What is a threat assessment? One of the things clients frequently ask us has to do with workplace violence. Usually it goes something like this. We get a call from a company. They’re going to fire someone fairly soon, and they’re not sure how he’s going to react. They’re contacting us to see what sort of support we can provide. …
Risk Assessment Teams
We’ve all heard the saying “necessity is the mother of invention” (or innovation). That is absolutely true today. During COVID-19, we have not seen a big shift in how businesses are set up. What we are starting to see is a major shift in multi-disciplined teams working together. As someone who has helped companies develop multi-disciplined risk assessment teams, I …
Reflections on Virginia Beach
Friday was a very sad day for the city of Virginia Beach as well as our country. Yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting has taken place and has left us with many questions. Why did this happen? How did this happen? Finally, what could have been done to prevent this from happening? Hearts are broken and loved ones have …
Little Oddities Often Aggregate Into Larger Anomalies
Details continue to emerge from the October 1 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest County Music Festival in Las Vegas. There are ample opportunities for emergency responders and security and hospitality professionals to examine and redefine security protocols. The greatest gains in response to the unthinkable come out of this kind scrutiny and “lessons learned” exercises. It’s a sad truth. …
3 Mistakes That Can Derail Your Threat Assessment Process
Campus Safety Magazine published 3 Mistakes That Can Derail Your Threat Assessment Process. Although this article addresses students in an educational environment, it includes lessons for employers as well. How can security professionals protect the individual as well as the whole community? Violence in the workplace is more common than many believe – and it is also often predictable and …
FBI Workplace Violence Prevention: Readiness and Response
In January 2011, the FBI published Workplace Violence Prevention: Readiness and Response. This is a fairly lengthy and detailed article that is definitely worth the read. We found this information especially interesting: A handful of high-profile incidents have led to increased public awareness. However, prevalence rates show that nonfatal workplace violence is a more common phenomenon than previously believed. …