Hard Tags: Purpose, Placement, Installation
“If it wasn’t documented, it didn’t happen.”
This is a statement that every corrections professional has heard at some point during their tenure. Showing proof of presence is crucial when documenting interactions between an officer and an inmate.
It is important to document all interactions between officers and inmates. This includes security checks, supply passes, meal passes, headcounts, and any other exchanges. Recording who was involved, what happened, when it occurred, where it took place, and why it happened, is paramount.
While every facility has varying documentation needs, a credible collection method will always be crucial. Facilities need an option that promotes accurate, compliant reporting while ensuring placement and installation requirements are reasonable. This blog will cover how GUARDIAN RFID Hard Tags check all of these boxes. From meeting the specific needs of any facility to the simplicity of getting up and running, Hard Tags are a solid option for easily ensuring accurate documentation and proof of officer presence.
What ARE Hard Tags?:
Hard tags are dense plastic pieces that stand roughly three inches tall and two inches wide. It may not seem all that powerful, but it’s the technology coded within that gives it a strong reputation. Inside each Hard Tag is an embedded RFID chip that captures an officer’s proof of presence at the point of responsibility.
When an officer uses a SPARTAN device to scan a Hard Tag, the device automatically records the time of the scan. It also records the specific device and Hard Tag that were involved in the scan.
For instance, a facility may place a Hard Tag next to a cell door. This allows officers to easily document each time they check on the cell and observe any activity inside. This data-capturing method provides defensible documentation that can help facility administration mitigate litigation if a lawsuit were to ever arise and officer presence was questioned.
Utilizing RFID technology provides the most credible method of documentation in the corrections industry. Alternate methods, such as barcodes and QR codes, are easily copied, duplicated, or otherwise manipulated to circumvent and falsify compliance checks. Such behavior results in unreliable reporting and a propensity for increased liability. RFID-embedded Hard Tags, on the other hand, can’t be altered or tampered with, nor do they require an external power source.
Hard Tags have been thoroughly tested to withstand any corrections environment. Nonetheless, GUARDIAN RFID understands that any corrections facility needs to expect the unexpected. That’s why GUARDIAN RFID provides a lifetime warranty on purchased Hard Tags, which covers intentional or accidental damage, defects in workmanship, and adverse weather conditions. This lifetime guarantee is covered under a GUARDIAN RFID System Renewal Fee (SRF).
Hard Tags are a crucial attribute of the overall GUARDIAN RFID solution. To adequately safeguard facility operations and enhance staff and inmate safety, administrators will want to inspect what is expected. Detailed observation and defensible documentation will help facility administration to mitigate litigation. When mapped out properly with a GUARDIAN RFID Project Manager, Hard Tags will elevate overall facility defensibility, accountability, and compliance.
Mark PenrodGUARDIAN RFID Project Manager
Where Do Hard Tags Belong?
The answer can vary from agency to agency. Each correctional facility has its own set of unique needs, leading to unique reasons to have Hard Tags installed in unique areas.
The location of Hard Tags can be customized to suit a variety of requirements such as accounting for inmate observations and security rounds, housing unit and cell inspections, issuing inmate tablets and other key supplies, observations of inmates located in temporary movement locations, and so on. Understanding the distinct reasons why a facility wants to document staff presence can help paint a better picture of where Hard Tags can be installed to help achieve agency goals.
Once those reasons and goals are solidified, it’s then time to determine exactly where Hard Tags should be placed across the facility. Although we typically recommend connecting with a GUARDIAN RFID Project Manager to assist with pre-assigned Hard Tags, let’s cover the best practices we recommend for those interested in installing Hard Tags in their facility.
The first recommendation we have is the easiest: place a tag EVERYWHERE an inmate will be, either permanently or temporarily. This means a Hard Tag on each and every cell door throughout the facility, movement location on the premises, and pod door.
Note that having Hard Tags located everywhere does not mean that they have to be turned on for compliance purposes - it simply gives you the most flexibility when that minimum security housing unit has to be converted to maximum (or medium) security. Having tags on all of your in-house movement locations makes emergency headcounts more efficient as there is a cross-reference to who should be in an area when the count is called, not just who is in the area.
