Paris Terror Attack and Lessons Learned

            “Je suis Charlie.” The phrase, which simply means "I am Charlie", has caught on as the slogan to show solidarity in the fight against radical Islamic terrorists. 

            By now, you’ve seen the news and coverage about the brutal terror attacks in Paris. When I was in law enforcement, it was common after a tragedy to review what had happened, especially if it involved an officer safety issue, and look for lessons that could be learned so future police officers in that situation would respond differently and survive the incident. 

            So what lessons can be learned from the events in Paris? To get the most benefit, take a very broad approach, looking for general ideas to prevent a similar tragedy, not just duplicate this exact case, as every situation will be a little different.

            First, these suspects were known to have terrorist ties and were on a no-fly list. Once persons are identified as having terrorist ties, authorities should monitor what they are up to. Of course, this is an ongoing and challenging issue, but society needs to set some barriers to anyone who promotes violence or has ties with those that do. This same type of issue played out in Australia when one person held multiple hostages. That suspect has allowed into the country for political asylum, but was involved in the murder of a domestic partner, accusations of sex assault in 40 cases and had terrorist ties as well. Unfortunately, most of us have no control over this piece, unless the threats are coming from an internal source.

            Second, take threats seriously. One of the most common security mistakes is that of not taking dangerous situations or threats as seriously as we should. In this case, a police officer was assigned to protect the magazine’s editor after threats were made. However, the police officer was not able to stop the attack. Even if he were armed, it was not enough to match the terrorists, who had rifles. If the threats were taken more seriously, the officer should have been able to monitor the approaches to the building and control access before the terrorists could enter the building. Being able to set up a perimeter, either with cameras or an actual physical presence would have helped create an early deterrent or obstacle for any attack. In this case, the terrorists actually went to the wrong address first, and then were stopped by a locked door until an employee was forced to open it under duress. Early warning would have possibly given time for the would-be victims to escape, hide or barricade themselves behind shelter.

            Third, any group that could be a target of terrorists should focus on building security awareness amongst employees and educate everyone to be on the alert for suspicious activity. Any attack follows a surveillance stage. The surveillance stage is really the best opportunity for security personnel or other employees to identify the pending danger. Persons taking photos or loitering around a target location could easily be gathering intel. Attackers will often try to take pictures of security cameras and their locations, as well as watch security personnel making rounds or conducting patrols. Sometimes, an attacker may call in a bomb threat or other type of threat to see what the response is and help identify how many security personnel may be at the site and get an idea of the response protocols. Other ways that a terrorist may test security is by trying to enter restricted areas or parts of a building that are normally for employees only. 

            Fourth, take action. Once these warning signs or even a combination of some, are seen, it is critical to take some action to thwart or divert an attack. In the case of the Paris attack, the death threats may have been the first warning. If employees or security had noted activity around the premise, it is likely that some of the surveillance stages would have been seen. If that had happened, the next step would have been to increase the presence of armed police or security officers, both visible and plain-clothes, to deal with possible attack.

            Of course, the real challenge is our own internal human nature. It seems to be natural to make excuses for threats and deny that anything bad is really tied to the suspicious activity. And the cost of extra protection measures is another big deterrent. 

            That brings me to the last lesson learned. Every organization should create a plan in advance on how to deal with a variety of security issues, including what the response will be when a threat is received. The plan should include awareness, training and a response component, combining all the above lessons learned. 

            Bon sécurité.

Combining his law enforcement and corporate security experiences plus a love of martial arts, Eric Smith created Business Karate, LLC, a Colorado-based security consulting firm. His new book, Workplace Security Essentials, outlines how any business, school, hospital or organization can master the art of self-defense, reduce losses, avoid liability and build a safer workplace. Visit www.businesskarate.com for more. Follow on Twitter @businesskarate
 

Watch Out for the Saber Tooth Tiger!

From the Suburban Survival blog

Imagine how different your life would be if you lived in caveman times. For one thing, you wouldn’t be reading this, unless I took the time to carve it out on stone or drew it as pictures on a cave wall somewhere.

Now imagine the kinds of things you might worry about. Many of today’s worries would be gone, but others would take the place. You might be thinking about the day in the office (okay, just another cave) at the wheel factory, wondering why a square doesn’t roll as well as an octagon. Maybe, it has to do with the octagon having more sides?

