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SCP-656 Safe ✓ high confidence
SCP-656
Expected annual
$683K
One-time setup
$62K
Annual recurring
$674K
Personnel
5.75
First-year one-time setup costs are modest (~$61.7k) driven by a sound‑isolated viewing chamber and specialized playback/digitization hardware; recurring costs are dominated by staff wages and legal/incident reserves, totaling roughly $674.4k/year.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $62K
Facilities $21K
[#1, #4] Secure low-humidity archival cabinet ($5,000) and dedicated sound‑isolated viewing chamber buildout (midpoint used: $16,000).
Amnestic Stock $20K
[#14] Initial stock/contingency for amnestic/forgetting-treatment supplies ($20,000 recommended).
Equipment $12K
[#2, #5, #6, #7, #11, #15] One-time sensors ($800), audio monitoring hardware ($1,200), legacy playback equipment (midpoint $3,750), digitization capture hardware and server ($2,500), tamper-evident container ($400), secure data system setup ($3,000).
Equipment Replacement Seed $3K
[#22] Capital seed reserve to replace obsolete analogue equipment (VCRs, CRTs) initially.
Sop Development $2K
[#16] Initial SOP development and training program materials.
External Compensation $2K
[#17] One-off payment/compensation to original seller / thrift store to secure cover.
Incineration Protocol Setup $1K
[#19] Setup cost for certified destruction protocol and hazardous-waste handling documentation.
Initial Conservation Supplies $500
[#8] Tape/box preservation supplies (deacid, sleeves, cleaning kits, spare belts).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $0
[]
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $674K/yr
Staff Wages $497K/yr
[#9, #10] Small dedicated research team and dedicated rotating security: lead researcher + AV tech + part-time psychologist (0.5 FTE) + 0.25 FTE legal/records included in research wages (~$328k) plus 3 FTE guards with benefits (~$169k).
Cover Story And Legal $155K/yr
[#13, #17, #20] Incident response fund/legal/PR reserve (~$75k/yr), legal retainer (~$30k/yr), third-party/contingency reserve for external involvement (~$50k/yr).
Research And Monitoring $14K/yr
[#7, #12, #15, #16, #21] Digitization/backup maintenance ($300/yr), viewer screening & counseling services (~$11,000/yr), data-security audits ($1,000/yr), annual training refreshers ($1,200/yr), archival/admin re-evaluation ($1,000/yr).
Facilities Maintenance $4K/yr
[#1, #2, #3, #5, #22] Humidity cabinet electricity/filters ($200), sensor monitoring/service ($300), prorated vault/overhead ($2,000/yr), audio system license/maintenance ($200), equipment lifecycle replenishment ($1,000/yr).
Logistics And Transport $2K/yr
[#11] Secure internal transport / chain-of-custody moves (~$500 per move, 4 moves/yr).
Supplies And Consumables $1K/yr
[#8, #18] Ongoing conservation supplies replacement ($150/yr) and testing consumables/participant compensation (~$1,300/yr).
Incident Decontamination Reserve $750/yr
[#19] Per-event incineration/disposal reserve (range $500–$1,000 per event; budgeted conservatively as $750/yr).
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $674K/yr
93.5% probability / year
Normal operational year with routine testing, maintenance, and no major incidents.
routine_testing no_privacy_breach no_external_media_leak
🚨 Minor Incident $689K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$15K vs baseline
Accidental vocal prompting during a controlled test causing limited privacy exposure requiring counseling, a small legal payout, and limited remedial measures.
accidental_vocal_prompting limited_privacy_breach one_to_few_civilians_involved
🚨 Major Breach $974K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$300K vs baseline
Larger-scale inadvertent disclosure affecting multiple third parties, requiring extended investigation, multiple treatments/payouts, and intensive legal/PR response.
multiple_external_winners media_attention extensive_legal_actions
🚨 Political Exposure $1.7M/yr
0.5% probability / year +$1.0M vs baseline
Public or political exposure of SCP-656 leading to large-scale investigations, heavy PR/legal costs, potential compensations and operational restructuring.
public_leak high-profile_media_coverage governmental_inquiry
👥 Personnel 5.75 total
Role Count Notes
Research Scientist (Lead Researcher) 1 [#9] Lead researcher (Dr.) responsible for testing approvals; salary included in staff wages.
AV Technician 1 [#6, #9] Maintains VCRs/CRT and digitization hardware; salary included in staff wages.
Psychologist / Ethics Officer 0.5 [#9, #12] Part-time psychologist/ethics officer (0.5 FTE) for screening and counseling; salary prorated into staff wages.
Legal / Records Liaison 0.25 [#9] 0.25 FTE legal/records liaison prorated into staff wages.
Security Officer / MTF Agent 3 [#10] Dedicated rotating guard detail (3 FTE) for storage and escort duties; salary included in staff wages.
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provided explicit itemized one-time and recurring estimates for nearly all line items; ranges were present for some legacy-equipment and buildout items (midpoints used). Main uncertainty is incident frequency and scale, which drives contingency scenario costs.
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