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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Connect the Dots, Government, Media, Prevention

Yes, there are stupid questions. Even though our teachers told us there are no stupid questions, there is at least one. Is this Terrorism or Not Terrorism?? Ok, two stupid questions… Is this a Hate Crime or Not a Hate Crime?? It is time for politicians, mainstream media, law enforcement, and others to stop with the political correctness. When someone intentionally tries to run over people with a vehicle, knife and stab people, shoot people, murder people, bully people, harass people, abuse people, attack people, use violent rhetoric to incite people, and more… …These are acts of Evil. Acts of evil are committed by evil people.Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Connect the Dots, Emergency Management, Media, Risk Management

I am not a fan of watching or listening to TV news, however, after the recent attacks in England, I was interested to see how TV news was covering the attacks.  Buried in their biased views with the news, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a common thread emerge – TV anchors were asking their go to security experts the following question: How do we start preventing and getting ahead of these attacks/attackers? This is a great question, and a question everyone should be asking their organization and community leaders.  Terrorism, community violence, campus violence, workplace violence, cyber-attacks, ransomware, acts of evil, and numerous otherRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Connect the Dots, indicators, Media, Prevention

Evil is immoral, wrong, sinful, corrupt, vicious, malicious, malevolent, vile, hateful, and bad. Terrorism, rape, racism, murders, drug dealing, pedophilia, harassment, etc. are all the acts of Evil Doers. Calling incidents (like the ones above and others) Acts of Evil would eliminate most of the arguing among politicians, media, activists, and others on whether an incident was a hate crime or not, an act of terrorism or not, gang violence or not, racism or not, domestic violence or not, bullying or not, etc. Calling these types of incidents Acts of Evil would eliminate confusion and make it easier for Good People to work together towards identifying EvilRead More →

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In: Media

With 74 school shootings since Sandy Hook, school safety is and must continue to be a priority as we plan for next year. Bulletproof backpacks, door locks, cameras, and other security tools are being promoted, and while these tools can be useful in the event of an attack, a more proactive and inexpensive solution will be staring back at you in your classroom. Your students’ eyes and ears can be the most valuable tool you have to keep your school safe. For full article: http://www.corrections.com/news/article/36876-safety-more-important-than-silenceRead More →

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In: Media

Twenty-eight innocent students and staff members were killed in 44 different U.S. school shootings in the 14 months following the tragedy at Sandy Hook. Many schools have implemented school resource officer or security officer programs to help protect students and staff, but faced with limited resources, leading schools are also turning to automated software solutions like Awareity’s TIPS (Threat assessment, Incident management and Prevention Services), a web-based risk and prevention platform. These software solutions offer tools that empower students to anonymously share information, and allow SROs and school administrators to identify potential threats, investigate concerns thoroughly, and ensure their school environment is as safe asRead More →

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In: Media

There were at least 60 incident reports prior to the April 16, 2007, shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, but the school had no central repository to collect that data, such as a dedicated database where all of these various types of information could be stored and analyzed, he said. “They just didn’t have a way of collecting and connecting the dots,” Mr. Shaw said. “What if all of the Virginia Tech incident reports were routed to a threat assessment team?” For full article: http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20140608/NEWS06/306089983#Read More →

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In: Media

What does a School Resource Officer (SRO) do all day? Do they just stand in the hallway at school waiting for violence to occur? Should schools be spending their limited funding on SROs? For full article: http://www.corrections.com/news/article/35182-a-walk-in-the-shoes-of-an-sroRead More →