But as you leave, you remember the news that a saber tooth tiger had been spotted in the area a few nights ago. In fact, you heard that a neighbor’s cousin had actually seen it! As you begin the walk home through the fading daylight, you grip your club just a little bit tighter and make an effort to peer into the darkest shadows in the woods around you, with your ears tuned to the slightest sound. Quickly, the thoughts of work and octagons and square wheels are gone, evaporating as a cold fear clings to you, tighter than your wooly-mammoth onesie.

After a long walk, you make it home to your cave without encountering the vicious beast that had preoccupied your thoughts. The cave never seemed so cozy, but no time to think about the tiger anymore as your wife wants you to do something about the kids who refuse to play outside and spend hours staring into that new-fangled fire that you insisted on bringing home.

And now a quick trip back to the future, or at least the present day. How different we live, not just in terms of technology, but also how accustomed we get to living in a society that is relatively safe. There are no more saber tooth tigers ready to pounce as we head home from work. In fact, we hardly give safety or security a thought at all as we go about our business.

Although we often ignore them, there are still risks. You may not need to carry your club with you everywhere, but it is still smart to stay aware of your surroundings and alert to what is going on around you. The best security advice you could follow is quite simply to stay aware.

Criminals often count on catching victims unaware and being overwhelming them by surprise. I just recently read an interesting article on tactics used by pick-pockets. Some of the pick-pockets interviewed in the article admitted that if they saw a potential victim paying attention to those around them and alert to his or her environment, the crook would pick a different, easier, target to ply their illicit trade.

It is easy advice, like locking your doors when you leave, but still often ignored or overlooked. It is very easy to lose that awareness, perhaps now more than ever. After all, never before in history have people had such access to distraction as we have today. Smartphones are a huge cause of our alertness-deficiency. You can hardly walk down the street without seeing many of the people around you with the phone up in front of them, their head tucked down and thumbs flying over the virtual keypad. Texting. Tweeting. Facebooking. Googling. And maybe even some reading. All are constantly screaming for our attention.

Even at a stop light, look at the driver’s around you. You’ll almost always see at least one person sneaking in a quick text or message. More alarming is the number of people driving around who don’t even wait for a stoplight to continue their messaging. You can easily pick them out by their erratic speeds, weaving and generally clueless.

So, if you are serious about personal safety and security, put the phone away. When you are walking to your car or down the street, take the time to look around you. Is there anyone lurking around who seems suspicious or groups of people who may be paying an overly amount of attention to you?

Police officers develop observation skills by constantly looking at passing vehicles or pedestrians. Training officers grill recruits about a description of the driver in the red car that just passed, or ask for a description of someone standing on the corner you just drove through. Police officers also learn to watch the hands, for signs that someone has a concealed weapon or may be reaching for one.

Build your own awareness through similar drills. Make the effort to pay attention to people in your surroundings and note something about their description, even something as simple as jacket color or something distinctive. As you do this, you will also notice those things that make you say "mmm." Even if it is on a subconscious level.

Today, you may not have to worry about attacks by a saber tooth tiger and certainly should not live in fear. Be smart and stay alert to your surroundings and you will be well on your way to avoiding the modern version of our hungry tiger.

Suburban Survival Tip - Stay off the cell phone when walking around town and watch out for saber-tooth tigers. 

Photos from Wiki Commons

Combining his law enforcement and corporate security experiences plus a love of martial arts, Eric Smith created Business Karate, LLC. His new book, Workplace Security Essentials, outlines how any business, school, hospital or organization can master the art of self-defense, reduce losses, avoid liability and build a safer workplace. Visit www.businesskarate.com for more. Follow on Twitter @businesskarate

Awareness – The Foundation of Good Security

If you were learning a martial art, such as karate, one of the first steps would be to learn how to stand. Not standing as if you were waiting in line at the grocery store; but standing in a stance that helps you maintain balance. A karate student learns several different stances for different positions and situations, all of which keep the weight distributed more evenly and have a lower center of gravity than normal, making it easier to stay on your feet rather than getting knocked down.

           

In my book, Workplace Security Essentials, I looked at how martial art skills translate to the protection and security of organizations, such as businesses, schools or hospitals. The stance is the basic posture or position, such as a business’ awareness of security risks forms its posture or position related to risks.

