Glendale practices key ideas in building security

Glendale, Calif., has standardized door hardware for 52 buildings, which include about 10,000 door locks and padlocks. The hardware has improved security and has tightened key control in the city.

The Facilities Services Department is responsible for infrastructure maintenance of the city’s buildings, including the Civic Center, fire stations, libraries and park buildings. In all, the department oversees approximately 1.25 million square feet of building space.

Prior to installing uniform door hardware, the city had a variety of locks with differing degrees of durability. Some locks dated back to the 1950s and still functioned well, while others were only a few years old and broke frequently. Additionally, key control was becoming unmanageable. Because restricted keyways were not widely used, keyholders could copy keys at local hardware stores and mall key shops.

The department decided to change all the city building locks to Primus keyways by Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Schlage. The keyways combine a sidebar mechanism with a standard pin tumbler cylinder. The cylinder is built around a dual-locking feature that makes the lock highly resistant to picking.

Keys are available only from the factory, and recipients must furnish authorized signatures. Key blanks have side bitting, a unique geometric contour that interacts with a matching pin-set inside the cylinder, so they cannot be copied.

To help manage issued keys, the department began using software from the company. The software organizes information about short-term (vendors and contractors) and long-term keyholders (permanent city employees) and lets the department schedule due dates when keys need to be returned. “It makes it easier for us to keep track of who has which keys, and, if an unusual event occurs in a particular area, we can immediately find out which employees had access to that area,” says John Hickman, facilities services superintendent. “When employees retire, we know what keys they had, so we can be sure to get them back.”