blue-u-defense-20251002134538

WHAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 13:22:55 GMT

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

https://www.foxcarolina.com/2022/03/31/deputies-ems-responding-greenville-county-school/

ARE YOU BEING TRACKED?

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 13:22:54 GMT

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!

NOT UNUSUAL, BUT SHAMEFUL – WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 13:22:53 GMT

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.

WOULD YOU ASSIGN C-LEVEL POSITIONS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE MINIMAL OR EVEN NO EXPERTISE IN THEM IN ORDER TO SAVE MONEY??

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 20:52:58 GMT

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

THE ONE-ON-ONE HOME SECURITY ACADEMY

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 13:22:52 GMT

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

BLUE-U DEFENSE MISSION: PROTECTED MANAGED SECURITY BROCHURE

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 13:22:51 GMT

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

HIRING A FELON. IN RESPONSE TO A LINKEDIN POST

Sun, 01 May 2022 13:22:50 GMT

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.

REAL SOLUTIONS TO TRUE SAFETY – ENOUGH OF “DOING THINGS JUST TO SAY WE DID SOMETHING”

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:22:49 GMT

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.

FIREARMS! ARE THEY THE ANSWER TO PERSONAL PROTECTION? YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED BY THE ANSWER

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 13:22:48 GMT

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”

WHEN IT COMES TO VICTIMIZATION, VIOLENCE, SAFETY, AND SECURITY…..

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 13:22:47 GMT

If we “believe that it can happen”, it likely won’t happen. If we don’t “believe that it can happen” the chances of it actually happening increase significantly!

Why? Because if we “believe that it can happen“ we will do things to make ourselves unattractive as potential victims. We will be more aware, more prepared, and the result will be noticable and obvious – potential threats will see it and “move on to” someone else.

If we don’t “believe that it can happen” we will do nothing and the result will be just as obvious. We will be that “someone else” that criminals move on to when they pass by those who do “believe that it can happen” and therefore are not attractive victims.

The number one most critical element of establishing true safety and security?

Believing that it can happen!

If you don’t you will do nothing to ensure your personal, family, home, or business safety and security.

TODAYS NUMBER ONE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE – REGARDLESS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION TYPE?

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 13:22:45 GMT

By Terry L Choate, Jr – CEO/President of Blue-U Defense

IT’S NOT YOUR PRODUCT, SERVICE, OR PRICE. IT’S SAFETY AND SECURITY!

In an American Psychological Association study, millennials ranked “stress caused by concerns for their personal safety and security” a top workplace issue. That was 7 years ago! Today, safety and security are even higher priorities… for everyone! The fact is, however, that it shouldn’t take a study to understand this because safety and security are top priorities of every human-being starting immediately from the time that we are old enough to understand threats, hurt, pain, danger, and death and how they impact us.

Have you ever heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need’s?

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. … From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Safety (security) needs is directly above physiological needs, or, the very basics of life – air, food, water, shelter, clothing.

Everyone wants to be safe and secure – always! It is a core need that creates fear in today’s world. It’s how seriously we take it and the consistency of how seriously we take that really matters, however. Think about it – you likely assume safety and security; or place the responsibility on others; and it’s not until a newsworthy tragedy strikes that it bumps your concern to a point where you actually think about it and consider doing more. From here forward, we have to leave that way of running our personal and business safety and security to our competitors because in order to be better, we have to take it seriously all of the time. We have to do more all of the time.

So, from a business perspective, wouldn’t it make sense to focus significant effort on fulfilling, at minimum, one of these needs in some way, shape, or form and, ideally, all of them? All of decisions that we make as a business regarding products, services, policies, budgets, investment should start with considering the impact they will have on one or more of these five needs. Again, they are the core needs of life. So, if we can appeal to these needs more successfully than our competitors, and market it effectively, we should experience growth at the expense of our competitors, right? Or at least until they catch on but you know that first is typically always best.

Although all of the needs are important, our business is real safety and security so I am going to focus on safety needs and what a focus on them can mean for your business. Not what looks and sounds good on paper, rather, what really works. The safety and security we are talking about is different than what your competitors are doing. The safety and security we are talking about mean true safety and security and, if marketed as such, will create significant competitive advantages.