In short, if a business wants to improve security or protect itself from crime, leaders must create awareness and share information about security concerns. But how is that done?

The heart of awareness is knowledge – knowledge about the real-life problems, challenges and threats facing a business or workplace. That means an organization needs to have a record of crimes that have happened at the site or immediate surroundings. Even small businesses with less activity can still look at crime in the area, using local police information about risks in the community.

In fact, tracking criminal activity is considered so important that higher education, such as colleges and universities, are required to maintain records and logs of criminal events per the Clery Act.

The Clery Act requires universities and colleges to track crime. (photo from Wiki Commons)

To be even more effective, knowledge has to be shared. Use the crime log to keep employees up-to-date on any security alerts or warnings. This should include crime prevention tips related to any ongoing crime patterns or even BOLOs (Be On the Look Out) to help employees recognize suspects or suspicious activity.

Unfortunately, some leaders feel that sharing crime information only creates alarm or undue distractions for employees. My experience has been the opposite. Not sharing information, especially about any crimes that have occurred on the company grounds or to employees, will be passed along – often through rumors that grow and change until the original minor crime has morphed into the most heinous crime of the century. Sharing information, along with practical prevention tips, will build real awareness. Perhaps more importantly, it builds trust. Employees will feel that the organization is looking out for them, not keeping them in the dark.

Going back to the Clery Act for higher education, the Act requires that alerts or warnings be issued for specific crimes, including violent and property crimes. Institutions are encouraged to issue warnings for other crimes as well, but leave that up to the school.

Building a base level of knowledge about the real risks and sharing information about those risks is the best way to begin building awareness and developing your security stance. This forms the basis of the security program.

To get more ideas on how to build security awareness, check out Workplace Security Essentials.

Get a Business Black Belt for your organization – visit www.businesskarate.com/karate-belts.

Learn self-defense for your business with Eric Smith’s new book, Workplace Security Essentials! Every aspect of protecting a workplace is compared to a self-defense skill taught to budding karate students, all in a practical and entertaining style, drawing on Eric’s law enforcement and security experience.

Eric is available for staff education and security awareness training as well as business coaching to help organizations provide safe workplaces. To learn more email Eric at businesskarate dot com.

 

If you would like to reprint this post, please contact Eric at Eric at businesskarate dot com.

Security or Convenience? Get Both with these 4 Steps

               In December of 2013, a student bent on revenge entered Arapahoe High School in Colorado to target the debate team coach. The coach left the school, but the student killed Claire Davis before taking his own life.

               Sadly, the killer used a side door that was supposed to be locked, but was routinely left propped open for convenience.

Propped open doors can be used by all criminals, not just shooters

               Being a student, he would have likely found a way in. However, every obstacle creates an opportunity to disrupt an attack. Forcing the student to use a main entrance could have meant that he would have been seen, as he was carrying a shotgun and machete along with Molotov cocktails: items that were not easily concealed. If an access control system was in place, an alarm may have been instantly triggered if there was forced entry or a door propped open.

               It is concerning that it was apparently a well-known fact that the door in question (and probably others) was routinely allowed to be propped open for sake of the convenience.

               The question or trade-off between security and convenience is not new. Every security professional has faced this dilemma in some form or another. If security measures are not supported, people will find ways to work around the measures.

               To make sure that your security is convenient, follow the guidelines below.

1.      Communicate the reason behind the security measures. Repeat as necessary. It is nearly impossible to over-communicate a message. Recently, I heard a speaker say that a message has to be repeated seven times before it will be remembered. Make sure you can clearly explain changes, the reason for the changes, and, of course, what is in it for the audience (such as to protect employees and keep them safe).

2.     Plan security measures to match business needs. NOTE: business needs and convenience are not the same thing. If business goals are supported and the inconvenience does not impact productivity, then move forward with executive support.

3.     Have a method that identifies any gaps or ways that a security measure is being bypassed. For example, if there are repeated alarms at a given door, review the situation to see if there is a business need to make a change. If not, enforce the policy!

4.     Convenience may sometimes include visitors or customers. An organization has to be able to balance security with a customer-friendly environment. If you have restricted or limited access for visitors or customers, be sure to have the right signage and way finding in place so people will be directed to the right location. A school may lock all doors except for the front. However, there should be clear signage directing visitors to the front entrance if someone happens to park in the wrong area or walks up from a different direction. Make it easy for visitors to follow the security protocols.

