Initial Responders

First Responders are good but they can’t do it all

FBI Lends a Hand

It was reported by USA Today that the FBI is going to deploy 200 agents across the nation to train local police departments in the latest tactics for responding to active shooters.  This ambitious effort is aiming to deliver training to some 30,000 police officers who may have to protect schools, businesses or other public places from these actors.  

Review and Study

The impetus of the training is in part due to the horrifying events at Newtown in 2012 but it is also the result of a 14 year study that indicated a definite uptick in the number of active shooter incidents across the United States.

More than target practice

The training is two days in length and has been developed in partnership with Texas State University. It includes tactical content as well as emergency medical response skills.  The overall desire is to get officers to run toward gunfire as quickly as possible and neutralize the threat.

Odds are against

While this effort is no doubt beneficial and someday may save lives, it must be understood that most shooting incidents end before law enforcement can intervene.  The FBI’s study revealed that the shooter either kills himself or is stopped by a bystander two-thirds of the time.

Life saving skill

This ratio was not lost on CSI when it was developing the Sensible Solutions school safety program. Included in the program is the concept of Initial Responder which is based on the premise that bystanders were likely going to bear the burden of effective action against a shooter.

Know your role

Dr. David Benke - Initial Responder
http://www.dailycamera.com/

In every institution where Sensible Solutions is deployed, the Initial Responder has a job.  That job may be to do nothing more than hide.  However, this is critical because it creates an orderly response to a chaotic event.  The program identifies other Initial Responders who have the capacity – mental and physical – to carry out jobs that not everyone can do.  Some may be tasked to intervene while others lead the herd to safety.  It all depends upon the individual and the inherent characteristics of the venue that defines the role of the Initial Responder.

Plan on stepping up

Fortunately, in the United States, we are blessed with top flight First Responders.  And programs like the one the FBI is rolling out will undoubtedly build upon their preparedness.  However, First Responders have limitations and one of those is the time they need to react.  The gap must be filled by those who are caught in the crossfire.  It would seem that given the percentages, bystander preparedness training must also be included in any security program.  

The Odd Couple

Justice and the Rule of Law

It was a good idea at the time

In the wake of the upheaval of the Ferguson decision, I thought it would be good to go back and look at the definitions of justice and the rule of law.  It seemed to me that refreshing my memory on these notions would help me put the case into perspective.  However, I was soon reminded that these concepts are attempts to define things that are not only asymmetrical but are also constantly changing.  Further, the intersection of the two don’t necessarily integrate like a glove fits a hand.

Surprised, but not pleasantly

The good news is that the review has helped me put the case into a framework I can grapple with, albeit not in the form I thought would emerge. Instead of rigid and clearly defined “rules” I came away with a more philosophical perspective.  The downside of that is that my practical side was left wanting.

History speaks

One quote jumped out during my research was taken from the Federalist Papers.  James Madison wrote: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.  In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

I’m no angel

This is quite the challenge, given that no men are “angels” as Madison asserts. And certainly what constitutes an angel can be debated ad nauseam as well. What was clearly on display in Ferguson was a challenge for the fallen angels involved to live up to a standard of morality.  As a citizen, Brown was expected to obey the officer’s commands.  As an agent of the government, Wilson was expected not to usurp the rights of Brown.  As we all know, things went horribly wrong.

Served but…..

www.eurweb.com

So what about Ferguson….was justice served? The rule of law prevailed as the grand jury system worked.  The evidence was methodically scrutinized and it did not generate an indictment of the officer. The morality of the times prevailed.  But did the system serve the needs of the community?  The perception of minority oppression by police remains, despite the process having produced a predictable outcome.  While this remains a formidable issue, in a larger sense, the protests of this tragedy transcended racial and minority misgivings and remind all Americans that our government must be "obliged to control itself".    

Assurances of control

Already the future of policing is likely to be impacted.  The President suggested funding body cameras for police officers so that video and audio recordings can be captured as they discharge their duties. While it seems that Madison's astute observation is being acknowledged, one wonders if this will ensure the equitable administration of justice or diminish the effectiveness of police.

Pandora was here

More questions than answers were generated which, I suppose, is the nature of law.  What is certain; however the future is uncertain.  History shows us that the legal system changes to meet the needs of the time.  What then, will the changes end up being in the wake of Ferguson?  Consider some definitions of Justice as you ponder:

Jus-tice (Noun)

1. The quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness;
2. Rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason
3. The moral principle determining just conduct.
4. Conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing or treatment.
5. The administering of deserved punishment, reward
6. The maintenance of administration of what is just by law, as by judicial or other Judgment of persons or causes by judicial process

Preventing The Effects of Moral Decay

Stopping Sexual Assaults By Teachers

In October this year, a 22 year old female substitute teacher at a D.C. school was accused of engaging in a sexual act with a student.  It wasn't the first and certainly won’t be the last sexual assault by a teacher on a student.  However, the circumstances surrounding this event warrant a closer examination.  The mix of social media, the mutual seduction and the brazenness of the sordid affair make this case troublesome for educators as a massive civil claim was filed against the school as a result.

