There have been 3,376 persons killed by Gun Violence YTD.
There have been 5,937 persons injured by Gun Violence YTD.
There have been 77 Mass Shooting Casualties YTD.
There have been 9 Mass Murders YTD.
There have been 15 Law Enforcement Officers Killed YTD.
There have been 76 Law Enforcement Officers Injured YTD.
(Source – Gun Violence Archive)
Given that we are still in March, the figures shown above are truly frightening for several reasons being:
A). Worse To Follow – The Open Border is allowing individuals into the U.S. ostensibly applying for asylum, who are not being vetted for any form of criminal background, are single males with unknown histories, from countries that include those that are adversaries to the U.S., and a number of these individuals are adding to the violent crime rate within days of entering the country.
The sheer number of “so called” asylum seekers is such that the increase in violent crime by an unknown number of these individuals is going to continue and become worse.
B). Active Shooter – It stands to reason that the number of active shooter incidents will also increase including incidents at places of work. Companies need to ensure that they have adequate security in place and can properly respond to an active shooter or serious workplace violence incident.
C). Compliance – Perhaps even more important to (B) above is compliance with OSHA (PER 29) Code 654 which mandates that a workplace shall be free of recognized hazards. In a recent move, it is understood that recognized hazards shall now include an active shooter incident where an employer should have taken reasonable efforts to reduce the risk of an active shooter situation. This is believed to also cover an adequate response plan and measures.
D). Non-Compliance – Insurance companies, upon receiving a claim request related to a serious security lawsuit will investigate for compliance with the OSHA regulation per (C) above and if the company is found to be non-compliant, the insurance company can reject the claim.
E). Negligent Liability – Following a security incident that results in a lawsuit, no company wants to find itself being found negligent due to inadequate security where negligent liability can lead to very substantial damages and perhaps ruin the company’s reputation.
HOW DO COMPANIES PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES?
The first step should be to have experienced security professionals working with appropriate company management carry out a security assessment that will determine how well the company protects itself and its employees. Most security consultant firms offer some form of security assessment at reasonable cost. The assessment recommendations will typically present a phased approach to implementing additional security measures should they be required.