by Joy Dike, PhD

Visit the Resources page of our website to download a white paper about this topic of active shooter statistics. 

by Joy Dike, PhD

A quick Google search of mass shootings in 2015 will give you an answer ranging from 4 to over 350. That's a startlingly large range. Were there 4 mass shootings in 2015 or were there 300? Or were there 21? Or 294? Or 32? How are we supposed to make sense of this?

The issue at hand is how the term "mass shooting" is defined. Do we include the shooter in the casualties? Do we count only those killed? Or those shot and those killed? Do people even have to die to consider it a mass shooting? Do we include gang shootings? Drug related shootings? Domestic violence shootings? The parameters make a difference.

The next time you look at active shooter or mass shooting statistics, think about where the data came from. 

Visit the Invictus Consulting blog again in the next few days as we continue this discussion about the meaning behind the statistics.

by Joy Dike, PhD

"I'm so mad I could kill someone."

Have you ever heard someome say something like this at work? 

Listen, workplace violence is a serious issue, and threatening behavior in the workplace is not something to take lightly. The FBI indicates that there is no profile or litmus test that exists to demonstrate whether an employee might become violent. There are, however, some problem situations that may give rise to violence – personality conflicts between coworkers; mishandled termination or disciplinary action; weapons at the worksite; or drug or alcohol abuse at the worksite. Other risk factors are personal but spill over into the workplace – the breakup of a marriage or romantic relationship; family conflict; financial or legal problems; or emotional problems.
 
It is well documented that individuals rarely snap and engage in workplace violence without first exhibiting behaviors of concern. Knowing and reporting these behaviors of concern is just as important as understanding the problem situations and risk factors that often precede behaviors of concern. Such behaviors of concern could include depression, threats, menacing behavior, erratic behavior, aggressive outburst, offensive conversation, jokes referring to violence, increasing tardiness, increasing absenteeism, worsening relationships with coworkers, decreased productivity, homicidal comments, increasing belligerence, hypersensitivity to criticism, and verbal abuse. Of course any of these behaviors alone is not necessarily more suggestive of potential workplace violence, but many of these behaviors taken together should raise warning flags. 

Let's revisit the person who yelled, "I'm so mad I could kill someone!" Is this a threat that should be taken seriously? The answer really lies in the collective past behavior of the individual making the threat. Let's say this particular person has been increasingly tardy to work, has showed a marked decrease in productivity, and has regularly shown up to work disheveled. In this case, yes, this threat should be taken seriously. 

Having a risk management plan that incorporates workplace violence is an important part of keeping your employees, clients, and place of business safe. Make sure people understand what behavior your expect from them and how to detect erratic and threatening behavior.

by Joy Dike, PhD

To learn more about what it looks like to have a risk assessment done for a school, read this Education Sector Case Study.

by Joy Dike, PhD

​Children spend almost a third of their day at school on a school day. Add in sports and extra-curriculars for the older grades, and some students spend more than half of their waking hours at school on a school day. With schools being the primary place children spend their time, isn’t it crucial that these are safe places where parents, students, faculty, and staff feel secure and are prepared for possible emergencies?
 
Any child in school, right down to little ones in preschool, will have drilled a fire evacuation plan at some point in the school year. Fire evacuation plans are vital, but a school’s emergency plans should not stop there. The unfortunate fact is that youth violence and school violence are real features of today’s world. While active shooter events at schools like Sandy Hook, Columbine, Umpqua Community College, and Virginia Tech are routinely sensationalized by the new media, the truth is that school associated violent deaths are rare. With that said, school violence that includes things like threats, attacks, fighting, bullying, and weapons on campus is a serious issue that schools need to address and mitigate. And while school associated violent deaths are rare, it behooves school administrators to have an Emergency Action Plan in place for the unthinkable scenario that an active shooter does enter the school or campus. Schools should have an Emergency Action Plan that includes lockdown procedures, evacuation procedures, off-site mustering procedures, and emergency names and numbers. Most importantly, an Emergency Action Plan should be drilled regularly.

If you are a parent of a child in private school, ask your school's administration if there is an Emergency Action Plan in place. If your child is in a public school, you too have the right make your voice heard and advocate for a safer school. Don't assume an Emergency Action Plan is in place - ask about it and advocate for it on behalf of your children and their teachers.

We're based in the southeast, and we sure do love our guns here in the south. Both literal and metaphorical, that is.

