Cultural Property Security

Book excerpt: The protection and security of cultural properties is of primary concern to the thousands of federal, state, county, city, and private institutions entrusted with housing and displaying our national heritage and history of our society. Cultural property security is of global importance as well, with tens of thousands of institutions internationally tasked with protecting and maintaining relics and artifacts of social, cultural, and historical significance. Cultural Property Security offers powerful protection guidelines to security departments tasked with safeguarding popular historical sites, museums, and libraries and the historical artifacts they house. Presenting practical, ready-to-implement solutions in a clear writing style, the book: Provides a working definition of cultural properties Identifies the threats against cultural properties from crime and terrorism, particularly in regions with political or civil unrest Offers guidance in threat assessment Identifies the physical security measures and technology that can be used to protect such institutions Presents guidelines for establishing a protective service department for cultural properties Describes proper arrest and post-arrest protocols Includes a list of online resources for further information related to the protection of cultural properties Complete with dozens of photos, the book establishes leading industry best practices to identify the various threats to cultural properties and protect them. Dr. Daniel J. Benny has more than 35 years of security management experience and has served as a Director of Protective Services for the state of Pennsylvania’s Historic and Museum Commission. His insight is invaluable to those responsible for securing these institutions from internal and external threats.