AST Digital Magazine August 2017 Digital-Aug | Page 9

Volume 15
A DHS active shooter exercise held in cooperation with NYPD
& NYFD at a Brooklyn high school to evaluate tactics & tech-
nologies for responding to and containing rapidly escalating
shooting incidents. (Image Credit: DHS)
The experiences gained along the way work-
ing in law enforcement and intelligence at what
seemed to be the extremes of human behavior,
taught me more life lessons than I could ever re-
count, which, however, are directly applicable to
the private sector.
I, like countless others, took the oath knowing I
could change the world for the better, and I have
never lost that motivation.
My company does exactly that by fielding experi-
enced practitioners willing to assist both the pub-
lic and private sectors in solving complex prob-
lems, some of which are hidden in plain sight.
August 2017 Edition
London Terrorist Being Treated For His Injuries (Image cour-
tesy of YouTube)
Some of the top challenges facing security pro-
fessionals today are how to protect the general
public from the threat of active violence whose
motive can be as diverse as criminal activity to
threats to our national security, such as when
used by terrorists, domestic and transnational
organized criminal organizations, or even the
lone-wolf with no association to any organization
but with a specific agenda.
The blurred lines between these entities compli-
cate preparedness and response protocols even
more, as often their pairings are opportunistic
and dissolve and reform differently, quickly.
AST: ‘What are some of the top challeng-
es facing security professionals today?’
The nature and dimensions of threat continue to
evolve, at times seeming to outpace traditional
capabilities and training to thwart them.
The convergence of threats and opportunities to
inflict harm, often anonymously—fueled by an-
ger, ideology, even ignorance—can result in a
dangerous combination with the potential to in-
flict catastrophic damage.
MS- 13 Transnational Organized Criminal Organization
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