CHICAGO--Less than one year ago, McCormick Place, one of the largest convention centers in the United States that hosts three million visitors per year, was running its security operations with legacy tape backup, multiple alarm systems and console displays that could only show a few cameras at one time.

The decision to upgrade its solution may be simple on the surface, but Laurence Mulcrone, chief of staff of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority that manages the center and the adjacent Navy Pier, said there was no "easy answer." In the mid-1990s, McCormick had two separate security groups as well, one in the Lakeside building and one in the North Building. As the convention center expanded, security operations for new buildings were funneled into the North Building's command center. By 2000, three systems were running out of this facility and it was "way beyond capacity," Mulcrone said.

"We took a look at our security and in reality there were 20-year-old cameras, most were fixed, many of them didn't work. Wires had been cut from cameras and they were black and white," he said. "But more importantly we had no plan to address these technical problems."

In 2001, Mulcrone, who was then the director of security for McCormick, submitted a business plan to renovate and improve operations in the North Building, which was going "to be an upgrade to make life a little easier for the control room operators and improve our ability to respond."

But the project was put on hold because a decision was made to expand the convention center, but "there was no way I was going to be able to bring more security technology into this old control room," he said.

Mulcrone convinced management to allocate $6 million towards new security technology and today, the center has more than 1,500 cameras, 100 security personnel on site, and can share information with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. The new command center, developed by SDI, will be used for all five million square feet of the building and features integrated systems that provide officers with enhanced situational awareness.

The technology has actually turned into a "huge cost savings for us," Mulcrone said.

"With the number of cameras we were going to install, I was able to show the appropriate reduction in staffing and the long terms savings were significant," he said. "But it was very clear to everyone that we didn't want to eliminate security officers because they act as a deterrent and provide a better sense of a security presence that you can't get otherwise."

Security has become increasingly important to the convention center's business. "Prior to 9/11, rarely did show managers want to visit security," Mulcrone said. "But following that, all of them wanted to know what security plans and emergency response were in place." Although that interest has dropped off somewhat, "none the less it is still there and it is crucial."

For more on this story, see the July issue of Security Director News.