Hard Tag installment locations can range from cells, pods, run tags, sections, and even out-of-cell or non-inmate locations including:
Kitchen
Cafeteria/Dining
Laundry
Recreation
Multi-purpose Rooms
Visitation
Key Boxes
Perimeter Checkpoints
Equipment Rooms
However, the most frequently requested locations for Hard Tags are assignments to inmate housing units, or what is commonly referred to as pods, blocks, dorms, units, living units, living quarters, etc. Regardless of the terminology, this tag location will allow staff to document inmate interactions and view which specific inmates are housed in the particular location.
Facilities also routinely utilize Hard Tags in inmate housing locations to document the mass distribution of supplies, meals, and commissary items to the housing unit. Plus, this location type makes it simple to document the completion of a shakedown or contraband search.
For direct supervision facilities, installing a Hard Tag at the officer station is recommended for readily available access for staff to document these activities. For indirect supervision or linear facilities, it is recommended to install this Hard Tag just outside or inside the housing unit entrance for staff accessibility.
How is a Hard Tag Different From a Run Tag, Pod Tag, and Cell Tag?
This is a good question with a simple answer: there isn’t a difference. Run Tag, Pod Tag, and Cell Tag are all fancier names that are specific to where the Hard Tag is being placed.
For example, Run Tags are assigned and installed throughout the interior of an inmate housing unit, allowing staff to log activities and inmate interactions within the housing unit. These are typically assigned within dayrooms or at the beginning and end of a run or tier of cells. If the housing unit is an open dorm format, Run Tags may be installed throughout the unit to provide a wide area of coverage that staff will then walk through during a compliance round and subsequent Hard Tag scanning.
Conversely, facilities that contain individual cells within an inmate housing unit would benefit most from assigning and installing Cell Tags. Having Hard Tags utilized in this manner allows staff to log activities and inmate interactions at the cell level as opposed to only a general level when using Pod Tags or Run Tags.
This type of granular documentation is essential when logging compliance checks for high-risk inmates, individual cell searches, maintenance checks, and many other critical needs of the facility and/or state or local standards. In addition to Hard Tag placement inside an inmate housing unit, Cell Tags can also be used for holding cells, detox cells, padded or violent cells, separation or segregation cells, perimeter checks, and restraint devices.
Once it’s understood that Hard Tags can have different names based on the location where they are installed, the next question we typically hear is, “Do I really need all these tags?”
This is also a good question with a simple answer: not necessarily. Of course, your budget may not allow for placing Hard Tags throughout the whole facility, leading us to look at the minimum amount of tags that can be installed.
We recommend a Hard Tag on every cell door in your highest security areas (anywhere that an inmate may be placed on segregation, suicide watch, detox, etc.). This allows officers to prove a higher level of checks than the general population, as most states require more frequent checks on these individuals.
For general population areas, we recommend placing a Hard Tag on pod doors and installing Run Tags inside the pods. This will force officers to go inside the pod and ensure that everything appears to be in order.
When placing Run Tags, consider the path of least resistance. Place tags where the least thorough officer would need to go for a check to qualify as a quality check. This usually means placing a tag at the beginning and end of each run of cells, one or more in the middle of the run, and sometimes at the back of the restroom/shower area. Any area that an officer needs to check during their regular round should be included.
Movement tags can be reduced if needed, but it is still recommended for tags to be installed anywhere inside the secure perimeter where an inmate may be temporarily placed for more than a few minutes. For non-inmate locations, installing Hard Tags in these areas is a personal preference. However, it helps remind staff to perform security functions as well as provides proof that they were checked.
Through the hundreds of facilities we have been in, facilities have been extremely creative in their tag placement to prove that certain areas were checked. I have helped facilities place tags on equipment boxes, fire extinguishers, around their perimeter, even in transport vehicles. It is all about what you want or need to prove that your staff did to bolster your position in potential litigation.
Chris RiedmuellerGUARDIAN RFID Academy Trainer
Do Hard Tags Used with OnDemand Work the Same With Command Cloud?
In short, yes. GUARDIAN RFID designed Command Cloud to be compatible with older equipment used for OnDemand like Hard Tags and Key Fobs. However, noticeable improvements were added when designing how Hard Tags would be utilized with Command Cloud.