               Find the right balance between security and convenience. The two may be at odds on occasion, but with the right approach, you can build support and create a safer environment.              

 

Eric Smith, CPP is the leading authority on organizational self-defense. He has extensive experience in law enforcement as well as security management. Eric is available for staff education and security awareness training as well as business coaching to help organizations provide safe workplaces. To learn more email Eric at businesskarate dot com.

 

 

If you would like to reprint this post, please contact Eric at Eric at businesskarate dot com.

Preventing Active Shooters with Everyday Security

Once again, we find ourselves trying to deal with the aftermath of another active shooter.  This one was the largest shooting by a single gunman in U.S. history.  In this case, the shooter walked into a crowded movie theater and shot 70 people, leaving 12 dead (13 if you include the unborn baby who later miscarried when the mother was shot). 

Of course, the question heard the most is “why?”  Why did this happen?  Why did the shooter do this?  We may never really understand exactly what thoughts were going through the suspect’s mind or what rationale he used to justify his killings.

From a security perspective, the more important question might be “how?”  How could this have been prevented?  Or, at least, minimize the number of victims?  For more information on dealing with active shooters, check out How to Handle (and Prevent) Active Shooters.

Looking at past mass murder cases, there are basically two types.  One is the ‘disgruntled’ individual who targets a specific individual, group or organization after a long history of disputes and building anger.  While mass murders are rare, this is the more frequent form of active shooters and often involve an employee attacking his or her workplace.

The second type is the high profile shooter.  This is typically motivated by terrorism in an attempt to accomplish some political goal.  The shooter in Norway last year more closely fit this category as he claimed this was in response to political decisions on immigration from Eastern Europe.  The Colorado movie theater shootings fall under this category and are probably the toughest to detect and prevent.

A ‘high profile’ shooter will be looking for a large number of victims, especially if confined to a limited space.  In Norway, the shooter used an island; in Colorado, a packed movie theater.  In another Colorado incident, the shooter was heading into a crowded church service and could have potentially harmed as many or more people, but was fortunately stopped by armed security.  Often, suspects will carry multiple weapons, explosives and even carry out attacks at several locations.  In Norway, a bomb was detonated by the suspect in the heart of the government district.  In Colorado, the suspect booby-trapped his own apartment hoping for even more victims.  All of these elaborate steps mean careful planning and surveillance.

As happens so often, there is both good news and bad news.  The good news is that some basic security measures could actually chase off the suspect during the planning phase and cause him or her to pick an easier or softer target.  The bad news is that there is no guarantee that these could prevent a tragedy like the one in Colorado.

One goal is to limit surveillance and interrupt planning.  Many terrorist groups, such as Al-Qaeda train their operatives to engage in careful scouting and planning before an attack.  The most obvious one to watch for is people taking photos that seem out of place.  Tourists may take photos of each other in front of interesting locations, but the photos will not be directed at security systems.  Terrorists will take photos of security officers, video surveillance cameras, door locks and the like in preparation for an attack.  There could be strange questions asked of the employees about the building or security procedures.  Sometimes, bomb threats or suspicious calls are made to test and observe the response.

Staff members should be trained to be on the lookout for some of these pre-planning signs.  The training also needs to include telling employees how to respond when something does seem odd.  At this point, few details are known about the scouting leading up to the Colorado theater massacre, but it is evident that the shooter planned out the attack ahead of time.  He clearly visited the theater ahead of time and had learned that the back door could be opened without an audible alarm.  He also knew to park his car in back in order to retrieve the weapons and body armor that he wore.

In addition to signs of surveillance, employees should know what kind of body language to watch for.  Some clues of increased stress can help employees deal safely with aggressive or disruptive individuals who may just be unhappy customers, not necessarily a budding murderer.  Agitation can be displayed through clenched fists, sweating, eyes darting around the area, distracted when spoken to as some examples.  This should attract attention to the individual right away and alert employees.

Another basic security measure is to control access points.  Emergency exits should be alarmed and the alarms monitored or at least are able to trigger an alert to on-site staff members.  Security video covering all entrances and exits and tied into alarms provides an excellent way to track unauthorized access or egress.  Just from a loss prevention standpoint, it is surprising to learn that theaters would allow patrons to open a back door to the outside without triggering any kind of alert.  One person in the theater could let in a score of friends without paying.

