How HR Professionals Can Keep Their Employees Safe

By Bill Gage

Thoughts from a former U.S. Secret Service Agent on how HR Professionals Can Keep Their Employees Safe

Mumbai, India November 2010

In late October 2010, I traveled to Mumbai for a Presidential Trip for then-President Barrack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. I was part of the Secret Service advance team responsible for their safety and security. The trip was fraught with danger as the U.S. was conducting drone strikes around the world on various terror groups and anti-American sentiment in the region was high. Also, the Indian government considered themselves a superpower and wanted to control every aspect of the trip, from logistics to security.  

President Obama and the First Lady arrived on November 6, 2010.   There were a few logistical issues during the arrival and drive to the hotel, but we got them into the hotel safely.  The next day was going to be a long one, probably 16-18 hours.  I was going over the logistics and security preparations and getting ready for bed.  At approximately midnight I received an urgent phone call and was ordered to immediately report to the U.S. Secret Service command post.  There I met with other Agents, the Military Aide, and intelligence personnel. I was briefed about a very serious threat to the President’s life.  

How did the U.S. Secret Service keep the President safe? Are there lessons from this Presidential trip that Human Resources Professionals can use to keep their people safe?  I believe there are three:

Have a Plan

The Secret Service considers every possible contingency when planning Presidential trips. Natural disasters, political unrest, assassinations, and building collapses are just a few of the events the Service considers during the planning stages of Presidential trips. Every scenario is planned out and every contingency is planned out and table topped. 

When the threat was presented did we cancel the trip?  Load up the President on Air Force One and return to the United States? Of course not. This would have caused a major international incident with serious geo-political considerations. The U.S. Secret Service had planned for this type of incident and was ready. A few minor tweaks to the already robust security plan were made and the visit went on without any security breaches or serious incidents.  Without a plan the U.S. Secret Service would not have been able to accomplish the mission of allowing the President to safely conduct foreign relations with a major world power. 

I once conducted a security exercise, focusing on Continuity of Operations or COOP planning, with a large multinational firm. This company had millions in government contracts. During the exercise, representatives from every department had a seat at the table. It was apparent during the first tabletop scenario that the company had no plan in place for security issues. The tabletop soon erupted into arguments back and forth over each department’s responsibilities. Unfortunately, a lot of the discussions defaulted to HR to decide. 

Don’t let your company be caught without a plan. 

Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs

Investigations after active shooter events or serious security breaches at companies, usually reveal that there were numerous warning signs displayed by the suspects. Some of these warning signs often include paranoia, delusions, outburst of anger, fascinations with active shooter events, threats (both verbal and physical), or bringing firearms into the workplace. Businesses often ignore these warning signs and the unthinkable happens. 

Employees sometimes report their concerns about a fellow employee to their managers or HR and the warning signs are still ignored. Just because an employee has an outburst of anger in the workplace does not mean they will become an active shooter. But any reports of unusual behavior should be fully investigated by the company.

Every threat against the President is treated by the U.S. Secret Service with the ultimate seriousness. All threats are fully investigated and evaluated. Businesses should treat all reports of worrisome or concerning behavior from employees with the same seriousness. The warning signs should never be ignored.  

Find a Partner  

The U.S. Secret Service is the most respected and competent protection agency in the world. All protection protocols and procedures used by other countries in the world were originally developed by the U.S. Secret Service. The proper approach to working rope lines, speeches, motorcades and Air Force One, were all developed by the U.S. Secret Service and are used worldwide. But being the best in the world sometimes is not enough. The Secret Service also uses partners. 

I had several personnel from the U.S. Army Special Forces assigned to me in India during the President’s   visit to Mumbai. These Special Forces personnel spoke the local language, knew the local customs, and had trained with members of India’s military and police forces. Plus, they were experts in their field. Additionally, the U.S. Army Special Forces could summon military assets if needed in the event of an emergency. 

When told of the threat to the President’s life, I immediately reached out to my partners from the U.S. Army Special Forces. They assisted me in making the adjustments we needed to keep the President and First Lady safe.

Some companies do not have dedicated, trained, security personnel. Security issues, employee threats, and active shooter compliance training sometimes default to HR. As mentioned above, a lot of issues were directed to Human Resources during the tabletop COOP exercise with the large multinational firm.

Relying on a YouTube video to train your employees is not enough. Relying on local law enforcement to evaluate potential violence in the workplace is also not enough. In this day and time, everyone needs to find a partner with the right training and resources to assist you in training your employees or evaluating potential threats.

SafeHaven Security Group has consultants with extensive experience in examining threats in the workplace, assessing vulnerability, and evaluating security plans. We can partner with your business to ensure your employees thrive in a safe workplace.

Why not apply the same methods the U.S. Secret Service uses to keep the President safe to your own people? We would love to help you do just that.