DO YOU HAVE A “BLUE-U SAFE SCHOOL” MINDSET?

A single victim. A 12-year-old boy. No motive. The only thing known is that the shooter and the victim were acquainted. Sometimes people view acts-of-violence as “unpreventable”. We say that if someone really wants to hurt or kill us, there is really little that we can do to stop it. In some cases, that is fact – you’re walking down a crowded street and someone suddenly, for no reason at all, stabs you or, you are in a store and suddenly it becomes victim to an active shooter. Pretty clearly fact that these things aren’t preventable. Or is it? Maybe the question isn’t about stopping the incident but more how you respond once an unpreventable incident starts. Or…maybe both. There is likely a back-story to yesterday’s shooting. A feud of some sort. Maybe it was random, but, not likely. SO, HERE IS WHAT I WANT TO SAY: Today’s threats are unique, they are dangerous, and they are everywhere. I don’t care where you live, how much money you have, that you live in a gated community, right across the street from the police station, or whether or not anything bad has ever happened in the neighborhood or to you in your lifetime – NO ONE OR PLACE IS IMMUNE. Think about this when you send your kids off to school: If an act–of-violence where to erupt, will you be there to protect or save them? ABSOLUTELY NOT! So, exactly who are you relying on to be there for them? A teacher or school staff that has had no real training in how to keep themselves secure, let alone your kids? A school resource officer that may or may not be there and capable of helping them? And, what would make you think that amongst themselves, and numerous other students, that they will focus on protecting your child? THE BEST WAY TO RESOLVE THIS VERY SERIOUS, BUT RARELY CONSIDERED PROBLEM: As parents, first take responsibility for your own security. I always tell our students that how seriously you take your own security will have a direct and immediate impact on how seriously you will take it for your kids. If you don’t believe that it can or will happen and don’t take the time to properly prepare yourself, you certainly won’t do it for your kids or those that you may be responsible for. "Many parents have no clue what their kid’s schools are doing to keep them secure! If you don’t you need to start asking and don’t accept infrequent, standard, non-incident-specific lockdowns drills or Run, Hide, and Fight! Demand accountability because, I’m telling you, with rare exception, your kid's school is likely doing very little, even if they have an SRO!" You need to teach your kids how to keep themselves secure while they are away from you and this can start at very young ages. The resources and ideas are all here on Blue-U Safe. DON’T PUSH REALITY ASIDE: It is what it is. Many don’t want to know what it takes to be secure because it’s inconvenient or limiting. I had a friend whose daughter, after returning home from local club (in a decent area), found that a tracking device had been placed on her roommate. Now, you may not want to hear this but: "Today, going to a club, bar, or anyplace like these, is equivalent to walking down a dark alley alone in a dangerous area!" Would you do that? Many would, but the most secure-minded would never even consider it. Is this horrible? Absolutely…but it is what it is. If you want to take the risk that’s completely up to you. Did these girls ever think it would happen to them? I guarantee you they didn’t but…it did! You need to “believe that it can happen”! “UNPREVENTABLE” IS NOT ALWAYS UNPREVENTABLE Many times, the apparently unpreventable is very preventable. Its seeing things, analyzing what is happening around you (even within your inner circles); seeing changes in behavior and reacting to them; saying something if you see it; reacting to “it doesn’t look or feel right regardless of what anyone else thinks or feels. IN SUMMARY:  The bottom line is that you need to first take security seriously for yourself, make it a lifestyle that those that you are responsible for teaching, like your kids, will learn it because they see you living it. And then…take the time, whatever it needs to be, to build a foundation in your kids at very, very young ages, that they will continue to build upon throughout their lifetime. They really aren’t many things that should take priority over this – especially in today’s world! Free complete and free resource for parents and ways to secure your kids – www.blueusafe.com

APPLE AIRTAG, ITEM TRACKERS, AND PERSONAL SECURITY By Derek Choate We can all agree that the world we live in today is much different than that of even ten years ago. Most of us, when we think about defense, safety, and survival we think about it in a physical sense. This is vital of course, but what we don’t tend to think about as often is technology and the effects that it can have on our safety and survival as well. Technology has advanced, and continues to advance at an alarming rate, and is no longer just “science fiction”. We have seen cars drive themselves, virtual reality become a common household past-time, wrist-worn devices warn us of heart-attacks, and we are able to order everything we need right from the internet without ever leaving our homes. These examples are only the tip of the iceberg, with new advancements coming every single day. Though these advancements in technology are mostly designed for good – to make the everyday person’s life just a little easier – there are always those that will be eager to use them in a way they were not intended. To harm others. Enter the Apple AirTag. The AirTag is a device designed by Apple, and marketed as an item tracker. There are many different types of item trackers out there, all with similar features and technology, but since Apple dominates the tech market we will focus on the AirTag, for now. These devices, slightly larger than a quarter, cost about $29 USD each, with a 4-pack costing $99 USD. AirTags can be placed on anything, anywhere, and can be located via your Apple smart device with striking accuracy. In fact, this accuracy is what sets it apart from its rivals. If we are thinking in a security mindset, we immediately have the thought, “well, what if someone attaches one of these things to one of my belongings? What if I find one on my car, or in my purse?”