THE CONTRAST BETWEEN TWO BUSINESSES COMPETING FOR THE SAME CLIENT

WHAT ARE YOUR COMPETITORS DOING? OR, NOT DOING?

First, your competitors are dealing with safety and security based purely on compliance and meeting regulation and, as a result, your competitors are not really keeping people safe because compliance and regulation do not equate to real safety and security. Compliance and regulation equate to minimal expense and effort; just enough to make sure that we don’t get fined or sanctioned. You see, your competitors likely don’t want to spend a dime or minute more on safety and security than what they are required to spend. Your competitors don’t think for a second about whether or not their employees and clients are really safe, or not. Your competitors likely assume safety and security. Why? Because they don’t really believe that anything will ever happen. What keeps your competitors awake at night? Everything but safety and security! In your competitors organization when an employee sees another violating a policy, procedure, rule or regulation, they don’t think it’s their business and let management handled it. In your competitors organization their employees likely don’t even know their policies, procedures, rules and regulations.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, IN CONTRAST?

You truly care about safety and security. You are investing time and money in training (both clients and employees), technology, policies and procedures. You are doing far more than “minimum required” for compliance and/or regulation. You are creating a culture that supports true safety and security and engages all employees to be a part of that culture. In your organization, employees police each other because they realize that if one person does something that they are not supposed to do, or conversely doesn’t do something that they are supposed to do, it jeopardizes the safety and security of every other person within that organization. In other words, when one sees another violating a policy, procedure, rule or regulation, they deal with it because, in your organization, your employee and clients know your policies and procedure, rules and regulations. In your organization, it is immediately clear that your clients, employees, residents, and students safety and security is a top priority.

Do you see the importance of the difference between you, and them? The key is that those that you are trying to attract know these differences. Safety and security has to be a top priority and it needs to be marketed as the significant competitive advantage that it is.

Think about this:

You are a potential client of a nursing home, or student of a university. You have narrowed your choices to three candidates and, in virtually every category except one, they are completely equal. That one category of difference is elevated safety and security processes, training, technology, etc. That organization tells you that it is a bit more difficult to visit their facility, enter it, check in, move about, etc. than either of the other two; there is safety and security training that is required in order to be a resident, student, or visitor of your organization but….it’s all because you care about your safety and security, the safety and security of your loved-ones, your children, visitors, etc. Which of the three would you choose to do business with? I think its complete obvious.

Today, we will happily sacrifice convenience for safety and security!

Here’s the deal:

From the moment a potential client or employee engages with your business it should be completely clear that you care about not only their safety and security but the safety and security of their families; it should be completely clear that you don’t only care about their safety and security while they are at work, but while they are away from work as well.

So, where safety and security are typically considered non-revenue-generating expenses, you can, and should, look at it differently and make it a significant competitive advantage.

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:22:44 GMT

EVERYONE KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF “SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING”.

It’s drilled into our heads over-and-over again, especially following a tragic incident like that which just happened at Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, FL. And I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t believe that “see something, say something” is anything but the right thing to do. But think about this:

In spite of our strong agreement with, and commitment to the “see something, say something” doctrine, the question is – “do we really do it?”

Unfortunately, in too many cases the answer is “no”. Why? Because we don’t want to be wrong. We don’t want to unnecessarily harm someone else or create issues for them. We don’t trust our instincts. And too many times, we just don’t want to take the time to do it.

If we don’t start to change the way we think and stop being concerned about being wrong, if we don’t stop worrying about the inconvenience or time required to do it, we will fail as a nation in truly keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe.

NEXT QUESTION:

Are we truly paying attention and even looking for potential problems or threats?

Again, the answer is typically “no”. Why? Because we don’t think it’s going to happen to us and we are just too busy tied up in our own worlds.

If we want to start to create a “culture of safety and security” it needs to be everyone’s responsibility! Not only for ourselves, our families, and those closest to us, but for the safety and security of everyone.

Please pay attention, look for potential problems and threats and do something when you even suspect a potential problem. This is one extremely critical element in stopping these tragic incidents from happening. Its everyone’s responsibility.

