Posts by Fred Burton
Fred Burton’s 2023 Holiday Reading List
Take a look at Fred’s must-reads for the holiday season. I always enjoy thinking back over the last year, remembering the new books that I’ve enjoyed and learned from, but also the books I’ve read in the past that resurfaced in life and work this year. When putting together a book and film recommendation list,…
Read MoreOrganized Retail Crime in Focus
Fighting ORC is possible, but without a holistic view and fully resourced corporate security teams and law enforcement partners, it can be an uphill battle. This article was originally featured in Security Magazine We’ve become all too familiar with the social media videos capturing a shoplifter running out of the store with a haul of…
Read MoreSeparating Signals From Noise: The Biggest Security Challenge Moving Forward
See how generative artificial intelligence is revolutionizing threat detection and risk mitigation. This article was originally featured in Forbes When I started my career as a counterterrorism investigator, information was much harder to come by. A single clue was hard-earned and often involved following breadcrumbs and retracing steps. Real-time data was even rarer since the…
Read MoreCollections from a Lifetime in Protection
Anyone who has read my memoir Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent (Random House, 2008) knows I grew up in the Washington, D.C. area in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a different era when blue-collar families like mine could afford to co-mingle with the Washington power brokers and elite. Geography is always important, and…
Read MoreFrom Coronations to Corporations: The Hidden Nuts and Bolts of Major Event Security Planning
This article was originally featured on IFSEC Insider When Queen Elizabeth was crowned in June 1953, the procession of dignitaries that followed numbered 16,000 people. It took the procession approximately 45 minutes to pass any one point along the route. When she died nearly 70 years later, London’s Metropolitan Police Service said her funeral was…
Read MoreFamily Offices: What They Get Right About Security, and What Companies Can Learn from Them
This article was originally featured on ASIS Security Management Family offices are privately held companies that often handle wealth management and investments for heads of companies, executives, and high-profile individuals—many of whom are quite wealthy. But these organizations often have broader responsibilities. Over the years, they’ve become among the best when it comes to protective intelligence and…
Read MoreFred Burton’s 2022 Holiday Reading List
This holiday season all of the books on my list focus on espionage, cops, crime, and disasters. Would you expect any less? As usual, I’ve included a few of my favorite classics, some books that are new to the bookshelves this year, and two soon-to-be released books to fill your holiday list. Do you have…
Read More4 Ways Corporate Security Teams Can Better Respond to Rising Crime Rates
Fred shares how corporate security teams can enhance their response to escalating crime rates, emphasizing proactive measures and collaboration with law enforcement. Since 2019, the world has experienced a lot of unexpected and unprecedented changes. For corporate security professionals, shifting trends in criminal activity are becoming a persistent and ongoing concern. This is especially top…
Read MoreReining in an Epidemic of Workplace Violence in Healthcare
Fred Burton offers strategies and solutions for navigating the surge in workplace violence incidents within the healthcare industry. This article was originally featured in MedCity News The murders of four healthcare workers earlier this year, including two physicians, by a patient at a medical center in Tulsa was a grave reminder of an ever-growing epidemic:…
Read MoreWhy Corporate Execs Should Prepare For Heightened Polarization
This article was originally featured on Forbes This year alone, the Department of Homeland Security has issued over half a dozen National Terrorism Advisory Bulletins. The latest warned that the U.S. remains in a heightened threat environment. Sadly, the DHS’s bulletins aren’t a new development. For the past few years, domestic extremists and foreign adversaries alike…
Read MoreWhat’s a Threat? That Depends on What Your Job Is
Extreme weather can stop trucks on the road and prevent key personnel from getting in the office, disruptions that can cost millions. Failure to comply with regulations can damage a company’s reputation and drive up operational costs. These situations present real risks to the business. Too often, executives in charge of managing one type of…
Read MoreCorporate Stances, Potential Blowback and Security Strategies
This article was originally featured on Security Info Watch The drumbeat of bad news for corporate security and risk management seems to be endless: blowback from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the mass shooting in Uvalde, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the upcoming 2022 midterm elections, the ongoing investigation and hearings…
Read MorePersonal Observations on the Evolution of Protective Intelligence
“We memorized them and if they were in the crowd they were brought to everyone’s attention.” – Former U.S. Secret Service agent Jerry Blaine, The LANCER (JFK) Detail (email exchange on January 29, 2021) Author’s Note: Special thanks to Scott Stewart and Mike Parks, protective intelligence professionals who were with me in the trenches from…
Read MoreOSINT Goes Mainstream: How Security Teams Can Use Open-Source Intelligence To Help Companies Understand Risk
This article was originally featured in Forbes The war in Ukraine may be the most documented conflict in human history. On social media, we can watch in near real time as military units prepare for battle. A few hours later, we see the aftermath. Images are being posted and recirculated by an online community of…
Read MoreWildfires: Why GSOCs Need to Monitor This Ever-Present Threat
Wildfire season has begun in North America and is proving to be more active than normal, just as we’ve seen over the last few years. We’re seeing a combination of drought conditions, above-average temperatures and multiple wind events in areas like New Mexico, California and Washington creating the ideal environment for wildfires. New Mexico alone…
Read MoreTaking Sides: Securing Executives and Operations Amid Unrest
The tempo of protective security concerns since the 2020 election have been relentless. Threats have been non-stop since the 2020 election, followed by the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol, the D.C. bomber on the run, compounded by protests related to the pandemic, social justice issues and economic unrest. The leaked Supreme Court memo…
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