Continuing:The Detex guard tour systems require that each tour begin with a unique checkpoint that can’t be used as part of any other tour. This “start point” identifies the tour to the software and simplifies the reporting logic by making it easier to identify “exceptions” (missing, double, or multiple checkpoint readings, etc.). It is essential that any officer begin any and every tour by first reading the “start point” for that tour. The start point may be the first checkpoint in the tour, if it is intended that the tour always begin at that point, or it may be mounted in another location (a guard shack, for example) if it is desirable to that tour not always be performed in the same order.
When setting up the guard tour system, the client may create only one tour, if that meets his needs, or he may create multiple tours. One factor in this decision is what the client wants to see in the tour reports. If he has a large facility but anticipates that in some cases he will only want a report of officer activities in a certain area, then a tour should be created including only that area; the same goes for any other similar areas.
The client may also create tours that are similar, including some (but perhaps not all) of the same control points and adding others, as long as each tour is assigned its own unique data point and is given a suitably descriptive name in the software. Fore example, the client might want a tour performed one way during the week, but a slightly different way on weekends, holidays or during plant shutdowns.
Setting Up the System
The first step in setting up the guard tour system is for the client to prepare a list of the tours that the security officers are to perform and the checkpoints that are to be included in each tour. The checkpoints are generally described by their physical location, and this description should be included for each checkpoint. Each tour should also be given a descriptive title.
If the client wishes to use data points for identifying the officers, he should prepare a lsit of the officers’ names that are to be assigned to the data points. In practice, the officer would typically read his own identifying data poit with the DAU before he begins his first tour. The software then lists the officers name in the report at the beginning of that tour and every subsequent tour, until either (1) another officer’s identifying data point is read with that same DAU or (2) the DAU’s data memory is cleared.