All organizations should have one person who is specifically responsible for security in their written job description.  Too often, basic security measures are ignored or overlooked and making sure that there is a responsible person with sufficient level of authority to make changes can help address any potential gaps in the workplace security program.  Another function of this role would be to track any suspicious incidents or violent/aggressive behavior and adjust the response as needed.

Sadly, following basic precautions cannot guarantee that something horrific will not happen.  However, the reality is that attackers will go for the easier target so you may deter them enough to protect your organization and your customers and those to whom you have a duty to protect.  With luck, you may be fortunate enough to detect the planning and that could result in an arrest and truly stop the attack before anyone is hurt.  Given the choice, security should always be part of the everyday business consideration.

Eric Smith, CPP is the leading authority on organizational self-defense.  He has extensive experience in law enforcement as well as security management.  Eric is available for staff education and security awareness training as well as business coaching to help organizations provide safe workplaces.  To learn more email eric@businesskarate.com.

 

If you would like to reprint this post, please contact Eric at eric@businesskarate.com. 

Security Awareness

Security awareness is the cornerstone of any business security program.  The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describes security awareness as the focus of attention on security.  Without that focus or attention on security, no security program will be complete.  You could have the best alarm system in the world, coupled with the latest video surveillance technology, but if the people in your organization don’t use it, think about it or ignore the equipment, then it will have no value.

If you run or operate your own business it is relatively easy to build security awareness.  You can make sure that your employees get training on security topics and that they understand, or at least have been exposed to, the reasons that security is important.  The trick, of course, is in the details.  How do you train, or better yet, truly engage your employees to focus on security? 

On the other hand, if you don’t run a department or are not in an official leadership position, how do you get your organization to shift some focus to security?  That can be more of a challenge.  You may not be able to conduct any type of training or even update policies or take any other official steps.

There are some common solutions in both of these cases.  In either case, you can lead by example.  In the first scenario, as the company leader, you can dictate that everyone will attend training, but that will not automatically mean everyone will comply.  Ask any manager.  How much effort is spent giving clear direction and timely feedback to get even normal tasks completed in the way needed?  So start living by the same rules you want everyone else to follow.  Lock your office door when you leave.  Don’t leave your computer password on a Post-it note on the monitor.  Keep valuable or proprietary documents stored safely, not left in a briefcase in plain view in an unlocked car.  Overtime, your co-workers and your employees will start to notice.  Most will realize that these are just ‘common sense’ measures that can protect your business and will follow your example.  This can be the first step towards a security aware culture.

If you cannot change training procedures or new employee orientation to include more formal training, you still have options.  Check with your local police department.  Many will have community officers available to come by your office and help assess your risks at no cost.  It won’t be an in-depth security assessment, but it can be a helpful tool to remind your co-workers and your managers about some basic security steps.  And it is not coming from you, it is coming from your neighborhood police officer. 

The same officer or group can also provide some free training.  Many police departments have some really good training sessions on topics like personal safety.  Set up a ‘brown bag’ session at lunch time and invite co-workers to attend.  This can be a great way to start shifting that focus to a secure workplace.  It is also a great chance to build a relationship with your local responders and give them a chance to get to know your business, the building layout and your worries or concerns about crime. 

Another way to improve security awareness is to pass on information related to security risks or crimes in the surrounding area or within your industry in other areas.  When you come across a news story that could be related to your situation, pass it on. 

A word of caution – don’t try to sway everyone with the warning that the sky is falling.  Keep your efforts to create a security awareness program based on a realistic approach for your business.  If you are able to show how some attention on security issues can actually help your business, you will be much more successful in the long run.  Focus on the issues that really do create threats.  For example, if neighboring businesses have had purse snatches during the day from their offices that is a great warning to pass on.  However, treating the plans for your company picnic like the secret recipe for the 11 herbs and spices used by KFC will quickly lose you your credibility.  Remember, if you cry that the sky is falling day after day, eventually, you will be ignored.  Even on the day it does fall.

Security awareness programs really are important for all organizations, whether it is a home business, church office, school or Fortune 500 company.  This is a topic that will be a recurring theme in this blog, from developing formal training programs to helping identify areas that need that focus and have been overlooked.