City employees in Abilene, Texas will soon be required to carry ID badges to enter and move through city buildings. Abilene is in the process of setting up a card-based access control system that will secure all city buildings. Phase 1 of the project, which involves issuing employee ID cards, is now underway.

The first building to receive a card-reader system will be City Hall. The access control system will help to enhance security, especially after business hours, when ID cards will be required in order to enter the facility. The system will be able to keep a record of who enters and exits the building. Additionally access to the facility can be limited, or even locked down, in cases of emergency. The eventual goal is to install card readers in all Abilene city buildings.