The back story

Bad Teacher

www.dailymail.co.uk

According to the newspaper account, the 17 year old student, who was a football player, was helping this teacher on her first day on the job in his capacity as an office assistant.  The student admitted to flirting with the teacher and he was able to obtain her phone number.  Later, the student texted her asking if she was “kinky”.  The teacher replied to the effect that she would not say but rather she would “show” him.  What happened next is truly disgusting.  The student made his way to the teacher’s room during a school wide pep-rally where she performed oral sex on him behind the desk.  The student also recorded the event and then shared that video with others including students on the football team.  

Disbelief

It is probably true that electronic media has contributed to the hyper-sexualization of the population, young and old.  Pornography and sexting have exploded into the lives of almost everyone who owns a smart phone. There seems to have been no gradual shift into this brave new world and it has caused a lot of problems.  To wit:  The long held trust that teachers would nurture and protect children from harm has been assaulted by this trend.  To say that what happened at this D.C. school is depraved and immoral is an understatement.  Yet, as teacher-student sex becomes more frequent, the outrage becomes less intense.  

Backlash

Despite the sexualization trend and the soft response to it, the moral responsibility of educators in a position of power over children has not changed.   Regardless of the student’s flirtatious behavior and his instigation of the event, the teacher is the only one to blame here.  Certainly, any teacher who fails this morality test must be excluded from the profession.  But in this case, her actions may turn out to be a costly one for the school.  

Ownership 

So what can schools do about mitigating their exposure to such destructive and immoral behavior by their staff?  Judging someone’s moral character usually takes some time of getting to know them but when it comes to employees, the best screening includes some form of background check.  Here are a few things to consider: 

• While criminal checks are relevant and valuable, not everyone of questionable moral character has a criminal record.  
• A secondary and often overlooked public record check is found civil court records.  Here, you will find a broad array of filings that can help paint a detailed picture of someone’s past and possible future intentions.  
• Turn the tables on social media and use it mine information on your candidate.  A lot can be learned from just a few pictures.  

From full time staff to volunteers, the prudent school administrator must consider utilizing comprehensive background checks in their candidate selection process.  Parents are counting on schools to protect their children from threats of all kinds, including persons of questionable moral character.  

Above and Beyond

The changing duties of the modern educator

First Love

I am not a teacher but if I were to guess, I’d say folks choose this profession because they literally love of something associated within the discipline.  And when I say love, I mean passionate love.  Not just a passing fancy but a real connection to something so deep and innate that it often cannot be verbalized to someone who is not an educator.  I say this because I believe that even to be a mediocre teacher an extraordinary level of dedication and drive is required.  Teachers pack more time, energy and effort into nine months than most people can generate in twelve.  There has to be a reason for this seemingly counterintuitive behavior and the only thing I can figure is that it is based on love.  What else drives people to such extremes other than survival itself? 

The Path

http://www.mlive.com

For many, the call to become a teacher leads one to college to be trained on the basics of a subject and teaching methodology.  This is a noble pursuit and colleges are quite capable of delivering entry level teachers to the workforce.  These neophytes are equipped to manage classrooms, deliver curriculum, educate and inspire which is what you would expect of a teacher.  What teacher colleges probably don’t teach very thoroughly is how to handle the wide variety of issues that walk through the doors of the school each and every day by the students themselves. It would be impossible to do so but there is no doubt that teaching is only one part of the job and unfortunately, that is the only part for which you earn a degree.  

Higher Calling

Ideally, a majority of a teacher's time should be spent on delivering services to students.  Whether it be content or skills, the time needed to effectively transfer concepts and ideas cannot be compromised or the teaching and learning will be compromised.  Schools, with their varied delivery models, logistics, diverse student needs and everything else that goes along with it are complicated machines.  Coordinating all these variables to ensure a viable education is nothing less than a high wire act.  Now, add to that the school’s duty to protect the students and educators.  Given the environment for many districts, the time and effort dedicated to this chore has consumed resources to the point of tipping the emphasis away from education itself. 

What to do?

When CSI set about devising a comprehensive approach to school safety and security, the authors took great care to consider the role of teachers, administrators and other school staff in the solution.  Knowing teachers are life long learners, (by law and by passion) the program leveraged this attribute by incorporating a significant educational component to those charged with care and protection of our nation’s children.  Sensible Solutions, the name of the program, delivers significant classroom and on-line training for educators which is designed to enable them to make meaningful contributions to the safety and security of their schools.  This is an often overlooked component of a security program and goes well beyond physical security and reactive measures yet it necessarily merges with and strengthens all components.    

