Security tips

Most security plans fail when threat assessment, training, and response planning exist as separate pieces. Your team may know the plan, but freezes under pressure because they never practiced the response together. After working with over 1,500 organizations, Strategos International has learned that real protection comes from one integrated security system, not isolated fixes. See how connecting assessment, training, and response can turn your organization's security from unc

Most healthcare organizations don't have a security problem. They have a fragmentation problem. Strategos International built its new healthcare consulting line to close that gap by delivering security consulting, staff education, and accreditation readiness as one connected program.

Summer routines create security gaps that organizations often don't notice until a vulnerability has already formed. Strategos International explains why shifting staffing, schedules, and access patterns make summer the right time to tighten safety standards, not relax them.

When a business takes steps to protect its people, equipment, and property, it starts with spotting what’s missing. That’s where a physical security assessment comes in. These evaluations take a close look at a facility to find weak points that might go unnoticed…

Be alert, have an exit plan and refuse to be a gawker. When you click on the news, you see protests and riots. And they’re not quiet. You may support protests, but detest riots. Or you may feel sympathy for both. Or neither.

An incident in rural Alaska brings home the importance of training. “What Would You Do?” is a long-running ABC television program hosted by John Quiñones. A hidden camera records the public’s response to actors who engage in conflict, unethical or illegal activity. The…

In a crisis, our denial instinct can lead to death. How do we rise above it? What’s wrong with being normal? Nothing, if things are indeed normal. Normalcy bias is a deadly psychological coping mechanism that leads us to deny clear threats to…

Evil is on the rise. That means good men and women must be too. It was a rough weekend for people of faith – to say the least. A gunman killed two people in a Texas church before a church member shot him.…

FOX24 of Fayetteville, Ark., reported on our church security training “from the parking lot to the pulpit, and Band-Aids to bullets.” “The presentation was put on for everyone from church greeters to those in leadership, and discussed how to identify suspicious behavior and…

It’s no joke when a confrontationist disrupts your worship service. But what should you do? We recently posted an article about a YouTuber who had been disrupting church services in Tennessee. He was armed only with a camera, but aimed to cause chaos…

Strategos’ Mark Warren responds to those who say security training isn’t worth it. As school active shooter training has grown in prominence, critics have begun raising their voices. They’re concerned about causing unnecessary anxiety – even trauma. Others object to heavy-handed tactics. And…

We’re honored to have one of our recent church security trainings, led by instructor Roger Huggins, featured by Action News Jax. “The group would rather preach the gospel and leave the guns aside, but they’re training because for them, knowing how to handle…

Cameras are often the go-to response when seeking to stop or deter workplace crime and violence. But in order to use them effectively, organizations must have clear goals and the willingness to follow through.

You don’t have to say “bah humbug” to the holiday season to stay safe. Enjoy your traditions, the crowds and the shopping. At the same time, be aware of your surroundings and focus on the environment, not your phone. Hopefully you’ll have a…

Holster the donuts and suspend the arguments. Unless it’s violent, let this storm blow over. A well-known protest group recently made its rounds at churches in the Orlando area, spewing an all-too-common message of “hate thy neighbor.” In our hyper-politicized age, everything appears…

With training, especially in medical skills, they can be effective in saving lives. Note: This article was written for the International Public Safety Association. Strategos encourages donations to this worthy non-profit organization. The term first responder has been used for decades to describe…

Strategos President Vaughn Baker tackles the pros and cons in this edition of Strategos Security Week. In an effort to protect students, more than 20 schools in Illinois – and more than 150 nationwide – have installed active-shooter panic buttons. Does this technology…

Understand the risks of an armed response to an intruder before it’s too late. It wasn’t a typical worship service at Faith City Mission in Amarillo, Texas. While the congregation was pondering the heavenly, a gunman rushed in and brought them back down…

Prayer is not a substitute for action, but the fuel that drives it.

Lives are on the line. All active shooter training is not created equal.