Word: sacklers
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...university boasts an impressive art collection of over 250,000 pieces, mainly kept within the walls of Harvard Art Museum, an organization that comprises the Arthur M. Sackler, Fogg and Busch-Reisinger Museums. The latter two buildings are currently closed for renovation and thus much of Harvard’s collection is presently in storage...
...According to one security guard at the Sackler who wished to remain anonymous because the museum has a strict policy against discussing security measures with the media, these stored pieces are well-secured with deadlocks on vaults keeping potential thieves out. This seems wise; Connor, for instance, has stolen much from storage rooms in his lifetime. “One of the rarest items and the most valuable items that I took was a Renoir,” he says. “That was from storage [and] was never reported missing...
...pieces on view in the Sackler, however, may be at greater risk considering they are—to use Connor’s own phrase—accessible to the road. According to the same guard, none of the security staff within the museum, including his own supervisor, is armed, though they have a direct line to the Harvard University Police Department. “If there is a problem that might entail violence we’re supposed to use our radio and say, ‘Hey, let’s get the HUPD over here...
...Security guards may not be chosen for their experience with art or security; another Sackler guard who also wished to remain unnamed because of the Museum’s press policy said they did not have any prior experience in security. The guard mentioned that all the Sackler security guards were given a day’s worth of training specifically focused on the protection of cultural items, but admits, “I kind of forgot what happened in the training.” Manoogian says that in addition to that training session, guards go through multiple other seminars...
...Other security measures in the Sackler include surveillance cameras, silent alarms that are tripped by proximity to the art, and alarmed doors. Apparently, there are no remote operations of any of these doors; the guards suppose that they could be closed with a key in the case of an attempted theft and escape...