Weapons Screening – Technology and Operational Considerations
The International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) releases a new Evidence Based Security Practice on Weapons Detection Technology and…
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Broken Windows Theory
Broken Windows is a crime theory which postulates that minor signs of disorder in a neighborhood, left unchecked, can result…
Do Property Crimes Escalate into Violent Crimes?
Violence escalation is defined as a single crime in progress that escalates into violence or escalates into further violence. Violent…
Crime Thresholds
Emile Durkheim, a pioneer in criminology, suggested that crime was not indicative of a pathology or illness in society but…
Foundations of a Successful Security Program
A successful security program or initiative should be rooted in sound crime prevention theory and research and designed for specific…
Unraveled: An Evidence-Based Approach to Understanding and Preventing Crime
Unraveled is the result of over 7 years of research to bridge the gap between criminology and private sector security…
Violent Crime Typology
Violent crimes represent a small but significant portion of the reported crime in the United States. Categorically, violent crimes occur…
Identifying and Responding to Sex Trafficking Victims in Healthcare Environments
Human trafficking has been identified as a global problem and occurs in most countries, including the United States. Traffickers use…
Not All Evidence is Equal
In the United States, we often base criminal justice policy on ideology, rather than research. This sometimes results in time,…
Crime Analysis: Defined
Crime analysis is a set of evidence-based analytical techniques and processes used to quantitatively analyze crime and security data to…
Strategic Security Management
Available now: Strategic Security Management: A Risk Assessment Guide for Decision Makers, Second Edition Strategic Security Management (2nd Edition) Strategic…
Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act
November 16, 2018 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney, (CT-02), a senior member of the House Education and Workforce…
Recent Reports on Risk Management
Enterprise Risk Management The Global Risks Report The Meaning of Security in the 21st Century
Report on Retail Shrink
This unique and timely study, commissioned by the RILA Asset Protection Leaders Council, is the latest in a series of…
2015 FBI Uniform Crime Report (Crime Statistics) Released
2015 UCR: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015
Recommended Reading: Risk Terrain Modeling
Features of a landscape can influence and enable behavior. Consider a place where children repeatedly play. When we step back…
Stranger v. Non-Stranger Crime
When assessing the crime risk of a Place, it is important to distinguish violent crimes which pose a threat to…
Violent Crime Rates for U.S. cities with the highest population
I’m amazed that the media pays so much attention to violence in Chicago and ignores cities with more violence. If you…
IAHSS-Foundation’s 2016 Healthcare Crime Survey reveals significant drop in Violent Crime, but….
Are we winning the battle against violence in U.S. hospitals? The IAHSS-Foundation’s 2016 Healthcare Crime Survey, published in May, seems…
Crime Prevention Recommended Reading: Place Matters
Over the last two decades, there has been increased interest in the distribution of crime and other antisocial behavior at…
The Crime Triangle
The problem analysis triangle (sometimes referred to as the crime triangle) provides a way of thinking about recurring problems of…
Pharmacy Robbery
This guide begins by describing the problem of pharmacy robbery and reviewing factors that increase its risks. It then identifies…
License Plate Recognition Technology
The GMU Research Team discovered that LPR technology is rapidly diffusing into U.S. law enforcement. Over a third of large…
IAHSS Foundation publishes Body Worn Camera study
The objective of the IAHSS Foundation’s “Evidence Based Healthcare Security Research” series is to identify and summarize valid studies and…
ASIS Publishes Risk Assessment Standard
This Standard provides guidance on developing and sustaining a coherent and effective risk assessment program including principles, managing an overall…
Predictive Policing: The Role of Crime Forecasting in Law Enforcement Operations (RAND Corp)
Predictive policing is the use of analytical techniques to identify promising targets for police intervention with the goal of preventing…
2015 Healthcare Crime Survey
The International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety Foundation’s 2015 Healthcare Crime Survey was commissioned under the Research and Grants…
OSHA 3148 Update
Healthcare and social service workers face significant risks of job-related violence and it is OSHA’s mission to help employers address…
Sandy Hook Advisory Commission releases Final Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On the morning of December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza (―A.L. killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, while she slept…
Protecting Federal Facilities Remains A Challenge
Active Shooter, Crime Prevention, Research/Studies, Security Officers / Personnel, Terrorism, Workplace Violence
