The best threat preparedness programs balance investments in prevention and detection capabilities with response strategies. A significant part of prevention in today’s hyper-connected world is using the right technology to identify potential risks and executing interventions before they impact a campus community. As we have seen in many incidents, bad actors may have a substantial digital footprint that, when properly analyzed, can alert campus security to potential security challenges.
Integrating advanced technology solutions into risk management plans is a natural extension of what campus security teams have in place already. Most campus security teams do a good job of implementing incident preparedness training for employees (security, faculty, operational teams) that focuses on response plans, tactics, and information flows that will be activated in the event of an on-campus incident. These complement highly visible security infrastructure—features like blue light emergency phones, strategically placed lighting, video surveillance monitoring, and multiple security stations and patrol officers. Those components are still necessary but are insufficient to completely address today’s security challenges.
In our work with campus organizations, we often find threat and incident management plans that were developed 10 or more years ago. However, threat management is a dynamic process, just as campuses are dynamic environments, and should be updated to reflect changes to the surrounding environment and risk management strategies.
Read the full article in Campus Safety Magazine
