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.

To Arm Or Not to Arm - That is the Question!

            It has been 400 some years since Shakespeare’s Hamlet first posed the question, “To be or not to be.” Today, a modern twist seems to be a recurring question; to arm or not to arm.



Edwin Booth as Hamlet

By J. Gurney & Son, N.Y. (19th century) Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

            Since the shooting at LAX that left one TSA agent dead, the question of arming TSA officers has come up. I’ve seen arguments both for and against arming TSA. It is not unlike the arguments about having armed security in schools or even arming teachers.

            It is not a simple question to answer. First and foremost is to avoid making decisions in a knee-jerk reaction. It is amazing how often within the security realm that an event happens and suddenly there is a rush to make changes. It may be within an organization that experiences a crime, such as an attack on a staff member, resulting in new measures that may or may not always make sense. In other cases, such as this with the LAX shooting, the response and attention is in the public eye, not just an internal matter.

            When there is a major incident or security breach, it is common sense, even wise to review what happened, and make changes when necessary. However, the changes should be well-thought out and address the situation at hand. Following a shooting, there is almost an element of surprise that it happened in that location or type of organization. However, we’ve seen shootings occur almost anyway, from churches, hospitals, museums, small businesses, universities, rural and urban schools and even an Amish school. The bottom line is that a shooting can happen in any location, in any state, in the city or in the country. So a better reaction would be to avoid the next shooting or protect the next target instead of thinking about stopping the last event. Often military leaders are accused of training and preparing to fight the last war, instead of looking to what will be needed to fight and win the next war.

            It is easy to focus on the past instead of looking to the next steps and it is natural, in this case to wonder about arming TSA officers. I have seen some opinion pieces by airline employees argue against arming TSA. The bottom line seemed to be a lack of trust or maybe even an underlying fear of firearms in general. It strikes me as odd, that a group who are entrusted with protecting our airlines from terrorists would be untrustworthy to carry firearms. On the other hand, this was a single incident and does not automatically mean that TSA officers are a target. In fact, I would argue that airports are far safer than many other public venues. Airports have more security and a large contingent of armed police officers to respond to any types of violent acts. I have also seen TSA officers, in uniform, on their way to work, sometimes using public transportation. If TSA is such a high risk target then those employees should be instructed not to wear the uniform on the way to or from work and change at the airport. In fact, that would create a risk that someone could follow an employee home; steal their uniform and perhaps identification to pose as a TSA officer to gain access to secure parts of the airport.

            Self-defense techniques and training unarmed individuals on how to respond to an active shooter have been growing more popular as well. I certainly believe in the benefits of learning self-defense and think that unarmed individuals should not just give up and become victims during a shooting. However, there is an old saying about bringing a knife to a gunfight being a sure way to lose. Bringing nothing to a gunfight is even more risky. Many of the techniques appear to be good ideas and could help save lives. However, most of these attacks are carefully planned and the shooter will certainly see the same news stories and watch the same online videos and adapt their tactics to counteract any resistance.

            So the question really comes back to what is the best way to protect individuals from armed attacks. Lots of money and training has gone into teaching unarmed response. Perhaps we need to reconsider the response yet again.

            Most active shooters have ended when the shooter is confronted by armed response. The real solution may be to train on-site security personnel how to respond the way law enforcement does to an active shooter. This is certainly one solution not getting much attention and is especially suited for organizations that do have a dedicated security force. Hospitals are one example. Shopping malls are another, as are many office buildings in urban downtowns. For enterprises or locations that do have onsite security, the focus should shift to training those personnel how to respond to and stop an active shooter.

            Following the shooting at Columbine High School, law enforcement began developing new tactics to respond to active shooters. At the time, I was a police firearms instructor so was very involved in that training. For the first few years afterwards, the tactics changed repeatedly. As police officers, we finally settled into accepted tactics that we focused on learning and practicing. However, as important as this training was, the amount of time spent for patrol officers was one time a year, often not even a full day. In fact, officers might only run through a couple of active shooter scenarios during the training.

            The point is that private security could easily train and learn some of the same tactics in a relatively short amount of training time. In fact, private security officers would know the building and organization much better than outsiders would and, being onsite, could respond much quicker than law enforcement. Just the presence of armed security would likely deter a shooter, at least away from that target.

            The decision about arming or not arming security is certainly daunting. However, for those organizations that do have security, serious thought should be given to providing private security with the training and tools that would be the strongest deterrence and most protection from an active shooter attack.

 

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.

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.