The Federal Protective Service continues to face challenges ensuring that contract guards have been properly trained and certified before being…
Independence requires Vendor Neutrality
Since it’s inception in 1997, Threat Analysis Group, LLC has been an independent security consulting company. This means we are not…
Social Engineering in Action
Great video of people willingly giving away their passwords. Unfortunately, real world social engineering yields similar results. Jimmy Kimmel:…
Good editorial on Crime Prevention
What causes young inner-city men to kill each other? Where do we start? At the root causes of poverty, discrimination,…
2013 FBI Crime Statistics (Uniform Crime Report)
FBI releases 2013 Uniform Crime Report (crime statistics)
Conducted Electrical Weapons in the Healthcare Environment
Conducted Electrical Weapons – also called Conducted Electrical Devices – are more commonly known as stun guns or TASERs (the…
FBI publishes Active Shooter study
“In this study, the FBI identified 160 active shooter incidents, noting they occurred in small and large towns, in urban…
NIJs new CrimeSolutions.gov website
A new National Institute of Justice website, CrimeSolutions.gov, uses rigorous research to determine what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and…
FBI adds animal cruelty as crime against society in uniform crime report
Article on the new UCR crime Current Animal Cruelty Statistics from State UCR programs
Persuading Senior Management with Effective, Evaluated Security Metrics
ASIS releases comprehensive study on the development and implementation of security metrics. Security metrics are vital, but in the field…
The ability to analyze a million crimes
Opening paragraph of forthcoming article on Crime Analysis: With no better evidence than the pocket-sized computer most of have nearby…
Crime Analysis for Problem Solving Security Professionals in 25 Small Steps
While the daily assessment of terror threats applies primarily to security professionals who are charged with protecting critical infrastructure assets,…
ASIS publishes a Security Business Case Development Guide
This guide to developing a business case, written by the ASIS International Leadership and Management Practices Council, is designed to…
HBR: Data Driven Management Fears
“From a management perspective, making decisions based on data is a clear win. Yet it’s often difficult to adopt a…
SIW: Liability for Installed Surveillance Cameras
Interesting questions and good responses featured in SecurityInfoWatch.com: One of our clients is reluctant to install cameras because they believe…
Verbal De-escalation of the Agitated Patient
Consensus Statement of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry Project BETA De-escalation Workgroup ABSTRACT: Agitation is an acute behavioral emergency…
GAO recommends limiting funding for TSA Behavior Detection Activities
In November 2013, GAO reported that (1) peer-reviewed, published research we reviewed did not support whether nonverbal behavioral indicators can…
LAX Active Shooter Report and Recommendations
Incident Background: On November 1, 2013, a man carrying an assault rifle opened fire inside Terminal 3 on a busy…
National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)
Created to improve the quantity and quality of crime data collected by law enforcement, the FBI UCR Program’s National Incident-Based…
Federal Security Officers lacking Active Shooter Training
“Several of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Protective Service’s (FPS) guard requirements are generally comparable to those of…
Normal Crime Levels
Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, suggested that crime was not indicative of a pathology or illness in society, but at certain levels…
Newtown Report Published
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this report is to identify the person or persons criminally responsible for the twenty-seven homicides…
Shrink Cost Retailers $112 Billion, Averaging 1.4 Percent of Sales
“Shrink, comprised of shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud, organized retail crime and administrative errors, cost the retail industry more than…
FBI says violent crime increased 0.7% while property crime decreased 0.9% in 2012
“The FBI estimated that in 2012, the number of violent crimes increased 0.7 percent, according to the figures released today.…
Home Invasion Robbery
“Home invasion robbery has characteristics of both residential burglary and street robbery. Like residential burglars, home robbers must usually gain…
Assigning Police Officers to Schools
“Police agencies have long provided services to schools. It has only been in the past two decades, however, that assigning…
The Criminology of Place
“The study of crime has focused primarily on why particular people commit crime or why specific communities have higher crime…
School Security Research
“The National Association of School Psychologists cautions against over-emphasizing extreme physical security measures or universally increasing armed security in schools…
Perception vs. Reality: Neighborhood Security
“Your perception of any city or neighborhood is largely determined by things you can’t quantify, like the vague feeling that…
3-D Printed Keys
“MIT Students Release Program To 3D-Print High Security Keys” Forbes Article Thanks to SRB for sharing this story.