. Unfortunately, this is already happening at alarming rates BUT, fortunately…Apple thought of that, and does have safety features built into “the system”. Some argue, however, that they didn’t do enough as the illicit use of the AirTag has been spreading in incidents across the country, from Connecticut, to Texas, and everywhere in between. You might be thinking, “this won’t happen to me. No one would want to stalk me”, but let’s remember that most cases of stalking aren’t by strangers, they are by people you already know. Before we address the dangers in more depth, let’s look at how the AirTag works. It’s actually quite simple – the AirTag sends out a Bluetooth signal (which Apple says is secure) that can be detected by nearby devices in Apple’s “Find My” network. These devices will then send the location of your AirTag to iCloud which allows one to use the Find My app to see the AirTag on the map, in real time. In fact, the app almost resembles a compass, complete with a rotating arrow ready to lead you precisely to whatever you are trying to track. Apple states that the whole process is anonymous and encrypted, which is great, but that doesn’t include the human factor. Now, Apple also states that as an additional layer of security, if an AirTag that is not paired with your phone is sensed traveling with you, it will alert you on your phone as well as emit a ping from the unpaired AirTag if it is not found within a certain amount of time. To top it off, it will even give you an option to disable the unwanted AirTags tracking capabilities. This is great, if you have an iPhone. If you own an Android, you will need to take an extra step. Not to mention, we all know that bad things happen can materialize in seconds, so the question is “what if someone gets the location data they need before you get any alerts?” So, the AirTag is a good product with a good purpose, but you can see that it isn’t perfect. If you are an Android user, it’s important to know that Apple does offer an app, specifically designed by Apple for Android called Tracker Detect . Tracker Detect will allow you to manually search for AirTags that may be nearby, and separated from their owners. Reviews for the app, however, state that it is quite limited but still better than nothing. So, if you have an Android you will want to download Tracker Detect and then make it a point to manually scan for devices when leaving places where you may have been vulnerable to victimization, and/or on a regular basis because, anytime you are in close proximity to other people you are vulnerable and they are so simple to plant – just drop them in a coat pocket, bag, purse, etc. The AirTag Alternative There is one primary alternative tracking devive to AirTag – Tile. Tile does basically the same things, but with one major difference – it is designed to work for both Apple and Android. Unlike the AirTag, these devices come in different shapes and sizes. Some look like key fobs, some look like credit cards, while others look like simple little key-chains. Tile also offers a feature that they call “Lost and Found”, which comes in the form of a QR code that you can scan with your own device if you happen to come across a Tile that belongs to someone else. Once scanned, you are given the contact information of the owner of the Tile so that you can return it. Sounds nice, if you’re a nice person. As with Apple, Tile also adds in the option to be able to view the last known location of the object that you are looking for so that you have a reference point. Again, a feature which can be used for good or ill. THE CONCLUSION So, what’s the message here? Should we refrain from using these devices? Will we be putting ourselves or our loved-ones in danger if we do? The answer, like with most things when you have a security-first mindset, is this: Believe that it can happen, pay attention, be mindful, and be careful. These devices, and much about technology in general is extremely helpful, but we need to understand that while they are typically design and utilize for good, there are always those who will find ways to exploit them for personal gain and victimizing others. Some tracking device specific security tips: Keep your head up rather looking at a screen Check your pockets, purse, bags, etc. for such devices Make sure you have the device tracker applications and use them  The bottom line is this: You need to understand that all day, every day, and regardless of where we are, there are people out there that train to victimize us. There are people who want what you have and will stop at nothing to take it from you, regardless of consequences. We need to do what is necessary to make ourselves unattractive as victims so that these threats will find it easier to target the person who doesn’t believe that it will happen to them and thereby make themselves attractive victims. This doesn’t mean that we have to live our lives “in the red” at all times. It means just be truly aware understanding that even when we are, potentially dangerous situations can be difficult to spot. The less aware that we are the more likely we will miss critical cues. Be proactive and be vigilant!