What we found out

In implementing this program, we learned that the educators who go through the training come away with a tangible sense of empowerment.  They receive relevant information that gives them a new perspective on the science of violence, prevention, investigations, law enforcement, use of force, threat assessment and action planning.   They learn skills and gain an understanding of things they could never learn during their teacher training yet these tools are invaluable to ensuring an emphasis toward delivering services and not toward reacting to violence and other disruptions.  

Hungry to learn

As times change, and increasingly complex and potentially volatile issues enter schools, ensuring that learning remains the focus is critical.  A proper reaction to the paradigm shift is necessary to ensure that students get educated.  We observed that teachers are very eager to learn these skills and have the knowledge and programs in place to help students overcome violent propensities as well protect those around them.  Not surprisingly, they are passionate about protecting as well as educating their students.

Gangs & School Violence

Trends show changes in gang influences that cannot be ignored

Application delta

When considering plans to address school violence, the influence of gangs cannot be overlooked. Their impact on students is palpable in the decisions they make and the people they associate with. Gangs utilize violence for a myriad of reasons, most of which is to further their goals.  Like anything else, change is constant and gang behavior evolves as well. Unfortunately, a disturbing transformation has been observed in the way gangs apply their brand of violence that should be noted by schools.

The gang expert

Richard Garland

When CSI developed their Sensible Solutions school safety and security program, they enlisted the help of experts from a variety of fields including academia and law enforcement.  One contributor had a very unique and invaluable experience that was brought to the table and incorporated into the programming of this protocol.  Richard Garland, was a notorious gang member in Philadelphia at the height of the gang problem.  As a result of his actions, he forfeited over 20 years of his life to incarceration.  The good news is that Garland has put that life behind him and has moved on in a very positive way.  CSI consulted extensively with him during the development of the Sensible Solutions concept.

In the trenches

Garland earned his master’s degree in social work and is currently a visiting instructor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health - Center for Health Equity.  In his capacity there, he researches gang violence, how it can be understood and ultimately how it can be prevented. Garland spends a lot of time gathering data from gunshot victims who are in the hospital recovering from gang inflicted wounds.  He seeks to understand the impetus of each event and as he does this, he gains first hand intelligence about the movements and motivations of gang members.

A terrible turn

From recent observations, Garland noticed concerning changes in the way gangs administer violence.  One of the observations has been the willingness to utilize violence against previously taboo targets.  In his time as a gang member, Garland recalled how no one would go after someone’s mother or their children.  Now, this has changed.  There is now a willingness to do things that were once considered “off limits” by gangs.

Taking advantage

What may be driving this trend is another observation he has uncovered. Garland noted that gangs are increasingly utilizing younger kids to do the most violent acts. He has encountered several instances where money was given to a young teen to perform a “hit” on someone much older than themselves. The solicitor of the hits are often in their late 20’s or early 30’s. These older influencers know that young kids are easily swayed by their age and status. And because of their youth they are capable of extreme violence with little or no reflection about the consequences.

You see it every day now

This movement toward youth can be seen in relationships forming in schools. Now, it is common to see underclassmen associating with upperclassmen. Gangs have discovered that younger kids will do just about anything for recognition and status and that can be achieved by doing unspeakable things for their older influencers.

Public policy and public housing

Another trend noticed by Garland has been the migration of gang members. He sees one reason for this movement is the closing of public housing facilities. As a result, gang members are moving to rent districts that previously did not have the direct influence of gang members in their communities. This has caused an influx of drugs, prostitution and the associated violence to move into areas unaccustomed to this effect. For schools, it is widely understood that whatever is happening in the community is ultimately brought through their doors. Knowing that this is happening, confronting this change should be a concern for school administrators.

Tough situation

Another side effect of the migration of housing changes is the intermingling of rival gangs. When one housing complex closes, people are often moved into available housing in a rival’s area. This has created tremendous tension and for the children caught up in this situation, they often find their lives to be very transient and fraught with violence. Again, these experiences are brought into schools on a daily basis.

Stepping up and providing solutions

To say the least, Garland’s work is invaluable to the development of violence mitigation and prevention measures. His life experience ranges from one end of the spectrum to the other and that wisdom is now being utilized for the greater good. Garland’s contribution to the Sensible Solutions protocol will certainly help school districts understand the how’s and why’s of gang influences and ultimately help them keep their schools safe.

Eye Witness Testimony

Modern Understanding of the Brain Changes Court Rules

As seen on TV

It is dramatic when an eye witness picks someone out of a line up.  You see it on TV and you think it works that smoothly in the modern world.  For sure, line-ups are still used but maybe this technique will begin to fall out of favor as it is revealed how flimsy eye-witness testimony can be.  As our understanding of human functioning increases, backed by scientific research, we are finding that our memories are more fallible than once perceived.

