Download Article“Most people have lost or misplaced their keys at one time or another. But imagine you have issued more than 10,000 different keys, and it is your responsibility to know exactly to whom those keys are assigned and to make sure that they are being used by the right person. That’s the job most housing managers have. With thousands of housing units that can turn over on a base several times in several years, it can be an overwhelming task for those overseeing a lock-and- key system.”
“Housing and barracks managers face a huge challenge in key management as part of their charge to provide security and safety for their residents. Compounding that key tracking challenge is the necessity of contending with many types of locks, all of which cannot be changed to ensure security without the hassle and considerable expense of continually installing new lock cores. But some housing managers have learned that investing time and money into developing a central, standardized key-management system can save money and headaches, as well as provide them with confidence in the security of the property.”
“At Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Maxwell, the quality control manager with Actus Lend Lease, will continue instituting a new key-management program started several years ago as the company upgrades all the housing. He oversees maintenance of 4,200 units that house about 12,000 residents. The new key-management system has been installed in about half of the houses, with more being added every month. The system features locks that can be re-keyed up to four times, simply by turning a “step” key; no locksmith is needed. All keys are given a unique serial number that can be tracked via the system’s secure, Web-accessed database. The system was purchased from InstaKey Lock Corporation of Denver.”
