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A Whole New World 2023-2024- Family Safety Strategies

There used to be acceptable norms in our society that have seemed to go by the wayside with the current generation. As parents and grandparents, our job at this point is to keep our families as safe as we can and teach them how to do the same for theirs. I'm not going to make this article a political statement on "the ruination of modern civilization", "the Government's inability to control gun violence", "Middle Eastern conflict", "failures in today's education system", "the psychological issues stemming from single parent households and the absence of the father", or even "the destruction of faith based freedoms and the attempt to take God out of society", etc.... Instead, this is a story about how to keep yourself and your family safe during 2023-2024, while continuing to live a happy and productive lifestyle relatively fear free!

As we learned this past Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, even the most wholesome of family events, a Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony in a heavily protected environment like Public Square in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio is not exempt from the risk of violence and the risk of danger to you and your family. If you would have asked me the question "Do you feel safe taking your family to outdoor Holiday celebrations?", 20-years ago when my children were babies; I would have told you, ABSOLUTELY! It was a different time. Our society was recovering from the terrorist attacks of September 11th, our security forces were properly staffed and supported, the community as a whole looked out for each other, and as human beings we showed a little more love towards one another. But as we get further away from an event that changed our landscape, we get closer to a newer greater set of challenges that can affect our lives profoundly. This is not a time to surrender to what lurks around the corner, but rather become more aware, strategic, and brave in how you continue to live and enjoy your life!

Below, are some simple strategies you can implement to help ensure your preparedness for emergencies/crisis situations while enjoying the Holidays. "Fearless is not the absence of fear. Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you."- Taylor Swift

When planning to go to an event, have a plan. if you are not familiar with the area open your favorite mapping APP and look at a satellite view of the area. Know the points of entry into the area, exits, public access areas nearby where you can shelter, or even identify friends, co-workers, and relatives that may live nearby who would be willing to offer you a safe rally point should you need it. Also, evaluate the parking situation to determine if there is a spot that seems well lit, secured, and easily accessible to an exit route that you can easily and quickly get to should you need. Many of you right now might be saying to yourself "I'm not a Navy Seal", you're right! You're not, that's why being prepared with easy information for your family is important. Discuss this information with your spouse, significant other, friend attending with you, or oldest child attending (preferably someone over the age of 14), and determine what makes sense for your circumstances. Also, keep in mind (if you have a disabled individual traveling with you), what are the mobility challenges we might encounter? I have a son who is in a motorized wheelchair, when attending events, we have to plan for power issues, geographical issues, parking access, sidewalk or street access, shelter access if needed due to climate weather, and other comfort concerns before heading out. Keep a Go-Bag of essential supplies in your vehicle at all times: bandages, sterilizer, water, snacks and canned pre-cooked food (beans, sardines, spam, cocktail wieners, beef jerky, smokies, etc..), thermal or regular blankets, a mobile charging device/jump starter, pen/paper (to jot down immediately any relevant facts observed/witnessed during a crisis while fresh). The immediate call to action should a situation arise is to get to immediate safety and secondary, is to get to your vehicle to flee to longer term safety (home, hospital, fire station, police station, military base, etc.). If you are able to flee, contact a law enforcement agency immediately to report your location and safety status. Also, make sure that you notify friends or family of your intent to attend and allow them access to your location VIA your cell phone. Almost all major carriers either have software or your manufacturer has the ability to allow/disallow location sharing internally from the device. Should a crisis arise, it is always nice for a concerned individual to see your location should you need them to call authorities.

Keep your group intact and those old enough to understand your plan for the day, KEEP THEM INFORMED! A crisis/emergency is never planned, but you can be. Work with those in your family/friend group who are attending and mature enough to understand inherent risks associated with public gatherings, informed and prepared on your plan.

Make sure that everyone old enough has a specific job (having a job to complete in most, will delay the effect of shock and keep them focused on the task at hand), work together as a team and embrace your personal safety as a group effort. Once you have arrived, look in all directions to size up the crowd, street closures, police/security presence, medical support services and their locations. Also, evaluate any day of changes to your rabbit hole (escape route) preparation pre-event. Local law enforcement most definitely will put up some sort of physical barriers the day of, that you may not have expected in your planning. This is typically done to deter the assumed "Bad Guys" but may as well affect you. Evaluate who is around you in the crowd. If there are people who may take this event as an opportunity to protest or rally for some political cause, move away from them. Look for the higher concentration areas of law enforcement/security presence and get near them, you can make a fairly good bet, that those with nefarious intentions will not culminate around them. Plus, Cops are usually great equalizers to reduce stress and fear with young ones. Don't conduct yourself as being overly zealous or terrified, but rather understand your mental preparations have provided you with a tool to be safe and to enjoy the celebrations.

