Top Seven Corporate Security Lessons from the Capitol Riot
As a former police officer and special agent in the Washington D.C. area, I am no stranger to large-scale demonstrations. But I could never have imagined mob violence overrunning the U.S. Capitol. The events on January 6 were a clear example of what happens when there is a lack of protective intelligence and contingency planning, along with the absence of a quick reaction force on standby.
This event is yet another inflection point in our nation’s history of security crises. We will move forward, recovering and learning from it.
The Impact on Corporate Security
Our recent research found that 69% of executives saw a dramatic increase in physical threat activity against their companies last year. With physical threats on the rise, the events of January 6 reinforced the priority for physical security programs. We must have a proactive, always-on approach, or what we call protective intelligence.
Here are my top seven takeaways from January 6 for corporations:
1. Ongoing Threat Monitoring — The worst thing we can do is have threat assessments be “one and done” documents. These assessments must be “living” and continually updated with active threat monitoring. (Read more on this topic: The Role of Baseline Threat Assessments in Protective Intelligence)
2. Minimize Office Traffic — High-tech companies in the spotlight need to restrict personnel in the office (unless business critical). This is especially important for organizations under attack for social media actions.
3. Evaluate Access Controls — Physical security access controls must be evaluated so security leaders are certain that the most confidential data is in the hands of those who need to know — and no one else.
4. Prioritize Being Proactive —Getting caught up in day-to-day tasks is easy. Enhanced protective intelligence monitoring allows us to see through the noise and make sense of patterns. Slight variations in activity are critical but easy to overlook. (Read more on this topic: Defining a Proactive Approach to Security and Five Reasons Why It Can’t Wait)
5. Dark Web Monitoring — This monitoring category is a no-brainer and absolutely necessary to ferret out hidden threats. (Read more on this topic: Ontic Partners with Dark Owl)
6. Revisit Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) — Contingency plans must be revisited ASAP and updated regularly. Establish a liaison with the local police in your area for contingency planning and intelligence flows, including demonstrations and protests.
7. Enhance Executive Protection Measures — High-profile CEO public events should be minimized. Enhance mail screening at your company headquarters and executives’ residences.
Check out our 2021 State of Protective Intelligence Report to learn more about what your corporate security team can do to mitigate future threats.