I read an article regarding a local, small town Selectman’s proposal to cut the school district's budget. The following is nothing against the particular town at all but more against the more common trend on what is actually happening nationwide in our school districts. I get the desire (rather than need) to cut budgets. What I don’t in any way get is the decision to include the School Security/Resource Officer positions, and any security-related items in these cuts! Unfortunately, today, this is far too typical as its happening nationwide. Many times, while parents, who are taxpayers, support budget cuts, they rarely play a role in exactly what is cut once the decision is made to cut and, my guess is, that if they did, they would likely object to the decisions that result. In today’s environment, is security really the place to look for cuts? The answer is absolutely – as long as nothing happens and, if it does, there’s no finger-pointing about what wasn’t done to keep our kids secure. Remember this, however: I have schools nationwide tell me regularly that they don’t have “the budgets” to support security enhancements, whether they be technology, training, or anything else. My consistent and unqualified response is – “YES YOU DO!” The question is how you CHOOSE to spend your money. Are activities like prom’s, sports, club’s, activities, etc. worth the tradeoff of exposure to the risk of danger to our teachers and students? Based on the decisions that are being made, apparently it is and, that’s ok, as long as its understood that, if something bad happens that there the consequences will be accepted and owned by those who support these decisions. Do you know that most schools that are doing away with security-related positions are just leaving the responsibilities completely empty? In other words, cut the positions and do nothing to replace the purpose that the position existed in the first place! It’s shameful for anyone to knowingly support this. Again, just remember as long as nothing happens everything is fine but, if it does happen, look no further than the support for the cuts and the decisions on exactly what is being cut.

Think about the question posed in the title of this article: Would you assign C-level and other high level positions to people who have minimal or even no experience or real expertise in them in order to save your company money? Of course, you wouldn’t. Why? Because they are functions of the most critical elements of organizational success and they require high levels of expertise and knowledge. If that’s the case, why would you think it’s ok to assign a critical function like responsibility for the safety and security of your people – employees and clients, to someone who has little and many times even no knowledge or expertise in the profession? Well, it’s fairly simple – to save money! You weigh the risk of something actually happening with the cost of preventing what you consider to be something that will never happen and, in the end, because you’ve never really had a problem you surmise that you never will and there’s your justification. The solution? Assign it to someone who has been hired to do other things like “facilities management” or “human resources”, being the two most common, people with extremely minimal or no knowledge of what it takes to keep people secure. Can you get away with this? Absolutely, and you likely have been for years. Is it the path that contributes most to the bottom line? Absolutely. But if, or when, something happens, this CHOSEN path will contribute heavily to loss of life, physical injury, reputational loss and exposure to liability. IT’S SIMPLE AND COST EFFECTIVE TO CORRECT THIS IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT RESOURCES. Just doing something that appears to go beyond what is necessary and/or expected weighs heavily in you favor. It’s basically insurance – just in case however, it also goes miles with employees and clients to know that you care for them far more than any other companies they can work for or do business with. Truly keeping your employees and clients secure by providing resources becomes one of the best “benefits” you can give them. Blue-U Secure DIY, Assisted DIY, and complete Managed Security programs give you everything you need to significantly enhance ANYTHING you are currently doing – Starting at just $99/month

Significantly enhance your home, family, and kids security in a single day…and then keep it strong for a lifetime! Today’s threat to our personal security, families, and homes are unique, dangerous, and real. Protecting ourselves against these threat require new, innovative, practical, and effective solutions – things that are unrecognized yet critical. Our security is enhanced everywhere when we have a culture that supports prevention and survival of victimization and acts-of-violence at home. When we understand that our security is our own responsibility, and only ours, and that we can never rely on others to keep us secure, this alone does more for us, and our kids, than anything else that we can do. This responsibility is also our if we have children that are too young to do this for themselves however, it must be transferred to them at ages younger than you may have expected. In order to keep your kids secure, you need to be secure yourself. This can be a challenging process because most have no idea how, what, and when to teach their kids about today’s real threats. We have the resources to guide you through this process both individually, and with your kids, a process that can start as young as 5 years old and even younger. And our resources help you start building this foundation at these young ages without talking about violence. It all starts with our One-On-One Home Security Academy. In just a single day we will do more to enhance your home, family, and children’s security than anything your ever done previously and then, well help you build and maintain year-after-year through a variety of resources. This is a high unique and effective program that you must consider. It will be one of the best investments you’ve ever made. Download the brochure: One On One Home Security

Our new managed security program was designed as a solution to a really big problem: Assigned security responsibilities! What does this mean? When companies care greatly for the security of their employees, clients, assets, and reputation but they just cant justify a full-time effort to accomplish it. Assigning the responsibility to someone, or a committee of people, none of whom have any real expertise in what it takes to truly keep people secure, is unacceptable as it can create danger and exposure to liability and further, there is the matter of cost vs reward – what are the real results that you are getting for the time and expense afforded to the effort. Now you can get far better results at a lower real cost. Our Mission: Protected Managed Security program provides you with a team of experts that if you where to hire would cost you millions of dollars, and a check and building of all of the resources that you need to ensure compliance and significantly reduced exposure to the liability that can come as a result of not doing enough. All this for as low as $99/Month! Download the brochure: Mission Protected General Business Managed Security Single Page