A REAL PLAN FOR SCHOOL SAFETY

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:22:43 GMT

Read the full document A Real Plan For School Safety by Terry Choate

WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES NEED DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES – AND MOVING FORWARD

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:22:42 GMT

Wow. It’s unbelievable how the world has changed in less than 2 weeks! Moving forward, I think that things will be drastically different, at least for the short term and until we all get comfortable again and go right back to our “it will never happen” mentalities that far too many are comfortable with; mentalities that result in us being unprepared when reality strikes. It’s also unlikely that it will change the way budgets items are prioritized within organizations where safety and security-related items, because they don’t generate revenue, will go no further than bare minimums in order to meet regulation and compliance. This type of safety and security protocol really means nothing – it’s little more than a formality and does not equate to true safety and security.

We (Blue-U Defense) are always emphasizing the most critical of the foundational elements of establishing true safety and security – “believing that it can happen”. While “believing that it can happen” is the most critical element of establishing true safety and security however, it is also the element that is lacking most, in most people and companies. This has to change NOW, and it has to a universal change that includes individuals for the good of their own personal safety and security, parents for the good of their children’s safety and security, and businesses for the good of their employees and client’s safety and security.

Here’s the question that you have to understand the answer to:

RIGHT NOW, why are so many people extremely afraid and concerned about their short and long-term well-being?

The answer is simple – because they didn’t “believe that something like this could, or would, ever happen”- and it did happen! Now, they are reacting while those that were proactive because they “believed that it could happen” are in a much greater position of advantage and therefore a much greater position of safety and security than those who are reacting at a time when it’s almost too late.

Now, do you still think those “survivalists” are “crazy and irrational” people? Or, are you regretful for not being “crazy and irrational” yourself?

Keep in mind that I am not only referring to the current crisis (COVID-19) when I talk about “believing that it can happen!” I’m talking about any crisis or incident of violence; I’m talking about victimization of those who may only have been victimized because they never thought it could, or would, happen to them and therefore they left themselves open and vulnerable.

My hope is that, as we move past this, whether as an individual, parent, school, or business we will never look at safety, security, preparedness, target hardening, etc. as just another expense that’s not justified by risk. It only takes once and, I’m telling you this will happen again and it will likely be much worse than this was!

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

Employers are laying off, cutting hours, having employees work-from-home…In essence trying to maintain the safety and security of employees and clients while doing everything possible to maintain a viable business. In the end, however, when we get through this, and we will get through it, we want our employees to come back to work for us. The risks are that they will find work with companies that are still providing employment during this time and won’t come back to us when this is over. In order to keep people interested we need to think about what their currents need’s and fears are? Likely income generation, and personal, family, and community safety and security. My guess is that most of your employees are more concerned about what they will do if this is a longer-term problem and assuming it will be a longer term problem than they are assuming that it will end in time for everything to be ok and go back to normal. In other words, most people believe that this is going to be a long-term rather than a short-term problem and, as a result, they are likely looking at options to solve this challenge and, in many cases, not finding the resources for information and expertise to solve it.

On the other hand, America is coming together, and everyone is participating and doing their part to get us through this with as little damage and disruption as possible. Whether or not the effort is successful remains to be seen.

SO, WHAT CAN WE DO TO KEEP OUR EMPLOYEES INTERESTED IN US? GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES THAT CAN BENEFIT THEM – RIGHT NOW!

Here are some ideas:

I think that there are a couple of elements that we have to consider when looking for solutions to these problems. The first is understanding what people’s current needs and concerns are and finding creative, even profitable ways, to fulfill them and secondly, keeping them involved in things that make them feel important and a part of your company’s ability to survive and thrive once we get through this.

So, with this in mind, consider some of the following possibilities:

POLICY/PROCEDURE REVIEW

If you are like many of our clients, your policies and procedures need review. When is the last time you really reviewed the details of your organizations policies and procedures? Are they still relevant? Are they full of things that addressed issues that you may have faced years ago but no longer exist today? Are they “reality-based”? In other words, will they really work under the circumstances in which they will be faced, or are they little more than “they look good on paper but will not work if reality ever strikes?”.

Policies and Procedures are critical and, should something ever happen, they will play a significant role in our level of exposure to liability. So, it’s critical that you make sure your policies and procedures are up-to-date.

Why not have your employees review them and providing feedback? This is a great time to get this done and again, if you’re like most other companies, you need it and, again, it would likely make your employees feel like they actually mean something because you are asking them to play a role in improvement.