As a boy growing up in the late sixties and seventies, the as I like to call it "Kid Leash", was probably one of the most popular tools available to moms at the time. You saw them everywhere, the grocery store, the park, the mall, any outdoor experiences, amusement parks, etc..... At some point the predominant opinion of American's became that it felt like people were treating their children like dogs. Child Safety Restraints are a tool, no less important than having your child in a safety seat in the car. It's a cheap and effective tool to keep young ones within reach at all times, while still affording them the ability to walk and experience the world from their viewpoint. Also, should the chaos of a situation arise, its one less hurdle to clear when trying to keep all the members of your party together and safe. Forget what others may think and their opinions with regard to it being cruel to the psyche of the child. Think about it through the prism of what would be worse, in mass chaos or even just a large crowd, my child wonders off and goes through the trauma of being lost from Mommy and Daddy, or worse yet, becomes a tragic statistic of the abduction and human trafficking industry. I don't mean to be condescending, but we need to move past looks and feeling about our family's safety and become tactically effective in keeping our family whole. The days of kids riding their bikes through the neighborhood until the streetlights come on is over, we live in a much different society with different parameters.

I am a true proponent in one's right to protect themself, but as a reasonable and respectful firearms owner, there is a time and a place for everything. Many of these events that we are talking about spend a substantial amount of money on perimeter and crowd enforcement measures. DON'T DO SOMETHING THAT TAKES AWAY RESOURCES FROM PROTECTING THE WHOLE! Expect that your ability to conceal your firearm for your personal protection is directly contradictory to law enforcement's requirement to keep everyone safe. The above tactics in this article are meant to prepare you to react quickly to protect your family and loved ones, without creating an additional threat to yourselves or others, in what could be unrecognizable intent and therefore putting you and others in jeopardy when you pull a weapon and are assumed to be a physical threat to others. When going to large PUBLIC gatherings and events, your best weapon is a well thought out defense and strategy to exit an area quickly and effectively. Remember, what you see as a means to protect you and your family, will undoubtedly hinder and delay the ability to remediate the actual threat!

As someone who spends a tremendous amount of time practicing my marksmanship, active shooter protocols, unarmed self-defense and several other skills, the first piece of an effective active shooter protocol is to: know when to run, know when to hide and know when to fight. But to keep everything real, if it comes down to having to fight, understand that someone in your group will most likely be a casualty. Get those you love and care about moving to a safe location first, then make the much-needed sacrifice to secure them time to escape. Remember in an emergency/crisis situation your safety plan should be to create distance and time from the threat. Communication is key with your group; be precise about what is needed in as few clear words as possible to not create additional confusion.

If you are interested in additional safety training in the Northeast Ohio area, below I have listed some resources:

Action Defense, LLC- Advanced Civilian Firearms Training- 440-218-2029 or visit their website: actiondefense.com

Cleveland Corporate Protection Services, LLC- Our Training Commanders are former Federal Air Marshals and Law Enforcement Academy instructors to help provide you with a perspective from what law enforcement will be doing during crisis and how you can help without being a distraction or obstacle. - 216-307-1870 or visit their website: clevelandcorporatesecurity.com

#famililyfirst #personal safety #crisisawareness #publicgatherings #holiday event #protests #active shooter #personal protection #clevelandcorporateprotection #cleveland #akron ohio #akron #ohio #safetyfirst #keep it together

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Corporate Physical Security Audits & Assessment

What is a corporate security audit and assessment? A physical security audit and assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of security measures and policies that protect the assets and infrastructure of an organization, as well as identify potential weaknesses and problems, to determine best practices to keep your staff and property safe and secure.

Why are these assessments needed? Identifying and understanding your organizations potential weaknesses will help you to implement procedures and policies designed to keep everyone aware of potential breach points, safety concerns, physical attributes of your buildings that could slow emergency response, identify safety plans that are outdated or irrelevant to today's standards, create specific training programs that will improve the overall operations of your organization.