For example, Yard Tags are a Hard Tag location type found in the Command Cloud platform. These Hard Tags allow a facility to designate specific locations to work in conjunction with the GUARDIAN RFID Recreation WorkFlow. With these identified location types, staff can scan the Yard Tag and note the specific recreation location an inmate either accepted or declined. GUARDIAN RFID’s OnDemand platform can be configured to behave similarly, however, such action requires involvement by a GUARDIAN RFID Project Manager or Support Technician.
Inmate movement to temporary locations within or outside of a facility occurs daily at most facilities. While the OnDemand and Command Cloud platforms log these inmate movements within the Movements workflow, a facility may need documentation of compliance checks or other functions when an inmate is occupying a temporary, movement, or location. Assigning a Hard Tag to a movement location provides a facility with the functionality to document detailed compliance checks with the aid of custom Word Blocks found within the Observation Checks workflow.
While ensuring Hard Tag functionality was specifically maintained between OnDemand and Command Cloud systems, the color of the Hard Tag also stayed consistent: red. This color was deliberately chosen, not only because GUARDIAN RFID’s main branding color is red, but also because it sticks out plain as day.
A gray or white-colored Hard Tag would blend right into the wall and get lost in its surroundings. Red, on the other hand, is bright and very noticeable against most facility walls. However, we also offer bright yellow and bright green-colored Hard Tags if they were to better suit the needs of an agency.
*To inquire about a custom color not listed, we recommend connecting with a GUARDIAN RFID Account Executive or Project Manager for availability (contact information is listed towards the end of this blog).
How are Hard Tags Installed?
Luckily, installing Hard Tags is easier than deciding where they need to be placed throughout the facility. Once you know which locations will need a Hard Tag installed, it’s a few simple steps to get them up and running. Here is a step-by-step guide to Hard Tag installation for a cell door, for example:
Determine the cell where you will need a Hard Tag placed
Locate an area to the side of the cell that is roughly shoulder-height and an arms-length distance from the window of the cell
a. The average height for a Hard Tag is 54” to 60”
b. The tag should be mounted an arms-length away from the cell window so an officer can scan the tag at the same time they are looking into the window and making their observation
Note the surface texture of the determined location. Is it metal? Is it brick? Luckily, Hard Tags can be installed on both of these surfaces
a. NOTE: If the surface is metal, you will need to mount a spacer tag (which costs roughly $15) in between the wall and the tag you will scan. Metal can significantly shorten the RFID readability; a spacer helps elevate the tag off steel surfaces to optimize tag efficacy
Determine the materials you will use to mount the Hard Tag. Hard Tags are generally mounted using two tamper-proof screws. However, there are other methods for installing-
a. 3M double-sided foam tape (Crow Wing County Jail, Minnesota, used this method)
b. Epoxy (Potter County Jail, Texas, used this method)
If installing Hard Tags in close proximity to each other, leave at least 5” of space between them
How Much Do Hard Tags Cost?
A single Hard Tag costs $20. While this may be inexpensive for some agencies, we realize it may not be for others. This is why we shared various use cases, including facilities that only use one tag for a large number of cells, in addition to deploying standard Pod tags, Run tags, and non-housing unit area tags. With each Hard Tag holding a lifetime guarantee, these tags can be affordable for jails, prisons, and juvenile detention centers of all sizes.
The depth of information surrounding Hard Tags may have been more extensive than you expected, but the goal of this blog is to emphasize the significance of deploying Hard Tags as a fundamental measure in ensuring the integrity of documentation. As previously mentioned, the principle of the saying, “If it wasn’t documented, it didn’t happen” underscores the critical role of accurate and defensible proof of presence.
If your agency is curious to see if GUARDIAN RFID Hard Tags can meet the unique needs of your facility, we recommend connecting with a GUARDIAN RFID Project Manager to have a deeper discussion about tag placement. When mapped out properly, Hard Tags will elevate facility defensibility, accountability, compliance, and overall operational efficiency.
Each GUARDIAN RFID Project Manager has extensive experience in configuring diverse correctional environments including facilities from small to large, and from single buildings to multiple sites. Contact a Project Manager by reaching out to implementation@guardianrfid.com and we will connect you with a team member to strategize a plan to adequately safeguard your specific facility operations, fortify your compliance protocols, mitigate all potential risks, and ultimately uphold the safety and security of both your inmates and staff.