The shooting spree in a downtown Orlando office tower that killed one person and wounded five raised fresh questions about workplace safety and security, says the Orlando Sentinel. “I think you are going to get an immediate reaction, but I think it will be forgotten, unfortunately,” said Matthew McKeever of the real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. Last Friday, a former employee of an engineering firm entered his old offices and began shooting. One downtown office worker said, “Overall, I think, yes, we feel that there will be more need for security in the area.”
The security measures in place at the center where the firm is housed are commonplace across the city and, more generally, Corporate America. Most employees enter highrises from parking garages and may face card-key entries there. Most visitors walk past attendants in open lobbies to get on elevators leading to largely unsecured office suites. Steven Billups of Wackenhut Corp., a large security company, said that metal detectors, card-key entries, video survelliance, and other security measures can all be foiled by ex-employees and contractors who know their way around a building. And people often “piggyback” their way into a building by walking behind employees on their way to work. The key, he said is for receptionists to be on the lookout for former employees and anything that “looks unusual.”