# Security Check via Lightsaber (What was this guy doing?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517 "2009-01-29T07:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517/1 "2009-01-29T07:14:17Z")
I work as a concierge for an office/residential building. A week or two ago, some guy from a security company showed up to check something about our setup. I showed him around and what he was doing was to look next to the hinges of our doors where what looked like a large watch battery was afixed, and then press the end of a baton-like device up against it to make a nice “boop” sound. I have no idea what the watch battery looking thing is, nor why it would need to be booped with a baton. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517/2 "2009-01-29T07:22:40Z")
Is it an [iButton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1-Wire)? ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517/3 "2009-01-29T12:41:15Z")
My company has the same button type things scattered around. Its for the security guys at night and on weekends. They have to walk by these several checkpoints every so often and use the baton on the buttons. Its a way to have a record that the security people did indeed walk by that point at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517/4 "2009-01-29T13:23:44Z")
I wonder how long it will be before some clever guard figures out how to fool the system. Laziness is the real mother of invention. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517/5 "2009-01-29T13:53:36Z")
> **[Guard tour patrol system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchman%27s_clock)** > > A guard tour patrol system is a system for logging the rounds of employees in a variety of situations such as security guards patrolling property, technicians monitoring climate-controlled environments, and correctional officers checking prisoner living areas. It helps ensure that the employee makes their appointed rounds at the correct intervals and can offer a record for legal or insurance reasons. Such systems have existed for many years using mechanical watchclock-based systems (watchman c It... The US Post Office ues a similar system but with bar codes instead of RFID buttons. The carrier records when (s)he was where and management uses the data to ensure (s)he is keeping up the required pace. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517/6 "2009-01-29T14:53:45Z")
A long time ago I read an account of a rookie cop in some mid-sized town who was introduced to such a system on the first day – he walked a beat at night, and one of his duties was to check the doors of stores, make sure they were locked, see if all looked well, etc… and another duty was to “ring in” at various points along his beat. His sergeant was in the habit of leaving notes on the doors: “Simulated robbery” - “Simulated beak-in” and on your next ring-in, you had to call in the simulated crime. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/security-check-via-lightsaber-what-was-this-guy-doing/483517/7 "2009-01-29T15:03:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The US Post Office ues a similar system but with bar codes instead of RFID buttons. The carrier records when (s)he was where and management uses the data to ensure (s)he is keeping up the required pace. A friend who works at the Post Office told me the story of a guy who took pictures of all the barcodes along his route with his iPhone camera. Thereafter, he simply pointed the barcode gun at his iPhone display to record each checkpoint, even though he wasn’t actually going there. Then the Postal Inspectors caught him. Dunno if it’s true, but it’s an amusing story.