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Are You Making Decisions Based on Emotion?

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As we are all well aware, there have been a number of school and workplace shootings in our country in the past 12 months. Las Vegas. Parkland. Santa Fe. Capital Gazette. And those are just the big ones. Depending on what sources you use, what statistics you use, what criteria you use for defining a mass shooting event, the number of shootings for 2018 is anywhere from 28 school shootings, 1 school shooting per week on average, 198 mass shootings,  or 154 mass shootings.

Executives, board members, and other decision makers often look at statistics like these and panic, then install various aspects of an electronic security system (more cameras, a new card reader, a fingerprint scanner) that they think will help protect their own people from something like a mass shooting. Here’s the thing about thinking about your organization’s security from a fear perspective – you usually wind up with a Band-Aid solution that is a quick fix to a perceived flaw in your security.

Here at Invictus Consulting we absolutely believe in security systems. Cameras, card readers, scanners, door alarms, locks, fences, and security guards are all important parts of keeping your people and property safe. But making a hurried decision about any one of these things doesn’t necessarily keep your people and property safer than they were before. Adding a few new IP cameras to your existing analog camera system now means your people have 2 separate camera systems to deal with. Installing a fingerprint scanner that doesn’t actually interact with any other systems (e.g., your cameras) does little more than give a superficial image of improved security.

A collection of independently operating security systems and procedures can create extra work for your security people with little return on the investment. There is no all-encompassing answer to your unique security problems that can be quickly fixed with some security camera you saw on a commercial. Your organization’s security issues are unique to you – your location, your type of business, your clients, your size, etc. Your organization needs a security solution designed to work fluidly and integrated; cameras talking to card readers; door alarms integrated with your operations console; fingerprint scanners integrated into your visitor management software. You get the picture.

Please don’t let fear and panic dictate your security decisions. Don’t wait for another mass shooting to think about your organization’s security measures.

Read This Before You Budget for Security

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We thought it would be a good idea to look at the fundamentals of risk management to remind people what it is they’re trying to so when they talk about security.

Risk management means determining what your unique risks are and coming up with a plan to mitigate those risks. It may involve security guards, active shooter plans, security cameras, access cards / badges, fingerprint scanners, fences, locks, door alarms, mass notification, visitor management policies and procedures, and any number of other gadgets, devices, systems, policies, and procedures you can think of to mitigate risk. It’s overwhelming. It can get expensive. It can be time and resource consuming to put a risk management plan into place.

But it’s important to remember that risk management is built upon a pretty straightforward principle – protection of your people and your property.

We find that a lot of organizations first determine a budget for their security needs and then try to fit solutions into that budget. We think that’s a backwards approach because you wind up with a piecemeal security system where you’ve chosen products and solutions based on price rather than on the true needs of your organization.

At Invictus Consulting we believe the first step is to do a risk assessment to determine exactly what it is you’re protecting and how you can go about protecting it. Then, when it’s time to budget, you can prioritize the most important things first rather than purchase the most inexpensive items first or the items with the flashiest appearance that will give your people and your visitors the appearance of a security system.

By knowing exactly who and what you are trying to protect, as well as knowing what your specific threats and risks are, your organization can have a phased approach to security, budgeting for the most important things first. We understand it may takes a few years worth of budgets to get your ideal security system in place, and that’s why tackling the most critical things first is important. And that’s why identifying the most critical things first is important.

Another note to remember is that much of your organization’s security is about your policies and procedures regarding emergencies, personnel, visitors, etc. Often adjusting your organization’s policies and procedures is free – it just takes some time with the board and executives and some time to train your people. Tackling these types of things while you’re budgeting for a phased implementation of other aspects of your security system is a great way to make improvements without waiting for board approval.

Finally, it’s important to understand that, even if your organization had unlimited funds, you can’t possibly protect against every single threat and risk. Again, this is why a risk assessment is so important – it allows you to determine your biggest threats and risks and create a phased approach to implementation.

Personal Preparedness – Kids Version

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We recently did a blog post about tech readiness and personal preparedness. As always, we believe in preparedness as a critical aspect of safety and security. Personal preparedness is a mindset that you can take from your home into your place of work, your place of education, your place of worship, when you’re overseas, and when you’re out and about running errands. It’s also  something that you can teach your children (in an age appropriate way, of course).

The Department of Homeland Security’s readiness website, ready.gov, has a great resource for kids.

On the site you can find games for your children, plans you can fill out as a family, activities kids can do to learn emergency procedures, pages to learn the facts about various types of emergencies (e.g., flood, fire), and state-specific information about your state’s hazards and readiness programs.

Teaching your children the basics of  emergency preparedness is important. Don’t leave it to the schools or other organizations – take some time and do the responsible thing.

 

Personal Preparedness – Tech Readiness

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We are big believers in personal preparedness here at Invictus Consulting. Since we all rely on our phones for everything, why not use it for emergency preparedness too?

