Personal Safety

Situational Awareness – Trusting Your Instincts

08 November in Crisis Response, Personal Safety, Travel Safety by admin

Lessons from an FBI Special Agent As a security professional and retired federal law enforcement officer with a total of 34 years in both fields combined, I have spent almost half my lifetime in public service and the private sector. Both fields have included serving and protecting; responding to incidents of crime against persons and property; conducting investigations; arresting and interrogating subjects and interviewing witnesses; collecting evidence and information that is key to sorting out facts from fiction. Although the role of the law enforcement officer and...

Price of Security Failure

27 September in Corporate Security, Crisis Response, Personal Safety, Protective Services, Security Consulting by admin

Posted on June 15, 2016 Last week ended with the killing of young singer Christina Grimmie by a 27-year old man who showed up to her concert and shot her as she signed autographs for fans. And, this week began with the news that a man fatally shot in excess of 100 patrons in an Orlando nightclub, fatally wounding 49. These two tragic events are reported by authorities to be completely unrelated. But on closer inspection, we will likely find a common element between these events...

Parking Lots and Personal Security – 15 Key Tips to Keep You Safe

27 September in Personal Safety, Travel Safety by admin

A Normal Day Gone Bad and Never to Be Forgotten The day was September 30, 1991 and I was working as an FBI Special Agent in Houston, Texas, when I heard the news through local law enforcement sources that an eyewitness reported a woman, returning to her parked car just outside a local mall, was forced into her van and abducted by two unidentified males. The abduction occurred sometime around 7:30pm that evening. The torched van was later recovered by law enforcement and inside was the...

Women and Online Dating: 6 Tips in Finding Mr. Right and Not Mr. Wrong

27 September in Personal Safety by admin

For women, the days of finding Mr. Right at traditional places like work, at church, or even in a bar have gradually been replaced with online dating services that have exploded in membership within the last decade. The #1 rated dating service Zoosk now reports it has a cadre of 35 million singles in its database who send over 3 million messages daily to their prospective match. And that’s just one online dating service! Services such as Zoosk, Match, eHarmony and others are replete with...

Five Steps in Securing Special Events

27 September in Business Continuity Planning, Corporate Security, Legal Security, Personal Safety by admin

Special events take many forms and are commonplace in today’s business environment. Awards ceremonies, trade shows, product launches, special sales and holiday events are examples of “special events” common to the business environment and security industry. These occasions are unique in many ways but share a common element in that they are irregularly scheduled and do not occur on a frequent basis. Examples may include special sales gatherings, company recognition picnics and parties, employee gatherings off site, company award trips, going out of business sales,...

Realtor’s Beware: 3 Security Tips for Real Estate Agents

27 September in Personal Safety, Workplace Violence by admin

The year was 1986 and I was a first office FBI Special Agent in Atlanta, GA. It was the same year I bought my first house. I remember working with a great realtor and the excitement that amassed when she provided me with the house keys after all the documents were signed at closing. I’d have to say my realtor experience was a good one that totally assuaged my adulthood fears of home buying. But my association with realtors didn’t end there. That same year on...