In fact, all fifty states have passed some sort of legislation that allows individuals to to carry concealed firearms in public. Of course the requirements to obtain a permit, the types of firearms allowed, and the types of locations deemed "public" vary from state to state, but the fact is that individuals have some level of right to carry a firearm in all fifty states.

With that in mind, it behooves every business to have a written firearms policy, both for their employees and their customers/clients (if customers physically come in to your place of business). We aren't going to tell you how to write a firearms policy in this blog post, but we will leave you with some thought provoking questions as you think about this issue for your place of business:

How do you determine your firearms policy?

Who is the individual responsible for determining that policy?

What are the legal ramifications for setting such a policy?

Above all, who is the enforcer of this policy?

We can't stress this enough - a plan is only as good as the level of practice and understanding your employees have of it.

We have assessed many businesses and schools that have impressive Emergency Action Plans complete with an active shooter plan, off site muster locations*, and intelligent mass notification procedures. However, our dialogue with teachers or employees often uncovers the fact that they have no idea what to do in the event of an emergency or active shooter, they've never drilled the Emergency Action Plan, and they have never actually seen the full Emergency Action Plan document. All the muster stations in the world won't help if the people meant to run the muster stations don't know it's their job!

Consider this scenario: there is a bomb threat at your school and, according to your Emergency Action Plan, Ms. Smith is tasked with getting all fourth graders to the offsite muster station. Ms. Smith, however, has never seen the Emergency Action Plan and has no idea that she has a special role. She doesn't even know that there are offsite muster locations. Is this Emergency Action Plan any good? Again, a security plan is only as good as the level of practice and understanding the employees have of the plan.

If you have an Emergency Action Plan, you need to make sure your employees:

• know about the plan 
• understand the plan
• know their specific role in the plan
• PRACTICE the plan 

by Joy Dike, PhD

Workplace violence is an unfortunate reality in today’s world. Domestic violence spilling over to the workplace, sexual harassment, physical violence, intimidation, threats, and disruptive behavior all occur at the workplace. It is well documented that workplace homicides are in decline, but other forms of workplace violence such as harassment, physical fighting, and verbal abuse are on the rise. In addition, active shooter incidents and mass shootings are on the rise.
 
Employers have a legal and ethical obligation to provide a workplace free of threats and violence. So what can you do to address the issue of workplace violence at your place of business? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Understand that workplace violence is more than just an armed gunman in the building. Workplace violence also includes threats, intimidation, harassment, and violent behavior.
• Understand that some situations are more likely to bring out violence – mishandled termination, the breakup of a marriage, drug or alcohol abuse.
• Understand some of the behaviors that are warning signs – increasing belligerence, worsening relationships with coworkers or bosses, aggressive outbursts.

• Know your rights as an employee for a safe work environment. Know your obligations as an employer to provide this to your employees.
• Have a physical security survey and assessment done of your premises.
• Create a risk management plan and put it into effect.
• Contact a physical security and risk consulting firm to discuss how security professionals can guide you through this process.

 
There must be support from the top of a business or organization if there is going to be any meaningful action taken to address workplace violence. It is important to understand that here is no one-size-fits-all strategy to this issue. Each business, each organization, each campus or location will have different risks associated with it and thus require a unique plan. 
 
Read Here for a more in-depth look at workplace violence. 

by Joy Dike, PhD

by Joy Dike, PhD

Is your place of business located in a multi-tenant building? It’s important that you take this fact in to account when creating your Emergency Management Plan.
 
Consider the following situation: You’re on the 15th floor of your building. A tenant on the 4th floor has a deadly workplace violence incident. Police, fire, and other law enforcement and first responders are on the scene. There is chaos. There is fear. Your own employees are panicked.
 
It would be great if the building as a whole had an Emergency Action Plan that covers incidents in the building. It would be doubly great if building management has shared that plan with you, one of the tenants. But let’s face it – this probably isn’t the situation in your multi-tenant office building. You need to have a plan of your own for your own emergencies and also for building-wide emergencies.
 
But don’t forget to share your Emergency Action Plan with building management, local law enforcement, first responders, and other authorities. You don’t want to have an Emergency Action Plan that conflicts with one written by building management – that would cause even more chaos and fear. There needs to be communication in a multi-tenant office building.
 
Continue to follow along with us as we talk more about Emergency Action Plans and things to consider while writing yours.