Here is a link to the post and comments Comments, as you will note, ranged from supportive, to respectfully against, to advisement of caution, and even harshly against. The problem is that of the comments and advice, from those with very high-level titles, were concerning. I am an organizational and individual security professional and this is a topic that crosses both of these lines. So, I wanted to address it from my perspective. First, let me make this point: I believe that when someone commits a crime, is found guilty, sentenced, and serves out a sentence, they deserve to be treated as if they had never committed a crime. This, however, is “in theory” because, unfortunately it’s not always, nor rarely is it, so simple. Second, there are many convicted felons that are far more trustworthy, and less potentially dangerous, than others who have never been arrested, charged with, or convicted of any crime at all…ever! But…there are also those who commit crimes, serve their sentences, and then do it again, and again, and again. The question with these is “at what point do they no longer deserve to be free of their past or have it hinder them from employment?” So, the statement that is the topic of this article cannot be one that you either support, or not. And then there are these types of questions: Would you be just as open to bringing these same convicted felons into your home? Would you trust them with you most important, and valuable, personal possessions? Would you be as open to hiring them if your loved ones worked where they would be working? I don’t think there are any right or wrong answers to these questions however, many times, people take positions on things that are really only contingent upon them not negatively impacting them personally. Unfortunately, when it comes to the question of hiring convicted felons, or not, there are some significant safety considerations that must be weighed, especially if you have the responsibility for keeping people (employees, students, customers, etc) safe. It takes some in-depth research, requires very strict policies and procedures, and your decision has to be made within the law and your responsibility to keep people, and assets safe. Liability and civil suits are, unfortunately, safety and security concerns because they can impact reputation and financial well-being. So, here’s what I would do if I were considering an applicant with a felony-level criminal record. Keep in mind that, because many times criminal records have little to do with real risk, every potential employee should be screened equally regardless of past. I want to go a bit off on a tangent here because hiring policies and procedures are critical. In law enforcement, unfortunately, how people are hired is really by a process that is only based on pass/fail steps. Let me give you an example of a typical law enforcement hiring process: Written test – pass you move on; fail you don’t PT Test – Pass you move on; fail you don’t Live Oral Interview: A board asks predefined questions, the candidate answers, and each board members scores the applicants answers based on their individual opinions. Some questions have right/wrong answers, and others require explanation. Pass you move on, fail you don’t. Typically following the successful results of the oral boards the candidate is given a “Conditional Offer of Employment” that basically guarantees them a position if they pass all of the remaining step. Psychological Exam – Pass you move on, fail you don’t. Background check: There are numerous things that can be grounds for disqualification and most are clearly defined. Pass you move on, fail you don’t. Polygraph – Pass you move on, fail you don’t. Medical/Physical Examination – Pass you are hired, fail you aren’t Now, here’s what I found in my 15-year law enforcement career. Just because a candidate passed all of these steps, it didn’t really tell us anything about the person. Who they are; what or how they think; what their personal life exists of; their beliefs about the day’s most important issues; do they follow the news; etc., etc., etc. The biggest question that was never determined by the hiring process – “will this person fit well into our agency?”. In other words, will they get along with others, fit the culture, etc. Or…will they complain about everything and disrupt synergy, be fearful, create dangerous situations for others, put the agency at reputational risk? I tried to explain that while a police department is not really a business, it should be run like a business. Law enforcement, much like the military is a profession of black and white policies and procedures. Yes, discretion exists, but, in general, there are policies, procedures, general orders, etc. that must be adhered to. Why did I find it necessary to outline law enforcement hiring procedures? Because they are very strict! Only the best can become law enforcement professionals. BUT…there are many things that cannot be determined by established process that is meant to weed out all but the best. Sometimes, we need to go beyond, and question, industry-standard and/or generally accepted practices. Many times, even advice from those that we consider to be from the highest levels within our respective professions can be wrong and, when everyone accepts what may at time be bad advice, we can have an entire industry that is wrong! This is exactly the case with school and business safety and security! Anyway, back to what I would do if I were faced with a candidate with a felony criminal record: I would first determine what the actual felony conviction was for. How far removed is the candidate from the conviction Are there other things on their criminal record How often were they involved with the law from a criminal perspective Again, your conclusions should really be driven by policy and procedure so that it takes subjectiveness out of the equation. Spend a considerable amount of time with the candidate in a relaxed environment – just talking. You really want to find out who this person is. How much time is it worth dedicating? That’s up to you. The more time spent in advance the safer you will be in the end. References are critical. Ask references for references if law permits. Obviously, a candidate is never going to provide references that they think will say anything negative about them. Ask them about the circumstances of the felony. There are some felonies that do little to change the risk level of a candidate even if they were free of that conviction. Get a pre-established team involved to individually analyze the situation and then collectively make a determination about whether, or not, you will hire the person in question. This prevents a single person decision and better determines overall risk. The bottom line is that this cannot be a predetermined solution. You need to conduct thorough research, revert to your established policies and procedures where applicable and assuming that you have defined them and make a decision based on the totality of the circumstances. And, again, standing up for, or against, a cause is noble… but only when you would stand up equally if it would negatively, or even potentially negatively, impact you and/or your family, or business. In today’s world threats are changing and becoming more dangerous. In today’s world, unfortunately, personal preservation (you, your kids, family, home, business, students, customers, and community) must take precedent over anything else. Today, when it comes to victimization, there are few things that can be considered low-level risk. 

