This change addresses the anonymity of key access and the risk of lost or stolen keys being used to gain entry to a space without rightful permission.
Over time, many interior door keys have been lost/stolen/improperly assigned. The result is a significant risk of misuse and unauthorized access of sensitive spaces in academic buildings. Now that card readers have been installed/upgraded in a number of locations, allowing key access to those areas would diminish the increased security that was an important goal of upgrading our access control system.
Currently, we receive on average 100 “Door Forced Open” alarms per day. The majority of the alarms we receive are unnecessary/errant alarms due to someone using a key to enter the space. If a true “Door Forced Open” alarm were to occur (such as someone tampering with a door to gain entry), it might be overlooked due to the sheer number of forced door alarms received.
With the use of card readers on doors, we have access to a generated log of every entry into a space. With the use of a key to gain access, we have no indication of who has entered that space.
The practice of limiting key access and only allowing ID card access to spaces with card readers is the industry standard in higher education. We want you to know that this will not remove currently held access from any student/faculty/staff, but it will change the nature of how one accesses a space. Emergency personnel (security and maintenance) will retain the ability to key into card access spaces if there are no other entry options available.