Government Affairs/Licensure

The Issue:
Beginning in the mid-1990s, the wave of car and truck bombings targeting government buildings at home and abroad revealed dramatic weaknesses in the physical and operational security around many of the places in which our citizens work and visit to interact with their government. The federal government moved quickly to keep vehicles at bay using barriers that were readily available, particularly concrete jersey walls commonly used to divide major highways and steel posts called bollards. These immediate steps were prudent and necessary, yet they had the unintended side effects of reducing citizens’ access to their government and signaling to terrorists that we were afraid. Through the use of security design, it is possible to develop perimeter security that is highly protective and better integrated into the surrounding. This approach helps to maintain the openness that is the hallmark of our democracy and way of life. Read detailed fact sheet.

ASLA Policies:

• Security Design

Advocacy Center:

• Contains information supporting member engagement on public policy issues. Find links to the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, laws and regulations, and other useful resources.

Additional Links:

• Safe Spaces: Designing For Security and Civic Values
• The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP)
• TISP Publications
• Designing For Security in the Nation's Capital
• DoD Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards For Buidlings
• FEMA Hazard Mitigation Publications
• FEMA Risk Management Series - Risk Assessment,
  A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings
• FEMA Risk Management Series - Reference Manual,
  to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buidlings
• National Capital Urban Design and Security Plan
• P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service / Security (GSA)

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