Creating Realistic Human Behavior in Physical Security Systems Simulation

Physical security systems (PSS) are designed to prevent access to a facility by intruders, detect the presence of intruders, or facilitate the capture or neutralization of intruders once they are detected, without negatively impacting the intended users of the facility, or neutrals. The application domains for PSS include banks, retail stores, schools, airports, subway stations and military installations, where the intention of the intruder can range from simple theft, to kidnap or mayhem to total facility destruction, and intruder mitigation can range from discouraging (in the case of shoplifting, e.g.) to alerting (in the case of burglary, e.g.), to capture and confinement or neutralization (in the case of facility destruction). These systems generally include a combination of physical barriers, human guards, and sensor-based detection systems such as video surveillance systems. Furthermore, the tactics and policies for the security personnel are also integral to the overall PSS. The primary goal here is to assess the effectiveness of a PSS (both the sensor placement and the security policy of the personnel) for detecting intruders and mitigating their impact in compliance with the organization’s goals (e.g. deterrence, detection etc.). Other questions of interest that contribute to the primary goal include but are not limited to: • Is the PSS robust and effective against different tactics used by intruders (e.g. stealth, deceit, and force)? • What will be the effect of a change in physical security design on intruder behavior? • What should be the rules of engagement for security personnel to best mitigate the risks imposed by intruders? The complex interactions among guards, intruders, and neutral entities as well as the interactions between these entities and the environment, complicate analysis of these systems (for instance, a fundamental problem in PSS is to distinguish an intruder from a neutral based on behavior) which is often limited to static "line of sight" and "field of view" models designed to help with camera placement and guard patrol path determination. Existing simulation-based analysis methodologies include only crude and often hard-coded implementations of behavioral responses to predetermined situations for the guards, intruders, and neutrals. This limits the analysis capabilities of these models and makes creating them very time consuming and expensive.