Creating true organizational, and personal, safety and security requires a foundation. These essential “foundations” are rarely established before we set out to achieve our safety and security goals. Without foundation, however, we will never achieve true safety and security. So, what are the solutions? IT STARTS WITH ESTABLISHING GOALS We have to have established goals for what safety and security means to our organization. What exactly are we trying to achieve when we spend time and invest our organizations resources in safety and security-related endeavors? In simpler terms – why are we doing the things that we are doing? Unfortunately, there is a wide-range of reasons that make it difficult to establish a bottom-line goal or, at minimum a manageable number of things that will provide a target. We get from organizations daily requesting our training and/or physical site security assessment services. The first question I will ask the requester is – “why do you want these things done?” The typical responses, following a pause (which immediately tells me that goals haven’t really been considered), are “because it’s required”; “because our employees want it”; or “because that’s what everyone seems to be doing”. Here’s the bottom-line with these types of reasons – none of them are good enough! None of them will ever achieve true organizational safety and security. As a result, we have established a manageable list of goals that, if achieved, will get your organization as close to “true safety and security” as possible. The desire to “truly” keep people safe Mitigate Risk (Prevention) Limit Organizational Exposure to Liability If you can establish and support these goals within your organization, the time and resources invested will pay much bigger dividends. Once these goals are established and embraced, next we have to begin to establish foundation for achieving them. How do we do this? FIRST, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE CANNOT PREVENT ACTS-OF-VIOLENCE FROM HAPPENING IN THEIR ENTIRETY It’s not about the guns… It’s not about the signs that should have told us that the bad guy was “potentially” a bad guy… It’s not about what could have or should have been done… The bottom-line is that regardless of what we do, in the end, we CANNOT AND WILL NOT stop acts-of-violence from “ever” happening. Thinking that any solution(s) will stop these incidents from “ever” happening is no different than thinking we can stop murder, in general, from “ever” happening. Unfortunately, no matter what we do, mass-casualty incidents will continue in our businesses, schools, churches, and homes. SO, WHAT CAN WE DO? We CAN stop or prevent “some” incidents of violence from happening, and we CAN keep more people safe when they do happen. Following yet another horrible tragedy, this time at Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, we immediately begin to hear theories about where things went wrong. How did we allow this to happen? Why were the signs ignored? Why aren’t high capacity firearms banned? What can we do to stop this from ever happening again? The honest truth is that – again, we CANNOT and will not stop these tragedies altogether! The question of how we can stop this from happening again is no different than asking this same question for homicide in general. The difference is that when more people are killed under the same category (homicide), it draws more media attention. Do not be mistaken, there are incidents that can, have been and will be stopped for a variety of reasons – ultra-aware and ultra-vigilant people, those who do “see something and say something”, or law enforcement investigations brought on by tips or reports. Those and various other reasons have successfully stopped mass-casualty incidents; however, there is no way to prevent 100% of incidents. In the instance of the recent shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, let’s look at the practicality of dealing with “all of the signs that were present to indicate that this was going to happen” and “this could have been avoided.” Nikolas Cruz was: Expelled for disciplinary problems a year prior Known for shooting/harming animals Grieving the loss of his father and adoptive mother Captivated by guns and knives Angry First, it’s important to keep in mind that there are literally hundreds to possibly millions of people who would fall into either all or just some of these “signs-of-danger” categories.” We must then add in the hundreds, if not thousands, of additional possible signs that were not present in Cruz but might be in other potential threatening people. The question is then presented: Who exactly should be responsible for determining persons who should be of concern, identifying what “danger signs” should trigger a response, following through with making the determination about whether or not this person needs attention, and finally deciding how much attention and what length of time this attention needs to be placed on the person in question. What would an effort like this require? To start, it would require tremendous resources that would cost an enormous amount of money possibly generated through mandated excises. It would also require changes in our current laws in order to be truly effective. Remember, we have a Constitution and laws that protect people including those who are “potentially” a threat to others. Many argue that it is law enforcement’s responsibility to investigate potentially dangerous people. We do not disagree with that; however, many times, regardless of concern, there is very little that law enforcement can legally do as follow-up after making these determinations. Because law enforcement officers cannot arrest or charge people based on theory, “danger signs”, or erratic behavior, without first having compiled evidence that a crime has been committed, there is little to nothing that officers can do beyond simple initial questioning. To continue our hypothesis of being able to avoid this shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, let’s assume that someone, or a group of professionals, had made the determination that because Cruz had all of the above signs, he was “potentially” dangerous. What steps would be taken next? At this point in our theory, he has not done anything criminal (no single sign above is considered illegal), and he still may never, and likely will never do anything criminal or of harm to anyone else. For now, the potential danger that he poses is simply a “concern” based on personal or professional judgment. In this case let’s assume that we have taken every feasible step with Cruz, within the confines of the law. Now what? Should we now designate someone, possibly a law enforcement officer, to follow him around every day for the rest of his life based on “professional concern”? Or should we simply lock him up for the rest of his life “just to be safe”? That may sound like a great solution – until it’s you or someone that you love and care about that is seen as being “potentially” dangerous and is followed or locked-up as a result. What