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Reprinted with permission from Coal Age. Copyright 2009

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Securing assets in a mining complex is dif-ficult. Protecting infrastructure and equip-ment on a limited budget approaches theimpossible. Mining facilities are usuallyremote, often with limited power andbroadband connectivity across the site, andlaw enforcement response comes late ornot at all. Assets are typically spread overthe mining complex and not concentratedin a single building or shed. Risk has grownas rising commodity prices mean thievesare often stealing the infrastructure itselfinstead of just the typical high-value targetssuch as vehicles and equipment. Electriccables have been particularly vulnerableand can financially impact mine operationsfar beyond their replacement cost.

This vulnerability was highlighted inAugust 2009 when CONSOL Energy’sRobinson Run mine in West Virginia lostmore than $30,000 of copper cable thatthieves simply hooked to their ATVs anddragged 4 miles to where they hauled itaway. Infrastructure theft is worse duringreclamation projects where only limitedpersonnel are on site and then only duringdaylight hours. Thieves know their localmines. They know what type of work isbeing done and when it is being done.

Beyond stolen assets or reduced pro-ductivity, mines have liability risks toensure that even illegal activities do notresult in the loss of life. It’s one thing tohave some copper wire stolen from a site, it

is another problem if you have a thief thatwinds up being fatally injured or killedwhile performing his illegal activities.Apprehending intruders before they stealor get injured is the goal.

Unfortunately, economic pressures thatmothball a mine or close a facility alsomean that budgets to protect the siteshrink, creating nearly impossible prob-lems for security directors and facility man-agers. The economic downturn andincreasing financial pressures havedemanded innovative solutions in securingremote asserts.

Securing Remote AssetsSecuritas is one of the leaders evolving withtechnology and delivering new forms ofaffordable security. The company provideslocal security services to some of thenation’s largest utilities, petrochemicalplants, and mining operations including alarge mothballed coal mine in the centralUnited States. This mine was the victim ofrepeated thefts with losses of tens of thou-sands of dollars over a 10-year period thattargeted infrastructure and equipment. Asthe losses mounted the owner contractedwith the local Securitas office to protect thefacility.

“This facility presented many complexi-ties,” said Kory Best, Securitas branch man-ager, based in Marion, Ill. “The mineconsisted of two sites, located 15 miles

apart and miles from the nearest town, nopower or communications. There are mul-tiple buildings on more than 150 acres.”

The mine’s budget only allowed fortwo security officers who were responsi-ble for patrolling each of the sites afternormal business hours and on weekends.These patrols were very time intensive asthey consumed more than one hour toeffectively perform. During the patrols,they would check buildings to ensure theywere locked, verify gates were closed andobserve any potential safety hazards toreport back to the client. Though the offi-cer’s duties were fairly simple, theybecome complicated when they are notcapable of physically observing all neces-sary targets at once.

The remoteness and sheer size of thesite meant that providing adequate guardservice was unaffordable on a limited bud-get. Although only two officers were farfrom optimal, they did provide some levelof deterrence and there was more than oneoccasion where the guards gave chase tointruders. Nevertheless, the security offi-cers were never able to apprehend anyone.Over time the thieves became more sophis-ticated in their efforts and began postinglookouts to monitor security patrols andthe thefts continued. The fixed budgetmeant that adding personnel was out of thequestion; Securitas began exploring newoptions to address the problem.

Mobile Surveillance UnitsAs a first step, Securitas replaced the securi-ty officers with new Mobile SurveillanceUnits (MSUs). These are self contained trail-ers equipped with two high endpan/tilt/zoom cameras that sit atop a 30-ftmast. The MSUs are linked to the SecuritasMonitoring Center and can provide serviceslike “virtual guard tours” using a satellitelink from the trailer to the surveillance oper-ators. The tight budget meant that theycould only deploy three surveillance unitsinstead of the six or seven needed to proper-ly lock down the site.