Violence and Climate
“Shifts in climate are strongly linked to increases in violence around the world, a study suggests. US scientists found that…
Crime Prevention Equals Crime Reduction
Security is rarely a popular subject from the organizational perspective. Because it is typically a cost item, with little immediate…
Optimizing Security through Crime Analysis
Typically, security is one of those budget line items that does not contribute directly to a company’s bottom line, and…
Security is not a Dichotomy
Security is often addressed as something that is either present or absent. However, security is not a dichotomy. Security is…
The Spectrum of Guidance
When evaluating security, consultants apply a spectrum of guidance when developing recommendations. The spectrum begins at one end with the…
LED Lighting for Security Applications
“A business case can be easily made for a transition to white LED lighting. Here’s an overview of the benefits,…
Implementing Standards
In recent years, security and non-security industry associations have developed security standards that address various aspects of a security program…
Crime in Hospitals
Increasingly, we’re seeing crimes occurring in hospitals by people who “look” like they belong. Scrubs or lab coats are the…
Aviation Security
“Aviation security is costly, controversial, and contentious; no other security measures directly affect such a large portion of the country’s…
Ingenuity by Burglar
“DALWORTHINGTON GARDENS — The discovery of a hidden camera may help solve a series of break-ins at upscale homes in…
Use of Force by Security Officers
Allegations of excessive use of force are common in both law enforcement and security. The article and video below illustrate…
Security Operations Center (Command Center) Metrics
Security Technology Executive has a good article on critical metrics for Security Operations Centers. Critical metrics include Transfer rates, Staff…
ASIS-International begins development of [Security] Risk Assessment Standard
The new Risk Assessment standard will be developed jointly between ASIS International (ASIS) and RIMS (the Risk and Insurance Management…
Reducing Fear of Crime
Key assumptions for Reducing the Fear of Crime: Fear matters—it negatively affects individuals and communities. Fear is real—while it is…
FBI releases 2011 Uniform Crime Reports
“The FBI’s UCR Program is a nationwide, cooperative statistical effort of more than 18,000 city, university and college, county, state,…
FBI Report on Terrorism (2011)
“Over 10,000 terrorist attacks occurred in 2011, affecting nearly 45,000 victims in 70 countries and resulting in over 12,500 deaths.…
FBI National Gang Threat Assessment (2011)
“Gangs are expanding, evolving and posing an increasing threat to US communities nationwide. Many gangs are sophisticated criminal networks with…
More Lawyers Using Security Videos As Evidence
“Security video still may be a novelty in civil cases, but it is a familiar and effective tool for criminal…
Possible indicators of terrorist activity in hotels
Known or possible terrorists have displayed suspicious behaviors while staying at hotels overseas—including avoiding questions typically asked of hotel registrants;…
Failure to Properly Design and/or Install Security Systems
The failure to properly design and/or install Security Systems can have significant repercussions and may result in injuries. A recent…
Security Risk Formula Redux
Copyright 2012 Threat Analysis Group, LLC Excellent explanation and examples of how assets, threats, and vulnerabilities impact Security Risk:…
Shootings in Hospitals
A new study entitled, Hospital-Based Shootings in the United States: 2000 to 2011, concludes “Although it is likely that not every…
Security Metrics
Security metrics come in a wide variety of flavors and few are applicable to all type of enterprises. Security metrics…
Retail Theft
According to the 24th Annual Retail Theft Survey, both the apprehensions and recovery dollars from shoplifters and dishonest employees rose; up…
Cloud and Online Vulnerabilities
This is an excellent, yet sad, article regarding online and cloud vulnerabilities. “In the space of one hour, my…