about the guns? This is simple – it has nothing to do with the guns. Guns aren’t magic tools that aim and shoot themselves. We can debate the numerous different aspects of these incidents and how to prevent them from happening again, and we should do this because it will ultimately save lives; however, we must never forget that we simply CANNOT stop it completely. It will happen again and again regardless of our efforts to try and stop it. “In spite of the fact that we cannot or will not prevent acts-of-violence from happening in their entirety, it doesn’t mean that we should try! It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do everything to make ourselves unattractive as victims!” Terry L Choate, Jr – Co-Founder, CEO/President of Blue-U Defense SO, WHAT CAN/SHOULD WE DO? First: We have to believe that it can happen to us! If we don’t believe that it can happen to us, any training that we receive will go in one ear and directly out the other. Is it likely to happen to us? No, it’s not. But is it possible? Absolutely! And it seems to be becoming more-and-more possible every day. Second: Establish the responsibility for safety and security. Safety, security, training, etc. is our personal responsibility. We cannot expect our businesses, schools, churches, etc. to give us the training and tools to keep ourselves, our children, and our families safe. It is OUR responsibility and duty, to do whatever is necessary to train ourselves and our loved ones to give us/them the best chance of surviving a sudden, unplanned incident of violence. Third: We have to create a culture of safety within our businesses, schools, churches, and homes. Safety has to be something that is taken very seriously by organizations that serve and employ others. There MUST be time devoted to training, clear and realistic policy, procedure, and plan development. We cannot, however, expect employees, students, congregations, etc. to turn this culture on when they arrive at work/school/church and then turn it off when they leave. This Culture of Safety has to start at home with our children and families. It has to be lived everywhere, all of the time. When we create this “culture of safety” at home it significantly enhances security of everyone, everywhere. Fourth: We have to secure our facilities and have a way to covertly communicate a problem to everyone within our facility within fractions of a second. These critical elements are solved through reality-based security surveys that focus not on “technology” (alarms, cameras, badge-readers, etc.), but on the resources that we currently have available to us. True security is about people, not technology. Your building is your building, your layout is your layout, and your resources are your resources. The focus needs to be on creating an overall plan/program that makes the best use of what you already have – people! Fifth: We have to know what a threat is likely to do in our specific facility If we don’t establish what a threat is likely to do inside of our specific facility, based on testing under reality-based conditions, we cannot possibly effectively secure our facility. Sixth: We have to develop, or further develop, policy and procedure that is truly based on reality. Policy and procedure are designed to guide our employees as to what they are expected to do if some specified “thing” happens. What typical policy/procedure fails to take into account is “Will our natural reaction as human beings allow for the response that the policy/procedure is expecting”? In far too many cases, the answer is “no, they do not”. If that is determined to be the case, then we have a problem that needs to be corrected immediately. This also means evaluating our Emergency Plans to ensure that they are going to work based on reality. We work with so many organizations which all have Emergency Preparedness Plans. The problem: They are predominantly based on things that look great on paper but will not work in reality. And if they will not work in reality, they have little value. You must review your Emergency Plans and make sure that they make sense and will work! Seventh: Understand that we cannot develop a plan for an act-of-violence Plans are typically based entirely on assumptions. As a result, we plan to these assumptions but then, reality strikes, and the things that we assumed would happen do not. Even if one minor detail of our assumptions was inaccurate, suddenly everything that went into our plan becomes worthless. So, we cannot develop a plan for an act-of-violence. Further, many believe that policy and procedure equal’s a plan. Unfortunately, this in far from true. We have clients that have incredibly good workplace violence/active shooter policy and procedure, but when we approach employees with various scenarios and what they might do under such circumstances, they cannot form any solutions. This problem can, and should, be corrected. How do we accomplish this? By developing “thinkers”. Thinkers are those with the expertise to “react” most appropriately under highly dynamic circumstances and make decisions based on the circumstances are they are facing them at the time. Developing “thinkers” means establishing the individual responsibility for safety and security, and then providing the educational and training resources to become proficient “thinkers” Drilling is another great tool however, with drills, participants know this is a drill and that there is no real danger. As a result, the chaos that is inherent in a real incident is not effectively replicated in traditionally run drills. We have unique ways to create this chaos without adding any elevated levels of danger to the drills that we conduct and give them far more real educational value. Finally: Be Aware. Be Prepared. Ultra-awareness, ultra-vigilance all of the time. We need understanding and training that is designed to truly keep people safe. We can no longer “train for the sake of saying that we trained”. We cannot throw solutions out to people that are designed to solve problems that the recipients of the solutions do not understand. We need training that empowers people to understand that they CAN win knowing nothing more than what they already know: that technique-based solutions only work in controlled environments where opponents are allowing them to work and that continuous education is critical to avoid the perishability of this type of training that keeps this “culture of safety”. Ultimately, the topic of workplace violence, the number two cause of death in men in the workplace, and the number one cause of death in women in the workplace, and active shooter, must remain a top-priority for our businesses, schools, churches, families, etc. We have to stop making this important only when a tragic incident occurs. We have to stop thinking that it’s not going to happen. We have to stop putting it off in favor of other things. Likely, it will never happen. But if and when it does, and we are not appropriately prepared as individuals, or organizations, we will have some very serious problems to deal with. 

