Spotlight on security.

It's no surprise that as crime continue grow in our society, many citizens feel confined to their homes, unable to go out after dark. As a result, businesses, schools and other institutions that are normally open in the evening suffer financially from early closing times. And life as it is normally lived becomes disrupted as more and more crimes are reported.

Such was the case in suburban Manalapan, NJ, where carjackings and physical attacks began occurring in one of the community's commuter parking lots. Apprehension spread quickly among those who used the lot. There was, quite literally, a light at the end of the tunnel, however. Installing an upgraded security lighting system has helped the township's commuters feel safer when walking to and from their cars.

There is no question that light is the enemy of those who seek to perpetrate misdeeds. No one wants to be observed doing something suspicious or illegal, and for those who wish to prevent such acts, security lighting is a powerful and economical ally.

Manalapan's parking lot holds nearly 400 vehicles, serving local residents who commute to New York City by bus. Inadequate and outdated lighting contributed to the growing security problems at the lot. When the township learned of the Security Lighting Program, sponsored by Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L), authorities called a meeting to address Manalapan's problems. JCP&L performed a lighting survey of the lot and recommended a system that included installing 15 150-watt high-pressure sodium floodlights throughout the site. The lighting was placed on existing poles, saving the cost of installing new ones. Lights were strategically aimed to illuminate the entire parking lot, with minimum glare on neighboring residences.

"Our parking lot is now safer and brighter," states Mary Anne Ranon, Manalapan Township administrative assistant. "The township residents, commuters, and police are impressed with the positive results of the floodlighting system."

Time after time as JCP&L consults with businesses and other facilities as part of its Security lighting Program, it finds that strategically planned security lighting yields significant benefits in terms of enhanced safety, reduced criminal activity, and, in many cases, increased business.

The lighting program was developed in response to customer needs for safer environments. Under the program, a customer receives a free outdoor lighting survey from a security lighting representative. The utility then recommends a system to meet the customer's specific needs, offering a variety of pole and fixture styles. JCP&L installs a standard lighting system free of installation charges, with the customer paying a flat monthly fee that includes maintenance, lamp replacement, and electricity.

Lighting Factors

When considering a security lighting system, the illumination strength and configuration of the system will depend on a number of important factors at the site. The security lighting survey takes into account the ambient brightness of the surrounding area, the crime status of the area, size and shape of the site, degree of obstruction, and how and when the site is used.

In addition, the relationship of the height of the lighting to brightness and coverage must be considered. Higher mounting of lights will yield a larger area of coverage, but the higher positioning also diminishes the strength of the light. Using higher strength lamps is one solution to this problem, but greater wattage means consuming more electricity and increasing the operation cost. These and other factors, like the type of luminaire and shape of reflector, must be balanced to provide the necessary security lighting at a reasonable cost.

Lamp Selection

The lamps most commonly used in security lighting systems utilize high-pressure sodium, low-pressure sodium, or metal halide technologies. High-pressure sodium lamps are often used in street lights or parking lot lights. They are very energy-efficient and can cut through fog, offering high acuity or "seeing conditions." These lamps are purposely designed to allow the eye to respond to detail, because the human eye is most sensitive to the particular kind of light put out by high-pressure sodium lamps. The result is that security personnel and police can see more detail at a greater distance.

Low-pressure sodium lamps are even more energy-efficient, producing much light from relatively little power. Gains in visual acuity are minimal, however, and the yellow light generated by these lamps tends to make most things look grey. In addition, low-pressure sodium lamps require a large amount of maintenance and are subject to more rapid burnout due to local vibrations from traffic or other sources.

Metal nighttime lamps are typically used in large numbers to light stadiums and arenas for sports and other major events. They work well in this respect because they imitate daylight conditions and allow colors to appear "natural" as they would during the day.

School Safety

Making nighttime visitors feel secure was also important for the White Township Consolidated School. Inadequate exterior lighting at the elementary school (grades K-8) contributed to security problems, including vandalism and two robberies in the cafeteria. In addition, the poorly lit parking lot and outdoor areas made students, faculty, and other visitors feel uneasy about attending school functions and using recreational facilities during evening hours.