Brains are not computers

gadgetadda.com

One such theory of how memory fails us is something called Source Confusion.  This happens when we recall something incorrectly and the source of the error is attributed to some other real experience we had that was similar or familiar. Psychologists explain that the brain does not store and recall images and memories like a computer does.  It is not that simple.  Rather, there are many factors that cause the storage and recall of images and events to be altered.  These may include the length of time the event was observed, the lighting, the speed of the event, and its distance from the observer.  Also, emotional factors play a part in how brain storage and recollection is carried out.  Stress, anger, apathy, etc can alter the event in ones mind.

The eyes have it

Another revealing phenomenon that shows how eye-witness recollection is unreliable is the proliferation of surveillance cameras in public and private settings.  A recent case in Pittsburgh shows how a public library camera exonerated a robbery suspect.  While cameras help increase positive identification of suspects, they also are becoming good sources of alibis.

Cameras are good for business

The story also reveals that the robbery victim may have suffered some sort of Source Confusion as he accused a regular patron as being the robber.  Maybe if the shop owner had a camera in his store they would have caught the right guy and he wouldn't have lost a good customer in the process!

A major ruling for the good of both sides

The increasing evidence that points to the inherent weaknesses in eyewitness testimony has caused changes in the way law enforcement and prosecutors must now present their cases.  There are now only three states which ban testimony by experts who testify about eyewitness testimony.  In May, Pennsylvania joined the majority of states who allow this type of expert testimony which will inform jurors of the limits of eyewitness testimony.  The ruling will continue the trend of cases built on science based evidence.  

Science fact

Just as DNA evidence has become the gold standard for scientific proof in the courtroom, the next breakthrough may come in the form of validating eyewitness testimony that is true and correct.  Right now, that may be the stuff of science fiction but people commonly wearing micro-cameras may not be far off. Google glasses are an early entry into that market and as privacy concerns decrease, they may be more commonplace.  Someday, the images they capture may be routinely admitted into evidence. "I told you so”, said George Orwell.

Angry Employees

Services Private Investigators Can Provide When Employees Pose a Threat

Cornered and Scared

Employees can get backed into a corner when their perception (true or false) is that they are going to lose their job or are going to be disciplined from an employer.  People react differently to adversity.  Some do well and handle tough news appropriately.  Others yell and argue but it is really just barking without the bite.  And then there are others who perceive a great injustice befell them through no fault of their own.  These may be the employees who pose a threat to the company and their co-workers.

Who are these people? 

http://menalive.com/

Socially, these people may be perfectly functional.  They are able to get along with others and may even be leaders.  But just below the surface lies a crippling character flaw.  This flaw leaves them fragile as a result of rejection of one sort or another.  They basically cannot handle what life throws at them.  This trait was recently on display in California where a troubled young man evolved into a mass murder.  By his own admission, his ego could not handle being rejected by females and as a result, he could not cope with it.  This is certainly one of many factors of his personality but probably contributed to his actions.

The big clue

Of course this is an extreme case of violent reaction and there is no doubt about this person’s historical mental trouble.  However, there is something to learn from active shooter behavior which could benefit business leaders when trying to discern dangerous employees.  While there is a continuum of fragility and a person’s capacity to act out, one key to look for is an enduring and consuming grievance they are dealing with.  This trait is manifested in an escalation of behavior which can be detected if you are tuned in.  Suffice to say, the biggest clue is that these people often broadcast their intentions prior to causing problems.

Semper Paratus (Always Ready)

While it can be scary to think that you may have someone capable of murder lurking within your ranks, it should be pointed out that the probability of workplace shooters remains low.  While you should always consider this possibility, know there are more frequently occurring types of violent behaviors which work place managers must contend with.  These risks need to be addressed as both a probability and a reality.  Training, preparation and consulting with professional help when developing plans of action are always recommended.

Help is available

Here are come common services provided by professional investigators to companies that suspect potential employee violence or disruption when termination or discipline is dispensed.

• Background research – This passive option is used to find out what may be lurking in public records or in social media that may provide insights into motives and potential behavior.  
• Investigation – This active option is often overlooked. Talking with the subject, his co-workers, family and neighbors may best be handled by someone representing the interests of the company.  
• Security presence – Having security on-site at critical junctures, either overtly or covertly can provide peace of mind and confidence for those company officials carrying out the necessary actions.  And if something does go awry, the protection is there, just steps away.  
• Surveillance – Often, after an employee is let go, his actions are observed for a few days to make sure he is not planning on coming back to cause chaos.  
• Executive Protection – This goes beyond the protection of company executives but may may also be extended to their family members if the situation is deemed serious enough.  
• Police Liaison – Coordination with local law enforcement is enhanced by professionals who know how to communicate in the language police speak.  It also frees the company to concentrate on the business side of things while receiving concise updates of police activity or requests through the investigator.