FORESTVILLE, CONN. - December
13, 2005 - Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies' Schlage Electronic Security
today announced that the La Cañada Unified School District, located just
north of Los Angeles, is upgrading from mechanical locks to Schlage Computer-Managed
(CM) locks at all five of its campuses. Currently, 50-plus locks are being used
in the district to secure areas including gymnasiums and computer and science
labs. The district plans to install a total of 98 locks at its existing schools
and at a new district office that is now being built.
Schlage CM standalone locking products provide features found traditionally
with online, networked systems. User-friendly software on a laptop or PDA programs
the locks, access trim, and offline hard-wired controllers, which manage strikes
and magnets. New users, access points and access privileges can be programmed
into a CM lock in seconds. Users can select proximity, magnetic stripe, PIN
or i-Button credentials individually or in combination. The CM lock also provides
an audit trail for download onto a laptop or PDA.
"We were using standard mechanical keyed locks, but they were too labor
intensive and costly to rekey," reports Bruce Tiffany, a district locksmith.
"The major benefit of the CM locks is that it's easy to delete a card out
of the system without rekeying an entire school. The electronic locks also provide
a history of who has entered and at what time, which is a real plus."
District employees use proximity cards to access the CM locks. If a card is
lost, Tiffany simply issues a new one. The locks are easily reprogrammed using
a handheld PDA.
Previously, if a principal lost a master site key, the entire school would have
to be rekeyed. About eight years ago, Tiffany had to do so at a cost of $35,000,
including all interior and exterior doors. However, there is no extra cost out
of the budget to reprogram the CM locks.
La Cañada faculty like that they now only carry one card instead of being
responsible for several keys on a ring. Athletic Department instructors who
used to carry about 30 keys now have just one card and three to four interior
keys.
The CM locks also allow for flexible access control when outside groups use
district facilities. CM locks can control access to restrooms at the elementary
schools on the weekends, when Little League and other youth sports organizations
need them. The district can monitor the facilities and see if anyone is abusing
the privilege.
The CM locks are also extensively used at the school gymnasiums for outside
user groups. District locksmiths can program in specific times and specific
days that outside groups are allowed in. If there are any abuse issues, the
district is able to deal with them immediately.
"We looked at several other companies, but Ingersoll Rand had the best
locks for the price, and good customer service," Tiffany notes. "We
have also found the system to be very user friendly."
He expects that within one and a half years, all the schools in the award-winning
district will be secured with CM locks.
-30-
