The Skills + Support to Protect Your people

Violence is never random, and you are never helpless.

Perhaps no subject save death itself is more surrounded by denial than that of human violence. It can't happen here, we tell ourselves. Not to our organization, let alone by one of our employees.

That an otherwise normal person could just “snap” one day and go on a killing spree and that such events are “random” – and hence impossible to anticipate – are fictions that lie at the core of a denial mechanism that, ironically, helps enable the very events we seek to forestall.

Workplace violence is a process often as predictable and observable as boiling water, if you know what to look for, and are in a position to see. Employees are in the unique position to see potential threats that may develop from inside the organization, or outside, at their earliest stages, where the leadership may not. For example, an employee suffering from domestic violence that could, and often does, spill-over into the workplace, may not be known to leadership, but you can bet that someone within the organization is aware of the dynamics…

This module reinforces the lifeboat mentality that we all have a responsibility to one another, teaches what to look for, and most importantly what to do about it.

Know what to do if you come face-to-face with an armed intruder

When seconds count - just knowing what to do can mean the difference between life and death. Should you “Run”, “Hide” or “Fight”? These questions will be explored and the answers defined in an immediately useable format that allows for instant, and accurate prioritization of physical action. Participants will know when to Run or Hide, and more importantly – how.

Lastly, we will fill the critical void in the Run-Hide-Fight protocol – namely, what to do if running and hiding are no longer options, and you come face to face with an armed intruder. Practical, last-resort fight back options – including gun disarms – will be taught. These techniques are simple, realistic, and available to anyone of any age of physical ability level, and once learned can be retained for life.

It’s good to have a lifeguard, but it’s better to know how to swim.

The world can be a dangerous place. And while personal security is a fundamental human need, it is ultimately a personal responsibility. In the moment of truth, the “lifeguards” of society simply won’t be there to protect us - whether from street crime or the potential of mass homicide. We are, in effect, on our own.

Yet violence is never random. Even the most desperate predator is careful in selecting his victims. And “bad guys” of all types – from the street criminal to the workplace shooter always follow a predictable continuum of behavior the elements of which can be identified—in advance—by easily spotted “indicators”—if you know what to look for.

This phase of training teaches participants how to recognize when they might be in danger, avoid and deter threats directed towards them, and how to decisively respond physically to incapacitate an attacker if avoidance fails.

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.” - Gandhi

Confrontations are a part of human interaction, and understanding how to detach emotionally from a confrontation is critical to being able to manage and effectively prevent it from escalating.

In this module, managers will be taught to view confrontations, in general, from the perspective of a security professional; allowing for a responsible, confident, and emotionally detached mental positioning to better assess, negotiate and diffuse confrontations as they develop, and to more confidently and competently intervene in confrontations at any stage.

Utilizing a simple, systematic process of decision-making, and verbal and non-verbal tactics, managers will be able to decisively determine – on a moment-by-moment basis – what their priorities are, and what action steps they should take to diffuse situations and re-establish control, without aggravating situations or causing resentment.

Fools Rush in Where Angels Dare to Tread

Based upon our founder Sam Rosenberg’s book The Travelers Guide to Personal Security, this course provides the knowledge and skills navigate travel confidently, and safely, whether domestic or abroad.

Today’s business traveler faces a variety of threats, including “express” kidnapping, kidnapping for ransom, information and ID theft, ever increasing street crime, as well as geo-political concerns such as potential civil unrest or war. Yet none of these threats are random. And all demonstrate a sequence of predictable, and readily identifiable, pre-incident indicators – if you know what to look for.

This course element teaches protective industry tradecraft, such as how to blend in to avoid trouble, rapidly identify when you are being targeted, manage and deescalate confrontations by understanding verbal and non-verbal control tactics, and physical defensive measures and escape techniques for non-deadly and deadly force threats.

The goal of this course is to provide you the ability to know what to do, and how to do it, so that you can travel without fear.

As incidents of workplace violence continue to escalate, including mass homicide events, a process by which employers can effectively identify, triage, and manage threats is essential.

The problem is that “dangerousness” is not a fixed state, and typically, there is a significant difference between “making” and “posing” a threat. For this reason, it is imperative that organizations in the 21st century have internal processes and training in place, to teach managers how to investigate and report threats and security concerns, and for the leadership to have a specially trained Threat Assessment Team (TAT) who can triage, assess, and manage threats as they manifest.

Step 1: Managers

The first step in this process is training of managers. Violence is a process, as predictable and observable as boiling water if you know what you are looking for, and are in a position to see the signs. Managers are in the unique position to serve as the eyes and ears of the organization, but most have no formal training in in how to recognize the pre-incident indicators, or “PINS” that someone may pose a threat. Knowing what to look for, and when to further investigate and pass incidents up the chain for assessment by the TAT team, is a vital step in this process.

Training of this sort must also be accompanied with a turn-key process, for investigating and reporting – so that the TAT team has all the information needed to rapidly assess and define an appropriate management strategy. Turn-key tools and processes are provided as part of this package

Step 2: TAT Team

The second step in this process, is to define the members of the TAT team, and train them how to triage, assess, and manage threats. Ideally, TAT members include security professionals, executives, legal advisers and human resource officers who can bring their unique perspectives to the table.

Along with a turn-key process for managers, a defined and organized methodology for evaluating, grading and responding to threats must be provided for the TAT team to navigate with.