COMPANY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES REVIEWS

It’s always critical to evaluate your company’s products, services, and delivery methods. Now is a great time to take a look at them and determine whether, or not, they are still valid and profitable, or do they need improvement. Are there things that you are not offering that you should be offering? During normal times it’s difficult to involve our employees in this process. Currently however, it may be a perfect time. Sometimes that most incredible ideas come from those you least expect them to come from. Who better to play a role in this process than your employees – all of them!

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SURVEYS

Understanding how your customers see you, what’s important to them, how they feel you can improve, new products or services that could be beneficial to them, etc. is critical. Now would be a great time to make personal contact with them. Who better to have this contact than those who work for them – your employees!

PROCESS REVIEWS

Your employees are on the frontlines of your organizations processes, procedures, and customer contact. Many times, employees don’t play a role in improvement because they aren’t asked. Allow them an opportunity to present ideas that could improve the qualities and efficiencies of your processes and procedures and/or create a better work environment and/or culture.

GIVE THEM RESOURCES THAT WILL APPLY TO THEIR SAFETY AND SECURITY NOW, WHEN THEY ARE MOST CONCERNED

Right now, your employees are concerned about their personal and family safety and security. Giving them resources that address these primary concerns can go a long way towards maintaining their loyalty to you. Blue-U Safe Kids, Family, Community is a perfect solution!

ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES WHILE THEY ARE AWAY FROM WORK?

Not legally. But you are if you care about them and their true value to your company! Employees are your number one asset and I doubt there would be little argument about that. So, the question is are they any less important while they are away from work then while they are at work? If you lose them to an accident, illness, incident of violence etc. while they are away from work you are still losing a critical asset of your company. So, the safety and security resources that you provide them should cover as many things that could impact them while they are from work as while they are at work. In addition, providing them resources that are designed to keep them, and their families, safe while they are away from work shows them that you truly care about them; that they are more than just “an employee”. Again, Blue-U Safe is designed to cover safety and security both at work, and away from work.

IN SUMMARY

Now is the time to think ahead. The employers that truly care will, and are. Its easy to say “we are in our pandemic mode and therefore can’t, or more likely won’t, entertain these types of resources right now”. That’s potentially very short-sighted. We will get back to business again. The companies that utilize this time to improve, and take care of their employees, will come back stronger than they were when this started and maybe even in an elevated position as a leader in your industry.

For information on how to become a member of Blue-U Safe contact:

Terry L Choate, Jr

CEO/President of Blue-U Defense

tchoatejr@blue-u.com

COVID-19 HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO CHAOS

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 13:22:42 GMT

COVID-19 – How Close Are We to Chaos and What Does It Mean?

One of our core messages, in our quest to achieve true safety and security, is the need to establish a foundation. While there are numerous elements required in order to establish the foundation for true and security, the most critical element is “believing that it can happen”. Why? Because if you don’t “believe that it can happen” you will never do what is necessary to properly prevent and prepare for it actually happening. Typically, this is what most people are lacking. And then – it does happen; and because we never thought it would happen, we become victims.

Survivalists are “crazy, irrational people!”

Or so many of us always thought.

I want you to consider just how close we sit, right now, to absolute pandemonium, chaos, and lawlessness (or, depending on how far removed you are from March 18, 2020 when I am writing this article, how close we came). Right now, we are teetering on the edge of things turning very, very challenging and, the fact that we are still just teetering, does not mean that it won’t get there.

In fact, what you are likely doing right now is no different than what these “crazy, irrational people” did prior to the actual problem becoming a problem. So, given the fact that you ARE doing exactly what they WERE doing, I guess that means you’re “crazy and irrational”, right? The only real difference is that those “crazy, irrational people” or “survivalists” were prepared in advance of the problem and therefore don’t need to panic when others are. This becomes a significant advantage for them.

So, what was/is the real difference between you, and them?

They “believe(d) that it could happen” and you don’t/didn’t!

And, so it goes with so many things in our lives – “it’s never going to happen to us so it’s not worth a second of our time or effort to prepare”. This is true in both businesses, and our personal lives.

Our Responsibilities as Parents?

