When securing public spaces, it’s time to imagine the unimaginable

The following excerpts are from a column written by William B. Connors, Jr., President & CEO of Risk Management Advisors, Inc., and published in the Boston Business Journal.

… Sadly, as a nation, we live in a state of denial. It’s human nature to view acts of violence as happening to someone else and unlikely to happen to ourselves. What Orlando, San Bernardino, Newtown and Boston teach us is that the possible is creeping toward the probable.

… In the wake of the marathon bombing, large entertainment venues in Boston joined government facilities as hardened targets. They have more layered and effective security that makes them less attractive for terrorists.  Now terrorists looking to inflict maximum harm and fear will focus on softer targets. Public safety officials and the owners of soft targets need to start to imagine the worst and plan for it.

… Too often, what we see for security is designed to make the public feel better rather than actually make the premises safer. The reality is real security can be inconvenient for customers and expensive to the bottom line, and so it is overlooked.  However, the cost of a mass shooting is incalculable. Never mind the business is unlikely to survive such a disaster. No price can be placed on the human toll. Failing to consider real security solutions is rolling the dice with peoples’ lives. It is living in denial.

… The time has come for the business community to catch up with government and schools in providing real security instead of window dressing.

Read the full article at the Boston Business Journal.