Why are security companies so concerned about conducting audits? A professional security company is concerned about audits for two main reasons. 1- Quite often a company is unaware of conditions within their buildings that can lead to the loss of life or delayed response to an emergency. 2- Understanding the pinch points (risks) of the site prepare the officers working with you to understand inherent problems with timely response and will calculate appropriate work arounds.

Having this information in an easy-to-read format, will also provide the security team with daily checkpoints to ensure that all employees are compliant with policy and procedure to ensure everyone's safety.

What components are included in a physical security audit? 1. Identify potential security threats

2. Access control and physical property security

3. Surveillance and building intrusion detection

4. Environmental components

5. Emergency preparedness

6. Recommendations for improvement

Interested in learning more?

#physical security #security breach #preparedness #clevelandcorporateprotection #training #securitypolicy #terrorism #civil unrest #protests #workplace safety #workplace violence

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Refuse To Be A Victim

By Teddy Reed- Nationally Certified "Refuse to be a Victim" Instructor

Having to think about crime and violence around the holiday season just doesn't seem fair! But, unfortunately for many families, it is our new norm. Here's 5 simple steps to help keep your family from becoming victims:

Improve your alertness!- Keep earbud volume low when walking, inspect your vehicle from the outside when parked in garages, parking lots and streets, when entering and exiting buildings be aware of who is around you (look to the left and right), emergency exits, useful items near you that can be used for defense, cover, and emergency call boxes.

Tighten your security and make sure that the entire family is on the same defensive page- There is nothing wrong with having a family meeting to discuss how to keep each other safe.                                 

Lock your doors, windows and sliders                                             

Stay of your phone when shopping and walking. Make sure your teens understand that their phone is a distraction from them being aware of their surroundings.

Let someone know when you leave home and when you return- Most cellular companies also offer family GPS tracking, it could be helpful to locate loved ones when concerned. 

It is an excellent idea for family members to advise each other of their shopping plans. You've all got cell phones, use them to stay in touch on a regular basis.

Do your after-work shopping with at least one other person or go in the early morning when there are less crowds and always say hello to the store staff, that way if something happens between the store and home store employees might better remember you and anything suspicious. 

Make sure that everyone close to you understands that there might be added danger this time of year, plan accordingly. Have an escape route in case of an emergency if it occurs. 

#victim #crime #safety #family #security #awareness #holiday season #fight back #clevelandcorporateprotection #training

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Close Proximity Protection- Life of the Bodyguard

So you think being a bodyguard is glamorous? We hear it all the time! But, let's take a deep look into the life of a bodyguard(Close Proximity Security Specialist)and get a real understanding of what we do.....

First off, the Bodyguard is the first one to wake and the last one to sleep. Our day is spent worrying about every last detail of the itinerary, without letting anyone else know! We spend our evenings evaluating the next day's events, understanding the floor plans, travel routes, re-confirming every last detail you could possibly imagine. Regardless of the circumstances, it's our job to be "Cool Hand Luke" !

A true professional in this field does not garner the spotlight, we don't try to be in the photos, we're not hanging out enjoying the conversations, chatting up the ladies or looking for the hospitality table. We are laser focused on observing everything within our surroundings, being close to our "Target"/Special Person, but not being so close that it's awkward. We learn to communicate with our team and our Target silently, swiftly, and with the least amount of words possible. Our job is to make sure that no one really knows we're there, doesn't really know why we're there, and that our Special Person gets to the next event without incident. Our clients depend upon us to ensure that at all times they are safe. Our clients depend upon us to recognize the non-verbal cues that tell us they're uncomfortable or need us to save them from an awkward conversation. Above all else, our Target needs us to be selfless in our commitment to the job, to be willing and able to put ourselves in between them and danger.

In order to be a GREAT Bodyguard you need five key traits:

5- The ability to work long hours with limited sleep.

4- The ability to maintain a calm and cheerful demeanor in every circumstance

3- Excellent communication skills, verbal and non-verbal

2- A tactical mindset and intense understanding of logistics

1- Selflessness, there may come the day when your commitment to the job requires you to put the value of others' lives ahead of your own.

#bodyguards #closeproximity #personalsecurity #executiveprotection #security officer #securitycompany