After reviewing recommendations from JCP&L, school and township officials approved installation of a security lighting system that included seven high-pressure sodium floodlights. Three 150-watt and four 400-watt lighting fixtures were placed in the parking area and around the perimeter of the building. "Thanks to the new floodlights, vandalism at the school has been eliminated," states Tony Wyhopen, former mayor of White Township. "An increasing number of students are taking advantage of our recreational facilities and basketball courts in the evening hours. Now, there is a heightened feeling of safety and security on our property among students, faculty, and visitors." Neighboring facilities have also benefited from the new lighting. The White Township municipal building shares the parking lot with the elementary school, thus the lighting provides additional security for municipal employees.

Working with JCP&L, White Township is planning to install additional outdoor lighting systems in other parts of the community. Two future projects include illuminating the township's baseball field and municipal garage area. "We are trying to create an environment that is pleasing to look at, enjoyable, and safe for our residents and visitors," notes Mr. Wyhopen.

Lighting Means Business

A dark, foreboding environment is likely to discourage most people from entering any area, but nowhere is this more damaging than in the retail sales business. Gelco Woodcraft, a retailer of unfinished furniture in Ocean Township, faced just such a problem with a poorly lit, unsecured parking area.

The store manager felt that the outdated, inadequate facade lighting was keeping customers away from the shop after dark, resulting in a loss of evening business. Several incidents of vandalism had also occurred on the property. The manager needed something to make his building safer and more attractive to the general public.

JCP&L installed a lighting system that included a single 150-watt floodlight in the loading and pick-up area, two 250-watt floodlights illuminating the building's front entrance, and one 400-watt floodlight in the parking area.

All fixtures used high-pressure sodium lamps. Strategically placing and aiming these floodlights enabled Gelco Woodcraft to illuminate the dark, uninviting areas of the site--particularly the parking lot--and solve both their safety and security problems.

Now the facade of the building is bright and appealing to potential customers. As a result, more customers are shopping at the store and Gelco's business has increased. The additional lighting also invites window shopping for customers who stop by when the store is closed.

In addition, customer service at Gelco has improved due to the new security fighting system. Before the lights were installed, customers picked up their furniture orders during daylight hours only. Now pick-ups can be made in the evening as well.

Finally, the new lighting system has proven to be an effective deterrent to vandalism at the Gelco site, where there have been no incidents reported since the lights were installed.

"Floodlighting is an easy, effective, and inexpensive way to make your property more attractive to current and future patrons," notes Bob Coscia, manager of Gelco Woodcraft. "But, best of all, I have received quite a bit of positive feedback from customers who feel safer and more secure while on Gelco's property. And keeping my customers happy and satisfied is what it's all about."

Lighting Advances

Security lighting specialists are constantly looking for ways to improve their products to offer increased protection, as well as economical operation. One such improvement is the use of "timer" photo cells to turn lights on and off. Normally, security lighting will come on when sunlight diminishes to a certain point during the evening, triggering a photo cell attached to the system. The new timer photo cells allow a facility to have lights turn on and off at specific times, much like a home timing device.

Another advance, that is not yet available in commercial applications, is the use of motion detectors to turn security lighting on and off. In theory, this would provide lighting only when it is needed--when people were present and moving about the property, or when intruders are on the property after hours. While such a system would obviously produce energy savings, it remains impractical for security because of the warm-up times required. From a cold start, most industrial forms of security lighting requires 10 to 20 minutes to warm-up before full illumination is achieved.

One possible solution to the cold-start problem is the use of a "hot stand-by," which would draw electricity to maintain the lights in a "warmed-up" state and allow them to come on within 30 seconds to one minute of an impulse from the motion detector. Because it is operating at all times; however, a hot stand-by system-increases energy costs. Such an increase must then be figured into the cost-benefit analysis of the security lighting system. Another drawback is that 30 seconds to one minute may be too long to wait to spot an intruder on secured property.

A Vital Ingredient

Experience has shown that security lighting is a highly effective, yet relatively low-cost way to enhance safety and protect facilities and property. Yet, it may also be necessary to complement lighting with other security measures--ranging from fences, gates, and locks to guards, remote surveillance, and other detection equipment--depending on individual circumstances and needs.