control center is the Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controller. One Allen-Bradley PLC-5/20 communicates with two Allen-Bradley SLC™ 500s. The PLC-5/20 is the master controller, configured with an A-B Data HighwayPlus™ line and Ethernet. Fiber optic modems from Phoenix Digital Corporation are used to communicate to one of the SLCs. Rockwell Software RSView™ allows the Rangers to view the entire park’s floor plans and to monitor security devices via touch screen monitors in one central control center. “We were able to interface the existing older PLC controllers, as well as various other subsets of the security system using Allen-Bradley as the gateway,” says Bob Durham, Vice President of Operations for Pinnacle Electronic Systems. “The new system is far less cumbersome and a lot more user-friendly than the old one.”
For the surveillance of the various buildings and display areas, The Park Service, at Bob Betty’s suggestion, chose the Philips SCSI LTC 8800 Series Allegiant Microprocessor-based Video Switcher/Control System. This powerful system has full matrix switching which allows the user to display the video of any of the seventy color cameras to any of the assigned monitors. These systems can be programmed with up to 60 sequences, which can be run independently of each other. The LTC3991/60 High Resolution Time-Lapse Video Recorder records the history of all the surveillance cameras. The program allows for the recording of alarm conditions as they occur. When an alarm signal is received, the VCR automatically switches to the user-selected alarm-recording mode. An index signal is added to tape and a front panel light indicates alarm.
Pinnacle Electronic Systems’ Security Specialist, Scott Drake tells how he was in the process of programming some last minute details when he heard a report come over the Philadelphia Police Force mobile radio, which is monitored by the Park Service. The report described a person who had just robbed a local bank at gunpoint. From the color monitor, Scott spotted a suspect who he thought fit the description of the bank robber. After alerting the Park Service attendant, Scott was able to follow the suspect using the Autodome Camera. Philadelphia Police were notified as to the exact location of the felon and were able to make an arrest without further incident. All the while this was being recorded for invaluable future trial evidence.
During the afternoon of April 6, 2001 Chief Ranger Provins realized his most feared nightmare. An alert came through the Control Center that the Liberty Bell had been attacked. A deranged individual pulled a small sledgehammer from his backpack and struck the Liberty Bell at least four times, leaving an imprint on the side of the 249-year-old symbol of freedom. A nearby ranger quickly subdued the suspect. Although, the damage was minimal this incident shows how vulnerable these priceless artefacts can be when exposed within the reach of visitors. A brand new pavilion to house the Liberty Bell is in the process of being constructed. The new 13 million dollar glass, steel and granite enclosure will still ensure that the Liberty Bell be accessible to all who come to visit.
Chief Ranger Provins states that, “While our electronic security system is not 100% effective in preventing all disruptive occurrences within the park, it certainly is an effective deterrent and gives us a very high probability of detection of any incident that may occur. It’s a tool that we could never ever do without.”
PROJECT AT A GLANCE:
Location:
Over 1/2 mile (10 city blocks) and approximately 20 buildings in downtown Philadelphia, PA (USA)
Security International Equipment Installed:
Continuum Intelligent Facilities Monitoring and Control System
Network:
Ethernet
Applications:
Access Control
CCTV
Security Monitoring
Security International product(s):
Continuum Intelligent Facilities Monitoring and Control System
Number of Controlled Doors:
Over 500 doors at time of print. 75 doors are being added.
Number of Cardholders:
Over 4,000 with plans for an additional 2,000
Security International Representative:
Pinnacle Electronic Systems
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