Johns Hopkins Security Update: Item #7


Abstract:
Blue light blues. Too corny? Thought so.

Body:
If you've been reading this blog for a while and have been reading it carefully, you need help. Also, you probably know that I read the Daily Incident Report, published by the JHU Security Department, daily. Since I've been reading it on a daily basis, some items seem like inside jokes now, because they appear so often. Like the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute door alarm. It goes off (probably on its own) almost every night. Don't worry, it's always "checked, found secure." At some point last year, I noticed another common occurrence. There were problems with the blue light system noted daily, and they never seemed to get cleared from the report. Either the units kept breaking, or they were never fixed. I first blogged this trend last November.

As part of the new Security Action Plan, dated January 31, 2005, the blue light system is supposedly receiving an overhaul to make it more reliable. Item number seven reads:
Hardware that will improve the reliability of our on- and off-campus network of blue light emergency telephones has been ordered and will be installed within four weeks.

Obviously, if today is March 16th, it's been over four weeks. But before we check to see if they met this deadline, I'll make sure they haven't updated this estimate. Ah, here we go, from the last item of update #2, dated February 18, 2005:
New hardware for the 32 existing blue light emergency telephones will be installed by Feb. 28, correcting the phones' reliability problem. We also have ordered six more telephones for additional installations and are doing an assessment, with input received from students and administrators, to determine where they might be most effectively located.

Alright, looks like they were on track a month ago, but I see the list of updates goes all the way to number four, from March 9, 2005. The second item:
The installation of new hardware to make the blue light emergency phones more reliable (action plan item 7) will be complete by the end of this week.

Looks like they missed the first deadline, but "by the end of this week" sounds pretty confident. I'm looking at my calendar, and March 9th was last week, so we should be good. Time to load up the Daily Incident Report for today, March 16th, 2005: (Bold emphasis is from the actual report and not added by me.)
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EMERGENCY PHONE PROBLEMS – Telecommunications has parts on order. All emergency phones are on fast track for upgrading:

• Eastern Campus West Lot – 2 phones do not call to the security desk.
• Eastern Campus North Lot – 1 phone does not call to the security desk.
• East Gate (MSEL Circle Drive Entrance) – does not call to security.
• Homewood Museum Lot (near AMRs) – does not call to security.
• West Gate Lot (upper west end) – does not call to security.
• Homewood Apts. (front) – does not call to security.

The below phones alert security dispatch when the emergency button is pushed and held in, but do have the listed technical problems:
• Mattin Center (south end, near BMA garden fence) -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Barn Theater (hillside) -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Garland/Levering Plaza -- disconnects prematurely after calling security.
• Garland Lot – flashing beacon and siren are not operative.
• Stony Run Lot – flashing beacon and siren are not operative.
• Shriver Hall – siren is not operative.
• Mattin Center (Offit Building) – siren is not operative.
• Mattin Center (Jones Building) – has no flashing beacon.
• Barn Theater/Krieger Hall (roadside) – does not transmit the voice of the caller.
• AMR 2 (south of Terrace Court entrance) – does not transmit the voice of the caller.
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Whoops, they're not quite ready. Maybe the blue lights were just for show. They may want to change that before sending out this year's acceptance letters.

Posted: Wednesday - March 16, 2005 at 08:03 AM          

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