As parents, we have some primary responsibilities:

Love our kids
Provide for our kids
Educate our kids
Keep our kids safe and secure

And….Keep ourselves safe so that we are here and able to perform these responsibilities for our kids. Think about oxygen mask usage on an airplane – we are instructed to put our own masks on first, and then assist our kids, and others with getting theirs on. Why? Because if we don’t get ours on we may not be capable of helping our kids.

Now, this is important to understand:

Think about what you have, or haven’t, done in preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has, or might ultimately impact your kids? Depending on your level of response in advance, and as the challenge continues, the impact could be either positive, or negative.

One thing I can be most assured of without knowing anything about you is that, from a few days ago forward, you have likely changed what you do, as a normal course of life. In fact, many of the things these “crazy, irrational people” did, you are now doing and may continue to do forever, although maybe not to the same extent. But, then again, maybe you will do it to the same extent depending on how concerned you are and, more importantly, how concerned you will stay which is critical to understand as well because it presents a significant obstacle – once the problem dissipates, our levels of concern typically die considerably – WE DON’T ALWAYS LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES! My hope is that you will change things; at least to some extent.

The real question that must be asked is:

“have I fulfilled my primary responsibilities as a parent and protected my kids?”

And, even if you have up until now, how long would that continue if this problem continues?

COVID-19 has created highly unfortunate circumstances that are directly related to how we think, in general, and what needs to change moving forward. This is not only COVID-19 and the specific challenge that we now face. It’s about many more, equally important things in life that could, when not properly prepared for or recognized, negatively impact not only ourselves, but those we love and care for most.

What if this continues?

Is prevention and survival of an incident of violence still not worthy of your time and effort? Do you still think it will never happen?

Here’s the deal – Violence is reality and, what is happening now, depending upon the outcome, could substantially increase your vulnerability to violence and victimization.

If you are a parent, how seriously your kids take prevention and survival of major incidents and acts-of-violence will all be based on how seriously you take it. If it means nothing to you, it will assuredly mean nothing to them. If that’s ok with you, then so be it, but understand that as your children go through life, they will have a much higher chance of being victimized than those who learn from parents that were not ok with it.

What to do now?

As we find ourselves in a time where we likely have time to do things that we might not normally have, use it to teach, instruct, and guide your kids. Make sure they understand what is happening, what you did or didn’t do to properly prepare for what we are experiencing, and how you could do things better to prevent and prepare for the future. Its ok if your kids see and feel your concern because this is how they learn – from us. Again, if we aren’t concerned, they won’t be either.

So, start to change the way that you think and feel about preparation, prevention, and survival of major incidents and acts-of-violence. Start to teach and instruct your kids; to establish and build upon a foundation of true safety and security that they can improve upon for the rest of their lives. These are life-safety skills. If they don’t start with you, and are not instilled in them at a very young age, the chances of them being a part of your children are very low.

Blue-U Safe provides the resources that you need to keep your kids and families safe! For more information on how to become a member of Blue-U Safe contact:

Terry L Choate, Jr

CEO/President of Blue-U Defense

tchoatejr@blue-u.com

SECURITY SOLUTION MYTH: COMPLIANCE = SECURITY

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 13:22:40 GMT

So many believe that if they are “in compliance” with industry rules and regulations, that they have “achieved security”. This, unfortunately, is FAR from fact! Compliance does not equate to real security. What does compliance mean? That you have done what you are required to do and, as a result, you will not be fined or sanctioned by governing bodies for not being in compliance. That’s it! Does compiance equal immunity from liability? Absolutely not. When it comes to liability, being in compliance is critical however, there are far too many things, when it comes to safety and security, that compliance and regulation do not address.

The question is really this:

Do you really want to keep your employees and/or clients safe and secure or do you just want to feel like you are keeping them safe and secure? Feeling like they are safe and secure is simple – just be in compliance. Really and truly keeping them safe and secure needs to go well beyond compliance and regulation. In reality, there is very, very little correlation between the two and, if something were to happen, and the victims attorney (because you will be sued) has the right people investigating, there is a high likelihood of being found negligent for not doing enough and, more importantly, not seeing the potential danger that resulted in victimization.

If you truly want to keep people safe and limit exposure to liability, you have to do more than what is required and, the more you do beyond “required” the safer and more secure people will be and the lower your exposure to liability.

DO YOU TRAIN YOUR CUSTOMERS/MEMBERS IN ROBBERY PROTOCOL?

