Install Forced Entry Resistant Doors With Access Shield™
UL 752 Rated Doors Are Your Top Choice for Ballistic Resistant Doors
Theft is a terrifying reality for commercial property-owners. Criminals have taken to new and violent methods to break into commercial spaces for burglary — including busting down and breaking locked doors. To mitigate forced entry, property-owners have to invest in forced entry resistant security solutions.
Enter Access Shield™. Read on to become aware of the forced entry threats storefronts need to protect against most, learn a few ways to improve door security, and discover why Access Shield™ should be your top choice.
- Forced Entry Threats to Door Security in Commercial Buildings
- Key Methods for Securing a Door Against Forced Entry
- Why Access Shield™ Forced Entry Resistant Doors are Your Top Choice for Commercial Security
Forced Entry Threats to Door Security in Commercial Buildings
Unfortunately, in today’s property-crime-laden world, crimes committed via forced entry are far too common. According to the Cornell Legal Information Institute, forcible entry means “to enter a person’s property by force and against the occupants wishes.” In turn, the term encompasses a wide variety of crimes — from burglary and home invasion to vandalism.
Whatever the type of forced entry, additional entryway security is essential in our modern climate. Here are a few examples of forced entry threats that commercial property owners especially need to look out for.
Smash and Grab Crime
One prevailingly common form of forced entry is smash-and-grab crime. Smash and grab refers to any form of burglary or looting where the thief smashes through a surface — typically a glass display window outside of a store or an interior case — and grabs whatever valuables they can.
Depending on the positioning of your property’s entry way, doors can serve as a direct gateway to smash and grab crime or a means to reach internal storage to break into. Either way, securing doorways is a key means to reduce the chances of smash and grab crime in your commercial property.
Active Shooters
Gun violence has become a massive problem in the United States. As of May 2024, there have already been 150 mass shootings in the United States — not to mention over 600 mass shooting incidents in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Active shooters should be a major safety-concern for any commercial property; property-owners need to prepare accordingly.
Active shooter protection for both windows & doors is paramount to bolstering this security. Even for locked windows and doors, active shooters will attempt entry via brute force, blunt attacks, or even using their firearms. Installing security solutions will slow down these potential assailants, giving authorities more time to respond.
Key Methods for Securing a Door Against Forced Entry
Whatever the forced entry security threat, there are a bevy of ways property-owners reinforce their doors for better safety from intruders. Here are just a few options to make your doors more durable.
Heavy Duty Door Locks
Standard locks are often no match for the blunt force used during forced entry events. Property-owners can turn to a variety of heavier-duty options to better secure their entryways, including:
- Smart Locks, connected to smart security systems and alarms for intruders.
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- Electronic Locks, often both reinforced and connected to a broader access control system.
- Lever Locks, a type of lock that uses a set of levers to prevent a bolt from forcible moving.
- Deadbolts, locks using a solid piece of metal to secure a door.
Metal Strike Plates
There are other methods to protect locks beyond upgrading the lock itself. Metal strike plates are thick metal plates that get affixed to door jambs, further protecting the door jamb and protecting from forced entry methods such as kick-ins. These metal plates have a hole (or several holes) to accommodate a lock bolt, further protecting the door jamb and adding security to the opening.
Metal strike plates require a meticulous attention to detail during installation. Without making the plate flush with a door, metal strike plates can make forced entry easier than it was prior to installation.
Reinforced Hinges
Hinges are another key area of entry doors to secure for instances of forced entry. Many commercial doors have exposed hinges — easily popped off or pulled out of a door frame by potential intruders.
Jamb pins and longer screws are key ways to reinforce the security of door hinges. Whatever the choice, these security screws are installed by removing the original hinge’s screw and replacing it with a stronger option.
UL 752 Rated Doors
Beyond securing the foundation of a door, property-owners should look to bolster the security of the door itself from forced entry threats. An efficient way to do this is via the installation of UL 752 rated doors.
One of several ballistic resistant standards, the UL 752 Standard is used to determine the impact and bullet resistance of several building components — including doors. One UL 752-rated option that installs over existing doors is Access Shield™.
Why Access Shield™ Forced Entry Resistant Doors are Your Top Choice for Commercial Security
For both ease of installation and maximum security Access Shield™ is the top choice for improving the impact resistance of commercial doors. Launched in 2024, Impact Security developed Access Shield™ with rising rates of retail theft in mind.
The solution is designed to protect commercial doors without uprooting and obstructing your business’s aesthetic. Unlike other options for ballistic resistant doors, Access Shield™ is a retrofit solution, installing over existing glass doors. In turn, properties receive protection from forced entry and avoid extensive renovations and prohibitive costs.
Access Shield™ combines this lack of intrusion with cohesive, holistic impact resistance. Crafted with expert engineering and top-of-the-line materials, Access Shield™ is independently tested to meet or exceed UL 752 standards—250 — 250x stronger than glass. Customizable for retail and commercial properties, Access Shield™ is the ultimate forced entry solution for doors.
Bolster Glass Security Throughout Your Property With DefenseLite Solutions
Impact Security had designed a bevy of impact security solutions for commercial glass — including our flagship DefenseLite solution and BulletShield polycarbonate bullet resistant glass security panels. If you’re interested in installing forced entry resistant doors on your commercial property or have any other security concerns, contact us today.