“The main advantage the MSUs pro-vided was the ability to monitor the sitemore comprehensively than what waspossible with the patrolling security offi-

o p e r at i n g i d e a s

New Affordable Options for Infrastructure

and Asset Protection

An idled Midwest mine uses a Mobile Surveillance Unit to try to catch thieves in the act.

2 www.coalage.com September 2009Reprinted with permission from Coal Age. Copyright 2009


cers,” Best said. “This allowed moreaspects of the site to be monitored andreduced the opportunity for an undetect-ed intrusion. Having ‘eyes in the sky’ thatdon’t need a lunch break greatlyenhanced the site’s ability to minimizerisk.”

Although this was a significantimprovement, there were still deficien-cies in the program as only the mainthreat areas were able to be monitoredwhich left the site vulnerable at sec-ondary access points. The MSUs deliverhigh quality video but in this facility,three systems could not provide 100%coverage. The camera is only looking atone place at a time.

Securitas made several visits to themining complex to optimize the position-ing of the MSUs and attempt to improvetheir performance, but the limitations ofthe MSUs were highlighted when themine was hit again with a significanttheft. If traditional guards or surveillancewere too expensive to provide adequatecoverage, the obvious question was: Is iteven possible to provide adequate securi-ty to a remote facility of this size with thelimited budget available?

Apprehending the ThievesDuring this time, Best had begun to test anew wireless video security system calledVideofied which used outdoor Motion-Viewers. Different from the typicalclosed-circuit television surveillancecamera, the simple wireless Motion-Viewers combine a passive infraredmotion detector, infrared illuminatorsfor night vision, and a digital video cam-era into a device the size of a fist that canliterally be placed anywhere. TheMotionViewer detects movement andsends a 10 second clip of the intrusionover the cell network to a monitoringoperator for immediate review and dis-patch. Videofied MotionViewers aredesigned for outdoor applications (-20ºFto +140ºF) and operate up to four years on a set of AA batteries. Moreimportantly, Videofied also fit within thetight budget.

One Sunday in June 2009, thievesstuck again. Something needed to changeand Best spoke to the owner about test-ing the new system. On Monday,Securitas installed MotionViewers atbuilding entrances, choke points andnear high-value assets. Because the entiresystem is wireless, installation was fin-

ished in a couple hours. Best left oneMSU on site as a backup surveillance sys-tem and to provide high resolution videoduring an incident.

The following Wednesday evening thethieves hit again, but this time response

was different. Within seconds of the inci-dent, Securitas monitoring operators sawa 10 second clip of the intruders on site.They alerted the plant engineer, the localsheriff, and Best. He then logged into theMSU and tracked the thieves while thesheriff and the plant engineer surround-ed the facility.

An hour later they apprehended twothieves as they tried to leave the minewith their arms full of pillaged copper.The mine owner was elated. This was thefirst apprehension in over 10 years of try-ing and an affordable solution for otherfacilities. The Videofied system proved tobe a significant evolution in cost-effec-tive outdoor security.

After pleading guilty the perpetratorsnow await sentencing. The mine hasplaced ads in the local papers of the sur-rounding communities getting out themessage, “If you try to steal from us, wewill catch you.” It was a big win for themine and it proved how effective wirelessvideo security could perform in such dif-ficult environment. Securitas is nowdeploying Videofied as part of their ser-vice offering to other mines across thecountry.

September 2009 www.coalage.com 3

Using small outdoor motion viewers as part of awireless security system, the mine was able toapprehend the thieves.

o p e r a t i n g i d e a s c o n t i n u e d

This MotionViewer was mounteddirectly on the front gate. Becausethey are “unplugged” and require noAC power, they can be installedwhere they are most effective.

A MotionViewer on a large piece ofpipe protected the fence line at thefacility perimeter. MotionViewersprovide flexibility to secure specificassets and entry points withouttrenching or running wires.

To see videos of apprehensions visitwww.intrusionvideos.com

Reprinted with permission from Coal Age. Copyright 2009


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