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 13:22:39 GMT

If the answer to this question is no, your efforts to train your employees in robbery protocol may not be accomplishing much!

Think about this:

Every year, we train our employees in the things that they should, and should not, do during a robbery. The intent? Safety and security, and apprehension of the perpetrator. What do we teach them? To “comply, comply, comply” and only to “comply, comply, comply” (a fault in what is generally accepted practice that must be corrected and is the subject to another article and topic). We teach them to refrain from triggering an alarm until it’s safe to do so and until the perpetrator has left the building in order to avoid hostage situations. We teach them to “be good witnesses” so that we have the best chance of apprehension and successful prosecution.

Whether these things make sense, and/or are right or wrong, doesn’t matter for the purposes of this discussion. What matters is that our customers, in many, if not most, cases, outnumber the employees in our branches, at any given time. So, only teaching our employees about robbery protocol is:

Training only a portion of the people who can impact the outcome of the incident.
Creating increased exposure to liability because we care enough about employee safety and security to provide them with training but not our customers.

Also, consider that a lack of customer training can invalidate employee training because if a customer does something that our employees are trained not to do, or conversely doesn’t do something that our employees are trained to do, it creates for the potential for a situation and associated danger that is meant to be avoided through our employee training efforts.

So, if we truly want to keep our employees safe, we need to train even those whose decisions and reactions can jeopardize employee safety and security. This happens regularly where we see customers or non-employees trying to be the hero and/or stop a potential threat and, as a result, people get hurt or worse killed needlessly. Ultimately, we care about the safety and security of both our employees and clients so maybe we should be doing everything possible to make sure they are as informed as our employees.

“Just something to think about” “Just Something to Think About” is a Topic within our Blue-U Safe Educational Resources which includes Blue-U Safe Personal, Kids, Family, and Home and Blue-U Safe Business. “Just Something to Think About” covers elements of safety and security that may not have a definitive “right-or-wrong” answer however requires consideration.

Introducing Blue-U Safe Personal, Kids, Homes, Family An incredible, free, benefit to your customers

Do you want to give your clients access to an educational resource designed to keep them, their kids, families, and homes safe, to include training in response to robberies? All as a benefit or incentive of doing business with your company – at zero cost to you or them?

Send them to www.blueusafe.com.

If you are interested in a branded marketing effort and Blue-U Safe portal for your clients to access as a benefit of your organization, please contact us to discuss the benefits and pricing.

THE MYTHS AND FACTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND PERSONAL SECURITY SOLUTIONS

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 13:22:38 GMT

Today, threats to our safety and security, both personally and organizationally, are real…and unique. The country seems to be “falling apart” right before our very eyes and, in many cases, those whom we typically expect and rely upon to keep us safe, cannot, and in some cases, will not! The result: we are responsible for ourselves – on a personal level, if you are parents then you have responsibility for your kids and family, and, if you have an organization that employees and/or serves people, then you are responsible for creating environments in which safety and security has been addressed at a much higher level than you are likely doing now.

There are an overabundance of companies that are “rising to the occasion” and are attempting to resolve these needs, mostly through technology-related products and services. The problem: most of these solutions look and sound great on paper but will never work when reality strikes, and most are intended to keep people safe rather than teaching them how to be safe. And this falls equally with what we do as parents – we try to keep our kids safe and secure rather than teaching them how to be safe and secure themselves.

Here’s the bottom line: Technology can help prevent but will rarely actually prevent. Technology can help keep people safe but will rarely actually keep them safe.

There are so many potential solutions to choose from and organizations nationally are spending a ton of money on them. The problem? Few present good “return-on-investment” and few will actually do anything to prevent and keep people alive when prevention fails.

This new series: The Myths and Facts of Organizational and Personal Security Solutions is designed to help you understand the many solutions that are being presented as problem-solving and give you clear understanding of their true effectiveness on the ROI that they present.

I read and learn about new security solutions almost daily so I will be posting quite frequently. If you would like some free advice about a solution that you are considering please contact me and I’ll be happy to provide you with my expertise.

“I want what is in my head, in your head!” Terry L Choate, Jr CEO/President of Blue-U Defense

THE MISSION: PROTECTED PROSPECTUS – DOWNLOAD

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 13:22:37 GMT

Download The Mission Protected Business Prospectus Here

INCIDENTS OF MASS VIOLENCE ARE HAPPENING DAILY…ARE YOU PREPARED?

