The IFPO's Chris Hertig sits on the Editorial Advisory Board for The York Dispatch. Here is something he recently wrote titled "The Violence Problem."
At presentations before the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Association and the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Justice Educators I unveiled the “CANE” acronym for dealing with active threats. In the initial part of the sessions I discussed reasons why active threats (shooters, stabbers, etc.) are a growing concern.
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Briefly these are: the incubation of extremism via social media; the incubation of mental health issues via social media; Islamic fundamentalist extremism, political extremism, demographic shifts such as the refugee crisis in Europe and the US, gang wars and flash mobs (shopping malls).
Other factors include the release of persons who have been convicted of terrorism related offenses. This starts this year and is a concern as these convicts have served out their sentences but may have become worse while incarcerated.
A more recent aspect of this problem is veterans who develop mental issues related to war. The Ft. Lauderdale airport shooter being the latest example. As we are in The Long War we can only expect more of these cases.
Security consultant Ted Wade addressed the Central PA Chapter of ASIS International regarding legal considerations involving violence. These run the gamut from liability due to negligence, OSHA violations, conflicts with insurance carriers, workman’s compensation issues, etc!
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Reputation damage was another point that Ted brought up and this can be considerable. No organization wants to be remembered as the scene of a tragedy. And few people escape from violent encounters without some emotional damage.
Obviously organizations must have plans and test those plans appropriately. The process needs to start with a realistic assessment of the organization and surrounding environment.
It’s a responsibility, not an option.
Chris Hertig is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Protection Officer Instructor (CPOI) with over 30 years experience teaching Use of Force, Defensive Tactics, Legal Aspects of Security, etc. The "Pester Professor" spent most of his career teaching college, but also served as a Nuclear Security Training Administrator and consultant. He has published extensively and is active in several professional organizations (ASIS, IFPO, ILEETA).