A very common question today, and especially within the past couple of weeks since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: Should I buy/carry a firearm? HERE’S MY ANSWER/OPINION: Firearm and ammunition sales, and correspondingly pistol permit applications, in the United States are very suddenly at an all-time as a result of the fear that the COVID-19 pandemic has created. Think about how life has changed in two short weeks! In fact, right now, we are truly on the edge of chaos and, whether or not we will actually get to chaos, or not, is still out for verdict. The fact, however, is that regardless of who you are; how you’ve thought in the past; and whether, or not, you were an advocate of gun ownership, you are likely, at minimum, thinking about whether or not a firearm might be of value in your current and future safety and security needs. You, if you are like so many people, are concerned about the very real possibility of having to defend yourself against people who are trying to survive, protect, and provide for their families and, many of you may have recently added a firearm to your safety and security toolbox. The fact that gun and ammo sales are very suddenly at an all-time high, likely means that many of those who have been anti-gun, are now actually buying them for themselves. Why? Because suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it has become completely clear to everyone that their personal safety and security could be in jeopardy. The change comes quickly when we actually believe that we can become victims and might need a firearm to protect ourselves and/or our loved-one’s. The reaction creates that “oh, now I get it” revelation. You see, it’s very easy to be against something that we don’t feel we’d ever need, want, or have interest in ourselves? My personal comparison would be to that of alcoholic beverages. I rarely consume alcoholic beverages and, in fact, I could care less if I never had another. Here’s a fact about alcoholic beverages: They are responsible for far, far, far more deaths in this country each day, and year, than firearms; it’s not even close! So, this being fact, why is there no discussion or consideration about banning alcoholic beverages with the same intensity as there is with guns? The foundational argument about guns centers around the care about loss of life and injury and, again, it is far greater with alcoholic beverages than with guns. So I would conclude that if you truly care about the causes of loss of life and injury then you should be a very strong advocate for the banning of alcoholic beverages; and even in far greater intensity than with guns. So, because I don’t rely on alcoholic beverages, I don’t want them, have an interest in them, or care if they exist; just like the majority of people who are anti-gun, feel about guns, I am a strong advocate for banning alcoholic beverages. Now, I admit, that if it was suddenly determined that alcoholic beverages could destroy cancer, prevent it, or save lives I would likely very quickly change my mind, especially if it could have a direct and positive impact on my own personal life or the life of someone that I love and care about. This is exactly the reason why, very suddenly, many who were anti-gun are suddenly buying them for themselves – because they suddenly realize that owning a firearm could have a positive impact on their own safety and security. And, in all honesty, I am not for the banning of alcoholic beverages! I was only using it to create a point. Alcoholic beverages are not the cause of deaths; it’s the people who irresponsibly consume it and the things that they do after irresponsibly consuming it that causes death. Alcoholic beverages are no more the cause of drunk driving deaths than the automobiles that are involved. THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS? The other side of this is that you are someone who possessed firearms prior to this new, potentially materializing threat. In other words, you saw the potential value in a firearm as a safety and security tool well before a threat materialized. You were proactive rather than reactive. As a result, you are in a far better position than those who are now reacting. It’s what you’ve done with that firearm between the time that you gained possession of it, until now, that will determine whether or not it’s a good idea for you to have or carry it. As you are about to see, however, you very likely should not possess, and definitely should not carry, a firearm! Don’t be offended by this because it applies to well over 90% of all firearm owners. Understanding this, however, could save your life. HERE’S THE OTHER PROBLEM: For those who are buying firearms reactively, right now, it will be virtually impossible, at least in the very near future, to get any training at all, let alone all of the training and resources that will be needed. SO, IN GENERAL: There are very, very, very few people who possess the real skills needed to responsibly carry or own a firearm! I’ll emphasize this again – very, very, very few people! IS THIS GUY IMPRESSIVE? Picture yourself at your local firearm range. A guy comes in, takes the lane right next to you, and begins to unpack his “range bag”. What does he have in it? Numerous different pistols, maybe a shotgun, and maybe even a rifle (depending on the range); he’s got some ammunition; some high-tech headphones that allow him to talk in normal voice while they block out the harmful noise; protective glasses; maybe some tactical or other type of gloves; targets, stapler/tape, etc. Now, as he points the muzzle in a safe direction, down range (rather than down) he locks the slide of each firearm