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Over the past few years, significant terrorist activity occurred throughout the world. New tactics and patterns affected the global threat spectrum. “Soft” public gathering areas, such as transportation hubs, were frequently targeted. Online propaganda by terrorist groups inspired lone-wolf actors. Terrorist cells perpetrated simultaneous, coordinated attacks designed to disperse first responders. Homemade and low explosives served as the weapon of choice for hostile actors. It is critical that your security program address these new and evolving threats.

Every year at the BOMA International Conference & Expo, Allied Universal, a BOMA Cornerstone partner, welcomes attendees from the commercial real estate sector. We exhibit and host a reception to let clients know how much our company appreciates their business. It’s slated for this weekend, June 24-27 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn.
 

Observed each June, National Safety Month is an educational effort organized by the National Safety Council (NSC), which focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in our homes and communities.

Our nation’s police departments are under intense pressure to keep crime rates low despite reduced manpower and budgets. As President of the Northeast Region for North America’s leading physical security services company, I believe in the power of public-private partnerships. Three decades ago, very few private security and law enforcement liaison programs existed. Today, New York and other cities across the country boast many collaborative initiatives.
 

There’s a lot of talk about the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is growing rapidly in size and complexity. It’s expanding into more and more types of devices and applications, and it’s getting smarter. It’s disrupting all kinds of industries – for better, for worse and for good. The IoT is not going away, and the pace of change will skyrocket in the coming years.

It’s that time of year when colleges and universities are preparing for graduation. As Allied Universal provides on-campus and residential safety and protection for students and staff across the country, there is one graduation ceremony that has a very special connection to our company. We partnered with The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI), a program operated by University City District (UCD) in Philadelphia and have been an active educational instructor and employer of their graduates.
 

In today’s global threat environment, stadiums are high-profile targets. In response, sports organizations must be active, rigorous and vigilant on stadium security. Protection of fans, players, staff and venues requires a robust security posture that identifies growing threats and recognizes vulnerabilities. In our last blog, “The Value of a Comprehensive Threat Assessment in a Stadium Environment”, we took a close look at the critical need to identify potential security gaps with an independent and comprehensive vulnerability assessment. This is a crucial first step.

Business owners and managers have openly expressed concerns regarding property crime and physical damage to buildings and corporate campuses. Rightly so, as the 2017 Freedonia Report states that property crime accounted for 87 percent of all reported crimes in the U.S. in 2015. 
 

There is a lot of confusion surrounding liability and legal compliance issues concerning private security services, including the protective services relevant for high net worth families. The problems are complex, and there are plenty of gray areas open to interpretation.

Will you know what to do if an active shooter entered your healthcare facility?

Next week, Allied Universal is co-hosting with John Jay College and the Metropolitan Healthcare Security Directors Association (MHSDA), a “Plan to Live” seminar to educate healthcare providers on best practices to handle an active shooter situation and other threats.