An Ounce of Prevention and the Big Six

Written By Justin Mangum

In a world where security threats lurk around every corner, simply hoping for the best is not a strategy. This article will give you a framework designed to empower you with the strategies needed to protect your property and your people.

The Six D’s of Security has entered the chat.

1. Deter

Deterrence is the first, best option for securing your property. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We know this, and yet, if we’re honest, we’ve been slacking. So let’s clear out the cobwebs, blow the dust off our policies from the 1980’s, and take a walk around with a fresh set of eyes while asking questions like these:

Parking lot control

  • How do you control people and vehicles entering your parking lot?

  • Is there a fence or gate?

  • Is there any kind of barrier (concrete bollards, retaining walls, etc.) between public roads, the parking lot, and entry points to the building?

  • Could a car easily drive through your front doors?

  • Is your lot well-lit at night, every night?

Landscaping

  • Does your building or property have an abundance of trees or shrubs that provide concealment for bad guys near points of entry or first-floor windows?

  • Do they obscure security cameras or the camera’s view?

  • Do trees and shrubs need to be trimmed back or removed?

  • Is your hardscaping positioned to help protect pedestrians and your building from vehicle assaults or crashes?

Signage

  • Are restricted areas appropriately marked?

  • Do you have signage for security cameras, prohibiting loitering, or restricting parking lot use?

  • Could someone argue that they “didn’t know”?

Safety or Security Team

  • Do you have a safety or security team?

  • Are they trained, and if so, to what level?

  • Are they armed?

  • Is the size of the team sufficient for your needs?

  • Is the team present, attentive, and competent?

2. Detect

It could be as innocuous as a knock at the door or a ring of the doorbell, or as disturbing as someone scaling your fence or shattering a window. However or whenever the intrusion comes, the first step to stopping it is by being aware of it. That’s where detection comes in. The most common forms of detection include:

Personnel

  • Is your team able to communicate in real time if and when they detect something?

  • Are your staff and members trained to react to an emergency?

  • Do they know what to do?

  • Are they empowered to report suspicious activity or objects?

  • Do they act like owners who are protective of the property and the people?

Motion lights

  • Are they in the right places?

  • Are they working properly?

  • Are they bright enough?

Cameras

  • Do you have security cameras?

  • Are they monitored?

  • Do they record?

  • Are they in the right places?

  • Can they see in the dark?

  • Are they of sufficient image quality to be of any use?

Alarms

  • Do you have an alarm or monitoring system?

  • How do you guard against trespassing, burglaries, or vandalism when the building is empty?

  • Who gets notified and who responds?

  • Do only the right people have the code?

3. Deny

Physical barriers, including fences, gates, and locked doors, are the most common forms of denying unauthorized entry onto your property or into your home or building. Once in place, however, the integrity of those systems must be maintained through regular reviews and inspections. This ensures that not only are they working, but that they do, in fact, keep the wrong people out. Consider this:

Perimeter fencing or use of natural barriers

  • Are they in good working order?

  • Is there repair that needs to be done?

  • Do they still serve the purpose they were intended to?

Access control

  • How do you control people getting into the building -- physical keys, key fobs, or keypad?

  • When was the last time you conducted an audit?

  • Are there keys that are unaccounted for?

  • Do people still have access that shouldn’t?

  • Do doors need to be rekeyed or locks changed?

  • Should you upgrade to a digital system?

  • Do you have a visitor policy and does your team follow it?

4. Delay

When deterrence has failed, the perimeter has been breached, and entry is being attempted or has been gained, means of delaying the intruder any further access include:

  • Security film on glass doors and windows

  • Interior perimeter barriers, i.e. locked / access controlled interior doors

  • Identifying a “strong room” preferably with block walls and points of egress

  • Lockdown procedures team members know, understand, and follow

5. Defend

You have the right to defend yourself! When all else has failed and safer options no longer exist, then you must defend yourself and others by doing what is necessary to stop the threat. Know what you can and can’t do by understanding the law and your own physical abilities.

  • Contain: Remove their access to people by containing them in a room or other isolated area until police arrive.

  • Restrain: Physically restraining the intruder by any means legal and necessary and removing their ability to cause further harm until police arrive.

  • Eliminate: If the intrusion turns violent, incapacitate the attacker by any means legal and necessary, up to and including deadly force

    • Know what to do after the fact

    • How to keep the scene safe

    • How to render medical aid if necessary

    • How to communicate with emergency responders

6. Debrief

Experiencing an emergency is bad enough, but not learning from it would be an atrocity. It is critical to sit down with everyone involved and debrief the incident to identify strengths and weaknesses, things to improve, and lessons learned. During a debrief it’s important that the conversation be frank, that egos are checked at the door, and that title or position are set aside. The debrief is where everyone gets a chance to contribute and nothing is off the table.

Go around the room and ask:

  • What happened before, during, and after?

  • What went wrong?

  • What went right?

  • What can be improved?

    • Building

    • Staff

    • Training

    • Equipment

    • Communication

    • Logistics

    • Policies or procedures

The debrief is only half the battle – then you must put into practice the lessons learned and make the necessary changes.

If this sounds overwhelming or you lack the staff to get it done, The Shooter Ready Project is here to help. We will walk with you every step of the way. To get our help, just fill out the contact form and we’ll be in touch. You have what it takes and we have your back.

Justin Mangum https://shooterreadyproject.com
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