back to demonstrate his understanding of safe handling and compliance with range rules, lays them on the counter, and preloads his magazines for convenience. He attaches his target to the automatic carrier, pushes a button, and then watches it travel away from him until it gets to the ideal distance for him at which time, he releases the button and stops the target. Next, he picks up his firearm, inserts a magazine, gets into a comfortable position, releases the slide, disengages the safety, places his finger on the trigger and……you thought I was gonna say that he starts shooting. But no, because his target is still moving back and forth because of the moment stoppage as he moved his target, he waits for it to stop moving (because the movement will detract from his accuracy) and only then does he start to shoot. Slow…controlled breathing…line up the sights…smooth trigger pull…trigger rese…and so on. He fires 8-20 rounds (firearm dependent) out of a magazine before its empty and the slide locks back. The result? A really small, tightly clustered 1” group. WOW. Impressive! That guy is really skilled right? Absolutely not! Anyone can do that under these circumstances. Anyone! And it doesn’t even take much practice. The other thing that is important to understand is that if this guy doesn’t practice, very regularly, even this fairly easily achieved “skill” will quickly perish. This is the important question that needs to be asked about this “skill”: Does he possess the same skills when his heart rate is 175bpm+ due to very high-level stress; can he do it under highly dynamic, dangerous, and changing circumstances; can he do it when he’s moving; can he do it when his target is moving; can he do it when both he and his target is moving; can he do it when all of these conditions exist? The answer? Absolutely, 100%, not. The most important of these conditions, the one that impacts ability the most? The elevated heart rate. How do you train for that? The answer is, it takes a lot of work, effort, time, equipment, and the right facilities to accomplish this. In general, this means law enforcement, military, and very specific professions. The fact is that very few have the means to acquire the physical skills but, even more importantly, the mental capacity and decision-making skills that will be necessary under the circumstances as they will be faced when they are needed. Here’s the bottom line: If you make a wrong decision, even if well-meaning, and someone gets hurt under circumstances that didn’t justify them getting hurt, and it was at your hand and based on a bad decision or lack of appropriate skill, you will be prosecuted and potentially sent to prison and, even if not prison in the end, the process to acquittal will destroy your life and the life or your family. And further, there are many, many more things that will play a role in the potential consequences, or lack thereof. You would not believe the results of many of the stand your ground and/or self-defense cases, what was argued, and how judges and juries responded to these arguments. The bottom line is that there is no cut-and-dry case! Ever or under any circumstances! In fact, we have a 4-hour long course on Stand Your Ground and Responsible Firearm Ownership that takes that long to explain all of the dangers and risks that come with firearm carry and ownership. THIS WILL SURPRISE YOU: Regardless of who you are, how tough, capable, and able you think yourself to be to defend yourself or take the life of another, you will likely hesitate, and maybe too long. Unless you’ve been there and know what it feels like, you cannot know for certain and should never assume yourself to be able. I have seen some of the apparently most capable and tough people absolutely fold under high stress circumstances. Seriously, don’t assume yourself capable of things you might not be capable of; it could cause you your life or the life of someone you love and care about. SO, WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN? If you are going to carry or possess a firearm, make sure it is a very well-informed decision and that you commit yourself to finding the resources that will be required to raise your skill levels in both shooting and decision-making under realistic, very high-stress circumstances. This truly does equate to a lot of time and investment. HERE’S THE GOOD THING: In my opinion, you don’t need a firearm in order to defend yourself, or your home. Does it help? Absolutely. The more tools the better. And I should emphasize that there is a vast difference between having a firearm in your home and carrying one. Everything that I have outlined as concern still applies in your home. It just applies differently because we are far less likely to need them within our homes and, if we do, it is likely (not guaranteed) we’ll have circumstances that would likely be more easily considered self-defense. Again, keep in mind that I said “likely” – not guaranteed. If you take our Stand Your Ground Course (coming soon in Blue-U Safe Kids, Family, Community) you will understand exactly why this is. In fact, all of the educational and training resources in Blue-U Safe Kids, Family, and Community are designed to provide practical, effective solutions to both prevention and survival. So, before you make the decision to own or carry a firearm, just make certain that you are well versed in law, skill, mental capacity, and much more. I love guns! I only want people to understand the responsibility and risk that accompanies owning and carrying them. SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHINGREAL SOLUTIONS TO TRUE SAFETY – ENOUGH OF “DOING THINGS JUST TO SAY WE DID SOMETHING”