BioFuels Journal

Curtis Haugen, a former agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has spent more than 25 years as an security consultant as president of S’curo Group LLC, based in Middleton, WI (scurogroup@gmail.com).

He recommends that ethanol plants consider adding security controls and equipment to meet security concerns for ethanol tank cars in rail yards by:

• Restricting unauthorized foot traffic and vehicular access to areas where railcars are being held before shipment.

• Installing overhead lighting in railcar staging areas as a deterrent.

• Using motion-activated lighting as an enhanced deterrent to alert trespassers and employees working at the plant and to extend surveillance for security and law enforcement personnel who patrol the property.

• Placing easily identifiable and tamper resistant seals on access points to railcars to discourage and help detect tampering if it should occur.

• Installing thermal-sensing cameras for monitoring railcars and detecting security breaches.

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