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 13:22:36 GMT

I train and prepare people to prevent and survive incidents of violence. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown I did these things daily and all over the country. I have a passion for giving people the practical skills and tools that they need to keep themselves safe. and I can do this very successfully. What I cannot do, however, is make them care about themselves, their kids, their employees and clients as much as I do! I am mistaken, many times, for being overly harsh and almost displaying anger in the way I attempt to trigger people to do something to ensure that they are prepared to prevent and survive incidences-of-violence. The fact is that what people are seeing is passion that is being mistaken for harshness. Now, I will admit, however, that I do get angry at times. Why? Because I see people being victimized by criminal acts all day, every day. In schools, businesses, churches, and even in their own homes. The victims? Kids, adults, the elderly, families… basically everyone!

The immediate question that follows victimization? Why? Well, I’ve been trying scream the why from the top of a mountain, but few really hear me! And for those that do hear, they listen and then…do nothing.

So, for those that hear this, let me tell you why we see victims? Because those who do nothing to prepare either themselves, or those that they are responsible for, truly don’t believe that they will ever be victims. And then something happens. The results? Victim counts pile up! And, many times those victims are the people that we love most in life! Those that we were responsible for preparing and, we just didn’t.

Here’s the deal and this is likely going to sound harsh and maybe even angry. This time, however, both may be correct:

The world is becoming more and more dangerous every day; especially in the United States. Not just the big cities but small towns as well. The news has been dominated by COVID-19 and politics so we don’t hear about these incidents however, there are acts of mass violence happening daily and, on some days, numerous times each day. Is this, however, only about acts of mass violence? Certainly not because even a one-on-one incident can severely injure or take a life.

It’s critical that you understand this:

It only takes one incident to make you realize that you should have believed that it could happen and that you should have done something to prepare yourselves and/or those that you are responsible for. Is this responsibility limited by the cost and the time that it takes to obtain such education and training? That’s not something that I can answer for you.

So, my appeal to you? Please, please, please believe that it can happen! If you do truly believe this, and I mean TRULY BELIEVE THIS, you will do what you need to do for both yourself and those that you may be responsible for.

One more thing:

Just because you live in an area where nothing has ever happened, its doesn’t mean that it will never happen and, ask yourself this question:

Do you or your kids ever leave this area where nothing has ever happened and venture into areas where it happens regularly?

JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!

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

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 13:22:35 GMT

What is a Blue-U Safe School mindset?

Well, there are several things that contribute to a successful Blue-U Safe School mindset:

You have a defined goal of what your school/districts safety and security is and how to achieve it
You have a single person that is responsible for driving the elements required to achieve your goal
Your safety and security initiatives are “because you want to” rather than “because you have to”
You don’t accept “generally” accepted”, “industry standard”, or “best practices” because you know that these rarely work as intended
You question and test everything to make certain that your adopted solutions are more than “they look and sound good on paper but will never work when reality strikes” as over 80% of accepted solutions are
You understand that the more you do, that you’re not required to do, the safer your staff and students become
You realize that there is always money in your budget to improve safety and security, it’s more a matter of how and where you choose to spend it.
You understand that its critical to teach your students the same things that you teach your staff – like how to use AED’s, perform CPR, Stop the Bleed, and how to recognize potential threats, etc. because students far outnumber staff and are therefore more likely the ones that will produce results
You are more concerned with teaching you kids “how to be safe” rather than trying to keep them safe.
You understand that safety and security are more about developing “life skills” that students will build upon and take with them for the rest of their lives.
You understand that an SRO is only a very small part in achieving real safety and security and that SRO’s offer the lowest return on investment of any safety and security options
You realize that the way safety and security is assumed to be achieved is by bringing highly fragmented, individual elements (security systems, policies and procedures, training, emergency preparedness and management) together rather than solutions in which all elements are designed to work as a complete system and work together, towards a common, defined, goal.

And there are many more, however, I’m sure this will give you an idea of what a Blue-U Safe School mindset is. If you are not embracing the majority of these elements, you are falling short in your efforts.

We have to first recognize the many problems and challenges with school safety and security, and then, create solutions that correct the problems. Most don’t even recognize the problems!

