Workplace Violence

As I sit and digest the news of yet another workplace shooting...this time in St. Louis...I have to wonder when businesses are going to start taking security more seriously.

While it's too early to comment specifically on the St. Louis incident, acts of workplace violence have been on the increase and it seems businesses are slow to react to that trend. Frequently, businesses have little to no physical security that would prevent, or at least minimize, these often deadly incidents. The potential liability of such inaction astounds me, yet businesses seem willing to roll the dice.

Background Checks

An effective program would start in the hiring process. While not foolproof, properly performed background checks can frequently identify job candidates with a potential for problems. But the vast majority of businesses do very limited, if any, screening.

Workplace Monitoring

Another problem lies within most businesses not paying attention to what is actually going on in the workplace. In many cases where violence has erupted, there were telltale indicators that could have and should have been noticed.

False Sense of Security

When it comes to physical security, some businesses do attempt to put security measures in place, but often times they are too little and too late. And more often than not those measures consist of low wage security officers with little to no training and insufficient equipment.

Style Over Substance

We often hear from businesses who talk a good game. They want the latest and greatest in security personnel and technology. But when they get the estimate for what it is going to cost they quickly backpeddle and settle for something far cheaper and virtually ineffective. Their only concern is the appearance of security, rather than actual security that is pro-active and effective in minimizing and/or eliminating violent acts.

Welcome!

As we begin a New Year, Dignitary Protection Group is expanding its horizons even further. We'll be delving deeper into the the social networking scene as well as starting this new blog.

Bear with us as we tweak the look and layout, but please stop in periodically to check us out as we'll be offering expert analysis and opinions on current events as they relate to security.

Thank you!

Pope Attacked...Again

Another attack on Pope Benedict XVI has Vatican security officials reviewing their policies and procedures.

The latest incident happened while the pontiff was leading a Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter's Basilica. An Italian woman allegedly jumped over a barricade and knocked the 82-year-old Pope and a Cardinal to the ground. Luckily, the Pope was uninjured, and the Cardinal only slightly.

While this blog entry isn't intended to question those specifically tasked with the protection of the Pope, I have to wonder how someone who had committed a nearly identical act exactly one year prior would be allowed into a position where she could attempt it again. With the information available at this time, it would seem, at the very least, a breakdown occurred in the protective intelligence phase.

Generically speaking, protective intelligence agents should constantly maintain a file of those who have demonstrated an abnormal interest in, threatened or actually attacked their protectee. Such a file should include descriptions, photographs, known vehicles, and the known whereabouts (when possible) of the suspect. This information should be disseminated to all security personnel so they can work to prevent the subject from gaining access to the protectee.