Life Rage

What happened to standing up for what is right and following through with just actions? Can you imagine John Wayne cowering to political correctness or Ben Cartwright telling his boys that morals and ethics are secondary to doing what feels good? Today’s kids are exposed to celebrities and athletes who have no moral base and who’s bad behavior is glorified for all. We as a society allow this, because we have been told it is wrong to be judgmental.

It is not wrong to be judgmental. It is not wrong to tell your kids that having children out of wedlock, abusing drugs, inciting violence and treating others like objects is wrong. Take a stand for what you know is right and you will a role model and hero for your kids.

CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER PAGE 1…June, 1st 2010
Social media can improve your brand and get the word out about your business. It can also damage your reputation and run you out of business. Learn to control social media and harness it’s power for good.
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/06/social_media_pose_the_latest_c.html

A Florida woman is facing charges after being accused of chasing a Wendy’s employee with a stun gun when she got upset about her order. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/18/florida-woman-charged-stun-gun-chase-wendys-order/?test=latestnews The bothersome part of the whole matter is that this is not new or is it an isolated case. Incidents of people attacking others for not being perfect can be found in the news daily. Our secular humanist society is allowing us to walk around in a perpetual disconnect where others are seen not as people, but as objects which serve us. The people behind the counter have family and friends. When they clock out, they go to school, care for their children, watch TV and do many of the other things we all do. They are someone’s mother, son, friend, or spouse. And like the rest of us, they are allowed to make a mistake.

Are you ready to protect your business from the coming crime wave? Every recession since the late ’50s has been followed with a corresponding increase in crime; the bigger the recession, the bigger the crime wave. There is typically a year lag between the economic recovery and the subsequent crime wave. There is a surge in crime coming soon, and it is going to be a big one. Most losses are going to be internal; employees, vendors, sub-contractors and other people you trust the most and who have the greatest access to your business are the ones likely to do the most damage. The police only respond after the fact and the A-Team is not real, so it is up to you to protect your business. Call a security consulting firm (not a guard or alarm company) and schedule a vulnerability assessment today. You may even get a surprise rate reduction from your insurance carrier.

CCW At Airports Debate IS Out Of Hand!

I am NOT justifying that anyone should be permitted to carry a firearm in an airport. But, on the other hand people we continue to read in the news about people with CCW permits that have accidentally forgot that they had their firearm in their carry on, briefcase, etc. Then these people are arrested and charged with a felony and a huge news media story develops and the debate is on.

I think we need to realize these situations are going to continue to happen and they are not intentional, but that does not mean that we ignore these incidents either.
My gripe is that why do we charge these people who have legal CCW permits with a felony. If you follow these cases almost always the courts recognize the situation and reduce the charges to a misdemeanor where I think is the proper action to take in our courts.

WE need to quit wasting tax payers money, court money and time and charge these situations with the proper level of reprimand due to the fact that I believe these incidents take place by CCW permit holders who have a lapse in judgment that is not intentional.

Lastly, I know from my previous law enforcement experience that police officers have made the same mistake at airports and we don’t get all bent out of shape with them and I have never heard any of them ever charged with a felony or a misdemeanor.

Lets be fair, practical and save everyone lots of time and aggravation!

“Its OK for employees who are licensed for concealed weapons to bring guns to their workplace.” “You can’t have laws, make people undergo background checks and special training to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon (CCW) and then tell them they can’t carry their weapons onto their workplace property. Its OK as long as the weapon is left in the vehicle and not brought into the facility”.
“If a person wants to bring a gun to work to shoot someone, it won’t matter whether the company has a “no weapons on premises” policy or not…so it’s NOT really a deterrent. “When the CCW movement first started everyone was afraid of wild west type shootouts, but over the years we’ve found that to not be true. Letting employees with CCW permits bring guns to work, as long as they are left in the vehicle, will not result in workplace violence. Workplace shootings result from disgruntled employees or former employees, embittered spouses and for people looking for their “15 minutes of fame and policies mean nothing to these people.”

I believe that not heeding warning signs is far more likely to result in a workplace shooting than a permit holder having a concealed weapon locked in a car.

10 Critical Security Questions for Business and Industry
1. Does your business plan include a currently updated Emergency Action Plan, and is that plan reviewed with supervisors and hourly employees in coordination with in- house security personnel and local safety forces?
2. Do you require regularly scheduled emergency lockdown and evacuation drills for all employees at your business facility?
3. Do you have a picture identification/ swipe card entry badge system established for use by all company employees?
4. Are your building/factory/warehouse entrances and exits reduced to a minimum, and monitored to control access of employees versus the general public?
5. Does the exterior of your building(s) and designated parking areas have sufficient lighting to eliminate dangerous “dark pockets” during early morning or evening hours? Are these exterior areas equipped with an appropriate day/night surveillance camera system?
6. Do interior areas of the building contain concealment areas or shortened sight lines that should be monitored by motion sensitive cameras or CCTV?
7. Is access to the company’s parking areas monitored to restrict the traffic flow on non- business related vehicles and individuals?
8. Does the business have up to date Employee Manual Policy Information easily accessible to ALL staff?
9. During hours that non-business activities take place are non utilized building areas restricted by physical barriers or monitored by authorized personnel?
10. Have the physical facilities of the company undergone a recent security analysis/vulnerability assessment to accurately determine any weaknesses in the current security policies or procedures?

Social Media is now officially “the new frontier” for business owners. What once was an oddity, destined to occupy down time and provide a simple social outlet, has now come of age as THE weapon of choice for corporate promotions and commercial PR applications.

The pace at which social media is growing is absolutely staggering. As a former narcotics officer, my training allows me to see patterns in behaviors that others may overlook. This pattern of use has been emerging throughout the population for quite some time and yet, business owners still seem to ignore its potential costly risks.