Security Flaws in some Hotel Room Locks
“At the Black Hat security conference Tuesday evening, a Mozilla software developer and 24-year old security researcher named Cody Brocious…
Hospital Crimes, as reported to Joint Commission, Continues to Rise
Criminal Events (Assaults, Rapes, and Homicides), reported to TJC, increased from 28 in 2010 to 49 in 2011 Joint…
A Primer on Place-Based Crime Prevention
“Criminologists and crime prevention practitioners are increasingly aware of the importance of places of crime. A place is a very…
Calling all Hospital Security Directors and Managers
As you know, justifying security FTE’s is a challenge, particularly in tight economic conditions. In an effort to assist the…
The Public Sector is catching up
“Predictive-analytics software is the latest piece of policing technology working its way into law-enforcement stations around the country….it calculates its…
Security Officer Use of Force
The International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC), the most respected and widely recognized consulting association in the security industry,…
IAHSS publishes Security Design Guidelines
SIW: “The International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety announced that it has released a new handbook on “Design and…
ASIS releases Physical Asset Protection standard
Security Management Standard: Physical Asset Protection (2012) This Standard presents a comprehensive management approach for the protection of assets by…
Crime in Schools and Colleges
Crime in Schools and Colleges: A Study of Offenders and Arrestees Reported via National Incident-Based Reporting System Data “Schools…
Internet Crime Report
“In 2011, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) actively pursued its mission to address crimes committed using the Internet, providing…
Metrics for Security Staffing
At the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety conference in May 2012, we are presenting “A Model for Predicting…
ASIS releases new standard: Management System for Quality of Private Security Company Operations
Management System for Quality of Private Security Company Operations – Requirements with Guidance (2012) This Standard builds on the Montreux…
Review says Ohio hospital has security problems that could jeopardize patient safety
“CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The government plans to end federal Medicare funding to a central Ohio hospital after inspectors said security…
2011 National Gang Threat Assessment
“Gangs are expanding, evolving, and posing an increasing threat to U.S. communities. That’s the bottom line of the just-released 2011…
Understanding Risky Facilities
Building on their past research on situational crime prevention, Drs. Clarke and Eck explain the concept of risky facilities in…
Spike in Violent Incidents in Hospitals
“Over the past decade, hospitals across the nation have been subject to an alarming increase in violent incidents; in the…
Latest Problem Oriented Policing Guide addresses Sexual Assaults
This guide begins by describing the problem of sexual assault of women by strangers and reviewing factors that increase its…
The Concept of Security
Bruce Schneier’s excellent explanation of the Concept of Security You Tube Video
Pharmacy Robbery on the rise
“Over the past three years, at least 1,800 pharmacy robberies have occurred across the country.” The Drug Enforcement Administration report…
Informative article on Hospital Security
“Hospitals — long considered places of healing — have experienced an increase in violent crimes in the last decade. In…
Follow the 10 Year Olds
For as long as memory serves, following the smokers helped identify access control weaknesses and hiding spots around a campus…
Actual Crime Data: a Key Metric for Security
Security professionals operating in today’s increasingly competitive environments face the unique challenge of providing security that reduces crime and loss,…
Hospital Security Managers & Directors: We need your help
We are working on a project to identify industry benchmarks for security officer staffing levels. It is recognized that hospitals have…
The Future of Access Control?
