How insureds can best prepare for an armed intruder

As Americans hear near-weekly stories about armed intruders causing destruction in businesses, houses of worship, nightclubs and shopping malls, they are understandably concerned about whether they might be the next victim. Although an organization cannot fully control its exposure to a violent incident, it can be ready.

Here are answers to commonly asked questions about armed intruder preparedness.

Are there steps an organization can take to prevent an armed intruder incident from happening in the first place?

Absolutely. Prevention of this sort of risk is all about connecting the pieces of the puzzle that indicate an attack is being considered. Three important steps you can take include:

• Monitoring social media. Sometimes disgruntled employees, members or customers broadcast their intentions days or even weeks before their planned attack. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are just a few of the channels these people might use.
• Enabling anonymous reporting. Statistics show that often, a would-be armed intruder tells one or two people about their plans before following through with them. Use technology to allow members of your organization and the public to anonymously report suspicious events and conversations.
• Organizing a threat monitoring team. Connecting the pieces of data together to see the whole picture requires a team that can provide analysis to indicate an attack may be imminent. Once a threat is indicated, contact your local authorities to share the data and the analysis.

In terms of liability, which is the better option for an organization — armed or unarmed security?

The answer depends on the type of organization you are running, and on how careful you are about choosing your security personnel and defining their parameters. Unarmed security could involve organizing volunteers or employees and training them to watch for suspicious behavior. This approach could be quite helpful in de-escalating potentially violent situations. Armed security encompasses three basic approaches:

1. Hiring local law enforcement: These individuals will be highly trained and assume liability for their own actions.
2. Hiring a private security contactor: You should make sure the contract specifies they will assume liability for their own actions.
3. Establishing a volunteer security team: This approach has the biggest liability risk for your organization; you will need to thoroughly vet and train your team.

To determine which option is right for you, perform a comprehensive study of your resources and the needs of the people you serve. Make sure to involve your insurance carrier as well to ensure your choice will not affect the coverage you have in place or require additional coverage.

What are the best ways to prepare property for an armed intruder attack?

There are many elements involved in keeping people safe at your facilities. Following are eight essentials of security:

1. Control access and provide an easy exit. Make sure all access points to your building are locked or monitored and keep exits free of any obstructions.
2. Review your physical security on a regular basis. Check locks, doors, security cameras, lighting, alarms and gates. If something doesn’t work, don’t wait to fix it.
3. Have a visible security presence. Whether you use security cameras or personnel, it should be clear to everyone in your building it is a secure place.
4. Have a communication system in place. Security personnel should be able to communicate easily with each other from any point on the property.
5. Prepare the organization. Communicate to your organization that you have processes in place if there is a security threat.
6. Have a written workplace violence prevention program in place. Train all staff and volunteers in the program.
7. Conduct active response training. Armed intruder drills are just as important as fire drills. You should conduct them on a regular basis.
8. Engage local law enforcement. Invite law enforcement officers to participate in your training and provide them with maps of your facility.

What can we do to prepare for an active shooter scenario?

The ALICE Training Institute helps organizations prevent, mitigate, respond to and recover from violent incidents. The ALICE acronym stands for:

• Alert: Recognize the signs of danger and take all alerts seriously.
• Lockdown: If evacuation is not a safe option, barricade entry points into your room.
• Inform: Communicate information to others in the building as clearly as possible.
• Counter: As a last resort when confronted with an armed intruder, create noise, movement and other distractions to reduce a shooter’s ability to aim accurately.
• Evacuate: Leave the area through doors, windows or other exits.

ALICE training emphasizes the importance of being prepared — even when you think such a situation could never happen to you.

Guy Russ is assistant vice president of risk control, Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. Church Mutual is a stock insurer whose policyholders are members of the parent mutual holding company. To reach this contributor, send an email to corporatecommunications@churchmutual.com.

Keep reading…

• Helping businesses survive a mass casualty event
• Active shooter: Unique coverage for a unique risk
• How does insurance cover mass shooting events?