Nationwide Apps:

  • FEMA
  • Hurricane: American Red Cross
  • Emergency: Alerts (American Red Cross)
  • Tornado: American Red Cross
  • Flood: American Red Cross
  • Earthquake: American Red Cross
  • CodeRED
  • NOAA

Statewide

States have their own Ready organizations. Ready.gov is the Department of Homeland Security’s disaster readiness portal, but each state has some version of this, so use a search engine to search “ready [state name]” to find your state’s version. Some states have an app (like Ready Georgia), so look into that too for your state.

County-wide

Many counties around the country also have alert and warning systems. Usually these systems require you to sign up with your phone number and you’ll receive text message alerts. With that said, we’ve run across a whole gamut of county-specific alert systems, so search for your county’s system and follow their directions to get plugged in.

Other Considerations

ICE – This acronym stands for In Case of Emergency. There are apps that you can download (search your app store for “ICE”). Alternately, you can add “ICE” as one of your contacts in your phone’s contact list. Emergency responders know to look for ICE in a person’s contact list to find emergency contact information. If you go this route, put your emergency contact’s name, phone number, email, etc. in the ICE contact.

Don’t forget tech chargers! Make sure you have chargers in the car, at work, and of course at home. Portable charging packs should also be in your emergency provisions stash.

And finally, make sure you have important documents like your insurance, proof of residence, medical records, etc. backed up to the cloud and available electronically.

 

Armed vs. Unarmed Security Guards

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Here at Invictus Consulting we understand that placing an armed security officer in your building or on your campus is undesirable for some organizations. Whether it is a financial decision or a culture decision, having an armed guard presence isn’t always a possibility, and we respect that dec

ision.

We believe that having an armed presence is beneficial to the safety and security of an organization’s people, particularly if the armed guard is an off-duty police officer because they become an on-duty police officer if they use their weapon and liability then shifts to their local precinct.

With that said, Security Management Magazine recently ran an article explaining the benefits of unarmed guards and the critical role they can play in mitigating deadly attacks. The article makes some great points, and we recommend reading it for yourself. Some of the salient points include:

  • Armed guards are no guarantee that a shooter won’t be successful (armed guards were present at the Pulse Nightclub, Las Vegas, and Parkland, all of which had heavy casualties)
  • Unarmed officers can observe warning signs (pre-attack indicators [PAINs]) of potential attackers and implement security measures preemptively
  • PAINS include (but are not limited to):
    • repeated entries into a door
    • parking in a fire lane or on a sidewalk
    • muttering to oneself
    • clothing not appropriate for the weather / event
    • continual adjusting of clothing
    • excessive attention to carried object
  • Professional and nonthreatening behavior from an unarmed officer is likely to elicit cooperation from suspects
  • Unarmed officers are still trained in how to respond to a violent attack even though they are not armed
  • Unarmed officers can escort a potential threat off the property or out of the area
  • Armed or unarmed, the presence of trained, engaged, and aware security can go a long way in disrupting a potential attack

We encourage you to read the article for yourself. What’s important to understand is that an unarmed security officer that has been trained and does their job well is a valuable asset in keeping people safe.

Happy Star Wars Day

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Happy Star Wars day everyone – May the fourth be with you!
In honor of our favorite trilogy, we’d like to share a stormtrooper / security parallel.

StormtroopersWe sometimes come across clients who have the mindset that if their security risks are written down on paper, they are somehow more liable were disaster to strike.

We liken this to an ostrich with its head in the sand – if I can’t see the problem it must not exist!

This is an illogical mindset, and it can do your organization more harm than good. Having a risk assessment done for your organization, campus, building, etc. does not increase your chances of disaster. Do you think a tornado cares if you’ve written an emergency plan? You write the emergency plan for tornadoes to be proactive, not to outsmart the tornado. The same holds for an active shooter. You do a risk assessment and write an emergency action plan to be proactive and to be ready in case such a tragedy were to occur.

Some people feel that having a risk assessment done and writing and emergency action plan for an active shooter somehow AIDS AND ABETS an active shooter. Listen, you are NOT outsmarting an active shooter by NOT writing an emergency action plan – that is just flawed logic.

Don’t stick your head in the sand and cover your eyes and ears and pretend like your school, church, campus, building, organization is free from threats. Be proactive and be smart and be ready.

Budgeting for Security

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Security upgrades cost money. Money doesn’t grow on trees. We get it.

If it were up to us and money were not an issue, we would have all businesses and schools install the latest and greatest equipment to keep their people safe. But we live in the real world where money is not unlimited and where line items need to be justified. This is why having Invictus Consulting perform a risk assessment for your organization and crate a roadmap for you based on the results is one of the best things you can do before going in front of your board. Data can help just justify security-related budget items.

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