Calgary homeless shelter considers high-tech security

People who use the Calgary Drop-In Centre may soon be required to show identification cards and scan their fingerprints before they can enter the downtown homeless shelter.

The centre, which can shelter up to 1,100 people a night, is beefing up security after a survey of its clients showed they fear for their safety.

A survey of about 300 clients showed three-quarters of them have been victims of crime, often robbery and assaults that were committed outside the shelter by strangers. But the same number also said they did not feel any safer inside the centre.

John Rowland, whoconducted the survey, said he was surprised by the responses from the homeless.

"They want ... to have invasive security protocols. They want to have their belongings searched. They want to have invasive ID cards," Rowland said.

The centre is looking at how much it will cost to bring in photo ID cards and biometric technology such as fingerprint scans.

"Rather than just free entry and exit, there will be a desk where people have to swipe their barcode on. That's probably the biggest change," the drop-in centre's Louise Gallagher said at a news conference Thursday.

The centre is also consideringposting more security guards at the front door, as well as conducting more thorough searches of clients.

In July, security camerasvideotaped three men beating another man with a large rock across the street from the shelter. Police later charged three homeless men with robbery but were not able to find the victim, who they believe is also homeless.