Smart Phones already double as cameras, navigation systems, personal assistants, and soon, they’ll be unlocking our doors using Near Field…
Infant Abduction foiled by Alert Staff
This is a good example of the positive impact on staff security awareness training. Article
ENA Violence in Emergency Department Study released
Nine hundred deaths and 1.7 million nonfatal assaults occur each year in the United States due to workplace violence. These…
The Downside Of Biometrics [Fast Company]
“Biometrics are the next big thing in government and homeland security.” Fast Company article
IHSSF publishes study on Prisoner Escapes from Hospitals
The International Healthcare Security and Safety Foundation recently published a study on hospital escapes by forensic (prisoner) patients. 2011…
Cloud Security White Paper
The Cloud Security Alliance’s Security as a Service working group releases white paper to identify consensus definitions of what Security…
Time Magazine: 5 Weird Things People Are Stealing While the Economy’s in Bad Shape
“Robbing a bank is so unoriginal. Because of a combination of an economy in horrific shape and the rising monetary…
Security Risk Assessment Process Flow Chart
Threat Analysis Group, LLC has redesigned the Security Risk Assessment Flow Chart. The latest version of the flow chart, seen…
Study says Real-Time Monitored Public Surveillance Cameras are Effective
“Between 2007 and 2010, researchers from the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center studied public surveillance systems in Baltimore, Chicago, and…
Law Enforcement and Private Sector collaborating on Organized Retail Crime
Government Accountability Office: Retailers collaborate with law enforcement agencies to detect and deter retail theft and investigate potential ORC cases,…
Mississippi Town requires Convenience Stores to have Security Officers
In a 4-2 vote, the Jackson City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance requiring convenience stores to have a security…
Fast Company: Crime Information Warehouse
“A new crime-busting warehouse is helping officers spot crime trends as they develop in real time. IBM’s Crime Information Warehouse…
Super Controllers and Crime Prevention
Security Journal has an excellent article entitled: Super controllers and crime prevention: A routine activity explanation of crime prevention success…
Security Staffing Approaches
A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) identifies various security staffing approaches used by government agencies. The purpose of…
Feedback Loops Enhance Security Efforts
A recent article on Feedback Loops in Wired Magazine suggests that is we “provide people with information about their actions in…
What is a security mix?
A security mix is a combination of security measures that, when properly deployed, can effectively protect assets. A good security…
Violence in Mental Hospitals is “Normal”
“Thousands of assaults occur each year at California’s state psychiatric hospitals. Last October, a patient allegedly murdered a staffer at Napa…
Hospital Security Articles
Over the past couple of years, Threat Analysis Group, LLC has published several articles on hospital security. The articles address…
Two Documents Address Crime Analysis and Metrics-Driven Decision Making
Two comprehensive documents address crime analysis as a tool for metrics/data-driven decision making. While one is geared to law enforcement…
LA Times: Rising violence shows hospitals should boost security
“Hospitals have long been considered sacrosanct – places for healing and helping – but they are no longer immune to…
FBI says violent crime down 5.5 percent
“Preliminary figures indicate that, as a whole, law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation reported a decrease of 5.5 percent in…
Violence Prevention & Response Toolkit
The Emergency Nurses Association created a Workplace Violence Toolkit designed specifically for the emergency department managers and is also useful…
Hospital staff push back after police officers are replaced with security officers
“Nurses at St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul are sounding alarms over a change in emergency room security staff. In…
Woman poses as doctor, diagnoses patients
A lack of security policy or a lack of policy enforcement? Toronto Globe Article
NCJRS posts Security 101 document
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service recently published a literature review and secondary data analysis entitled, “The Private Security Industry:…
The Security Continuum
The Security Continuum includes four distinct security strategies – – – Deterrence, Prevention, Mitigation, and Investigation. Deterrence is designed to…
Another Perspective on Threats vs Vulnerabilities
A paper in the Journal of Physical Security defined threats and vulnerabilities as follows: Threat: Who might attack against what…
Who is in your facility?
