While the primary responsibility of security (as opposed to law enforcement) is prevention, it is not the only responsibility - appropriate response must also be a consideration because prevention of all bad things is not possible.
Ongoing efforts to develop and incorporate new strategies and technologies to combat the spate of violent acts in our society - active shooters, terrorism and the like - have focused on doing things to anticipate who is more likely to commit violent acts, what those violent acts might be, and when and where they might occur. Consideration is being given to better develop the science of behavioral analysis as a way to identify potential problem people on a more widespread scale, along the lines of what already is being done in the transportation security arena (especially given the success of the programs pioneered by EL AL Airlines).
The challenge to this approach is not the science and techniques involved, but rather the practicality of extensive implementation of the techniques. So while using behavioral analysis and other such techniques in addition to traditional security measures can be of benefit to security operations, here are the reasons why using even such advanced techniques will still not prevent all incidents and why sound security programs must still make suitable response preparations:
All bad people do not necessarily manifest/exhibit noticeable "bad" traits prior to committing bad acts; bad acts are sometimes committed by people who are not always or necessarily bad and who thus do not manifest/exhibit noticeable "bad" traits prior to committing bad acts; all people who manifest/exhibit noticeable "bad" traits are not necessarily bad people and do not necessarily commit bad acts; people who manifest/exhibit noticeable "bad" traits do not necessarily do so constantly and continuously, thereby reducing opportunities for the traits to be observed and properly identified and assessed even immediately prior to a bad act.
Using the skills and techniques of behavioral science as a tool to identify and indicate potential bad behavior (particularly with regard to acts of violence and active shooters) is both science and art: the science is having the skills to recognize behavioral indicators and what they might mean, while the art is applying the techniques on an ongoing basis to specific circumstances and people. It is a process that must be utilized and refined constantly, and thus will rarely be effective when relegated only as an ancillary responsibility to persons with other primary duties.
The concept of using behavioral analysis as a part of the security toolkit is promising. But its implementation to any significant degree in the business, commercial and academic worlds ("soft targets," where it would be most useful and needed) is not totally realistic because it relies on the continued vigilance of "watchers" who in most circumstances cannot devote their entire attention to watching.
Security is primarily a preventive discipline. But it must be moderated by the realization that it cannot and will never be 100% effective, thereby making it necessary for protective responsibilities to include appropriate preparations for response and mitigation during and after significant incidents. While law enforcement, fire and medical personnel are usually considered the "first responders," it is sometimes overlooked that security personnel will truly be the first to discover bad acts. So they must be equipped with the proper tools and strategies to assure incident management until the arrival of the persons who will actively deal with the incident.
Hope for the best, but PLAN for the worst...
Jon C. Paul, CPP is an independent Security Consultant and Court-recognized security expert; he is Board Certified in security management. Mr. Paul's business, Special Service, provides outsourced security consulting and management services as well as litigation support. Mr. Paul's blog, The Security Consultant, features both conceptual and practical commentary on a wide variety of security-related issues.
http://specialservice-security.com/
http://thesecurityconsultant.blogspot.com/
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