For 23 years, Pepsi has been one of the biggest advertisers during the Super Bowl. Not anymore. Instead they have chosen to spend those dollars on Social Media Marketing Plan. No business owner can overlook the power of social media in the workplace now!

As a business owner you, will be forced to adopt a strategy to use these tools to help increase your sales. However, it’s also your responsibility to be able to MANAGE them. The enormous amount of time spent abusing social media in the work place is incalculable. The potential liability stems from the employees who use them and more importantly, how they use them. Poor judgment is where the risk of lawsuits is born. When you factor in the lost productivity when your employees use Social Media incorrectly, it’s the always the owners and employers who ultimately loose!

This technology is hurling ahead of our learning curve and we MUST catch up. I’ve spent 18 years insuring that business owners have policies in place to provide a secure work place. Now we face the challenge of securing our staff, our reputations, our products and especially the safety of our workers in virtual reality the same way we have to protect them physically.

Without proper security, up to date policies and instructions for using new technologies, there can be no protections from what may happen in cyberspace.

“The Ft. Hood shootings could have been prevented. There were many warning signs”, states high-risk security consulting expert and Life Rage author, Timothy Dimoff. “People always come out after the shootings telling of incidents or aberrant behavior, but if they came out and reported it when they first notice it, many of these horrific shootings like Ft. Hood could have been prevented”.

Dimoff states, “In some cases the ongoing daily pressures that people are experiencing in their daily lives are exacerbating their fears beyond human capacity and more people are experiencing breakdowns. We are ‘glorifying’ these incidents in the media to the point where ‘copycats’ are actually being encouraged in a subtle, but powerful way”.

Dimoff further states that “Everyone needs to be alert to the behavior of others. Many of these horrific incidents may have been preventable. It is obvious in workplace shootings and school shootings, and now the Ft. Hood shooting that there were warning signs. We are always discovering that the shooters talked about their opinions and their frustrations to others. Maybe they sold or gave away property. Maybe they actually made threats, but no one took them seriously. Threats can be made on social network sites, in person, on the phone, or in writing letters or in journals. These may all be signs of mental and/or emotional breakdowns”.

“We need to encourage and educate people working and interacting with these perpetrators to report any deviant or unusual behavior, or threats or information from these troubled individuals. This proactive approach has proven successful in schools when students come forward with valuable and critical information”.

“We also need to educate people that it is OK and necessary to report strange behavior, strange conversations, unusual actions etc. whether at work, in schools, or just in our everyday life. If more people had been aware and reported what they saw and experienced maybe the Ft. Hood shootings and other such copycat crimes could have been prevented”, stated Dimoff.

Timothy A. Dimoff is President of SACS Consulting, Inc., a high-risk security consulting firm headquartered in Akron, Ohio. He is a nationally renowned speaker, author, consultant and trainer. His latest book is Life Rage is an incisive and illuminating examination of the “rages” prevalent in American society today. Additional information on Timothy Dimoff is available at www.timothydimoff.com.

Many incidents happening around the globe are giving serious cause for concern.  As an expert in high-risk security issues, including 18 years of consulting on these issues with some of the best companies in the world, I have seen a lot.

If you are like me, the daily news reveals the unexpected and more often than not, the horrific nature of what seems to be our society’s unending momentum towards a state of utter chaos.  Most people are not comfortable with chaos but, unfortunately many crime and rage perpetrators thrive on it. I call this Life Rage, the state-of-mind where someone loses control due to everyday stress, work problems, personal problems, school issues, etc.

I’d like to provide you with three things to think about when you’re watching the news, chatting with co-workers or trying to explain to your children Life Rage, the terrible things that some people are capable of doing.

1. Know what “normal” is and don’t be afraid to question it.
Most people understand accepted behavior and many find it difficult to “think like someone else”.  In any given situation you must think of the old “bell curve”, which in this case simply states that some people will act differently in any given situation. Know the signs of extreme wrongful behavior and don’t be afraid to question it.

2.  Move into a 360 degree world.
Our normal field of vision is approximately 80 degrees, meaning that we pay the most attention to what is right in front of us.  It’s time we all moved into a world where we are cognizant of what is all around us…360 degrees! The Fort Hood massacre is a perfect example of how close disaster can be.  Places we consider “safe” are open zones for potential danger.  Look around you and your family and make sure your 360 is always clear.

3.  Plan for the problem.
As much as I want to believe that people are capable of being on their best behavior, we all know that’s not possible.  Things happen everywhere. The horrific crime scene of mass graves recently found in an Eastside Cleveland home is a perfect example.  They can be close, massive and can rip the fabric of our personal sense of security apart.  Try to have a plan in place in case something does happen.  With a plan, your reaction to a potential disaster will be more efficient and less costly.

The signs of Life Rage that we are seeing in our daily routines illustrate the need to be prepared and to be able to think on our feet.  We are living in a dynamic new world where security clashes with culture and religion clashes with governments. It is a wired world, on constant standby ready for the next big problem.

I believe it’s important for everyone to understand the role they play, and to realize that the consequences of their actions provide the engine that either keeps the chaos moving forwards, or backwards with the potential for a Life Rage moment at every turn.

Please be more aware of dangerous situations and try to avoid them.  Please try to see more of your surroundings and what possible dangers may be lurking close to you.  Please try to plan for problems before they happen.

Finally, everyone needs to remember that no one is going to save the world by themselves.  We are all in this together, so find trusted friends.  Find competent resources that can help you.  Find reputable vendors for your company and most of all find great support that is close to your family.

Find a support system that will help keep all of what you care about safe and secure.