As many security professionals of open campuses know, identifying who is coming on your property is challenging. Keeping the bad…
Hospital Security and the threat of active shooters
From Campus Safety Magazine: “In June, the Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert urging hospitals to pay greater attention…
IAHSS 2011 Conference
IAHSS and the Ontario Chapter will host the 43rd Annual General Membership Meeting and Seminar Program May 22-25, 2011 at…
CCTV cameras help solve ‘six crimes a day’ in London
Despite recent studies to the contrary, London’s Metro Police says CCTV cameras help solve ‘six crimes a day’ in London.…
WSJ: Hospital employee allegedly steals $3.8 million
The internal threat, while not unique to the health care environment, is pervasive and can have a significant impact on…
Active Shooter Guidance for Hospitals
According to the California Hospital Association, “An active shooter is defined as an individual who appears to be actively engaged…
Quick Hits
Charles A. Sennewald’s Effective Security Management 5th Edition has been announced with an updated chapter on Statistics as a Management…
An example of a Hospital Active Shooter Drill gone bad
“An off-duty cop pretending to be a terrorist stormed into a hospital intensive care unit brandishing a handgun, which he…
Ten Principles of Opportunity and Crime
1. Opportunities play a role in causing all crime 2. Crime opportunities are highly specific 3. Crime opportunities are concentrated…
Are you maximizing existing security resources?
On the heals of a significant security breach or crime, organizations often beef up security by adding more security personnel,…
Crime Analysis for Problem Solving Security Professionals in 25 Small Steps
The mission of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing is to advance the concept and practice of problem-oriented policing in open…
Physical vs. Operational Security Assessments
Does your security consultant or internal security staff assess both physical and operational aspects of the security program? We often…
ER Nurses fear more assaults as programs cut
Nurses fear even more ER assaults as programs cut By JULIE CARR SMYTH (AP) COLUMBUS, Ohio — Emergency room nurse…
California Department of Public Health addresses hospital security
The law requires, after July 1, 2010, all licensed GACHs, APHs, and SHs to conduct, not less than annually, a…
New Mom Questions Hospital’s Security Following Beating
A mother who was attacked after giving birth at a Milwaukee hospital is calling for increased security at the facility. …
Infant Abduction Statistics
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children updated their statistics for 2009 and which date back to 1983. Infant…
Four Bullets = Two Shootings at One Hospital
On the heals of Joint Commission’s alert on hospital violence, the Cleveland Clinic experienced two shootings, one self inflicted, one…
IAPSC Texas Security Conference 9/15/10
The International Association of Professional Security Consultants is hosting its first regional security conference in Texas. Building on successful regional…
Joint Commission: Crime up in hospitals
“Once considered safe havens, health care institutions today are confronting steadily increasing rates of crime, including violent crimes such as…
Catastrophic Health Events Report Released
The Center for Biosecurity at UPMC recently released a Preparedness Report that proposes the following key elements of a national…
The Value of Interviews in Security Risk Assessments
People that work at the facility have a better understanding of the security problems than I do when I first…
Schneier on Security: Why Aren’t There More Terrorist Attacks?
Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist and author. Described by The Economist as a “security guru,” he is…
Threat, vulnerability, risk – commonly mixed up terms
What are the most commonly mixed up security terms? Threat, vulnerability, and risk. While it might be unreasonable to expect…
Do security officers know what they are protecting?
In most cases, there is a fairly obvious answer to this question. Typically, security personnel are deployed in the protection…
Vulnerability and Risk Assessment in the Environment of Care
Vulnerabilities are opportunities, opportunities for crime, opportunities for rule breaking violations, opportunities for loss. By definition, a vulnerability is a…
Return on Security Investment
Organizations can obtain a measurable return on investment through cost savings on security personnel deployment, effective implementation of physical security…
What types of threats should you be looking at?
What types of threats should you be looking at? From a security perspective, a threat is an act or condition…
Designing Security in Hospitals
You’re a very busy hospital security manager. At 2 pm on one of your normal busy days, you receive a…
What is Data Driven Security?
Data driven security is a concept utilized by organizations operating in a constantly changing environment to effectively manage the dynamic…
Hospital Security
Securing the environment of care is a challenging and continual effort for most healthcare security managers, who face unique challenges…
What to look for in a security consultant….
Like all professional services, security consultants are a diverse group. Many have years of experience while others have just entered…
Independent Security Consultant
An independent security consultant maintains his/her integrity at all times. An independent security consultant is not affiliated with any manufacturer…