Again, do you have a Blue-U Safe School mindset? Do you want to become a Blue-U Safe School? Contact us to learn how!

WE PREPARE OUR BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYEES TO PREVENT AND SURVIVE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS BUT DO LITTLE TO PREPARE OUR HOMES AND FAMILIES!

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:22:34 GMT

WHAT SENSE DOES THIS MAKE?

If someone you love and care about suffered a cardiac emergency, had life-threatening bleeding, or suffered some other life-threatening situation at home, do you have the training and tools to save that person’s life? Does everyone in your family have these skills?

Remember this – When seconds count, help is only minutes away and, depending on where you live, potentially many, many minutes away.

Nationwide within our businesses, schools, and places of worship we utilize alarms, cameras, AED’s, Emergency Preparedness Plans, CPR trained personnel, Active Shooter training and alerts, Policies and Procedures… all a part of how we protect people – employees, students, customers. We do things that are required and even recommended; we meet industry standard and generally accepted requirements and we spend thousands, tens-of-thousands, and even hundreds-of-thousands doing it. We conduct security assessments, train our employees; we have life-saving equipment and people trained to operate that equipment and save lives – stop the bleed, administer CPR, operate AED’s.

At home, however, maybe, at best we have alarm systems, cameras, or both. Rarely however does it go beyond that. At home, no one knows how to perform lifesaving procedures nor do we have the equipment to deal with such emergencies. If someone inside of your household needs lifesaving, its likely going to be someone very, very special to you.

Does this mean that your business and employees are more important to you than your kids, families, and homes? Absolutely not. But we sure act like they are.

And, there’s more. Today, as home becomes a much bigger part of our lives, and it may remain that way for a very long time, this means that victimization is far more likely to happen there. Bad people will always need victims and they will find them wherever they are and, if that’s at home, it now places a much higher level of concern on securing it and those who occupy it – our loved ones.

We have recognized this as a potential critical safety and security flaw and have designed a home protection program that will significantly enhance the safety and security of your homes and families.

INTRODUCING THE BLUE-U DEFENSE COMPLETE HOME SAFETY AND SECURITY PROGRAM

Home Physical Security Assessment
Family Training in the foundations of preventing and surviving incidents of violence; school safety and security
Custom in-home tactics. If someone were to get into your home, the proper tactics are critical not only to win but be free of liability and prosecution.
CPR, AED, and Stop the Bleed Training
Stop the Bleed Trauma Kits and AED units for your home
Access to our ongoing training and exercises resources
Executive Protection

We can deliver the elements of this system elementally or we offer complete 1, 2, 3-day programs.

Services consist of in-home, virtual services, or a combination of both.

Ultimately this is a completely customizable system that is designed to meet the needs of your specific family. We can do as much or as little as you’d like and proposals are customized based on need.

BECAUSE “WE HAVE TO” OR…BECAUSE “WE WANT TO”?

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 13:22:00 GMT

When it comes to safety and security related processes and procedures, there is a considerable difference between “we do it because we have to” and “we do it because we want to or, because we care”. Many assume that compliance equals safety and security. THEY DON”T!

How to determine where you fall on this? Just answer the following:

Do you spend the bare minimum required in order to meet compliance and regulations of safety and security or…
Do you spend and do more than the minimum and make certain that you’ve done everything possible to ensure safety and security of employees – and client’s?

Here’s the bottom line:

If you truly want to keep people safe, but you are doing nothing more than what you are required to do, you are not doing enough!

If you assign the responsibility for safety and security to people who are not completely proficient, and even experts, in safety and security, you are not doing enough.
If you are only training your employees in safety and security related things, like robbery, periodically or one time per year, you are not doing enough.
If you have not reviewed and enhanced your policies, procedures, and emergency preparedness plans, you are not doing enough.
If you employees don’t thoroughly know and understand your policies and procedures, and you do not provide them a curriculum and venue to ensure this, you are not doing enough.

Does doing enough cost more? Absolutely. Until something happens and it’s determined that you didn’t do enough. Then the costs are unthinkable. Not to mention your reputation for not caring to do more.

If you have created the right culture, safety and security should never be a requirement, it should be a desire – for all employees!

Create a culture that supports true safety and security and give your employees the resources to achieve it.