Mindsets and Toolkits

Thinking Positively About Security...

After walking the Secure360 trade show floor and listening to the talks I moderated on Day One of the conference I went home and rewrote my presentation keeping in mind that my audience was not going to be physical security professionals, but those working in logical security, audit, compliance, and business continuity.  My talk became became a sort of autobiographical, editorial essay.  

NOTE: These are the text and images used to frame my presentation.  For the whole story you had to be there.

IN ADDITION TO...

• Logical security
• Information protection
• Audit
• Compliance

THERE IS ALSO...

• Physical security

WHY SO SERIOUS?

Physical security managers have personal, professional, and institutional biases that affect the way we see the world, evaluate hazards, and communicate risk.

We’re frequently more conservative, more hierarchical, and more risk averse that the executives who rely on us to guide their business decisions.

Often we’re so focused on making sure bad things don’t happen we forget we are also responsible for making sure the right things do.

THE UNEXAMINED LIFE

Let’s examine the means by which we can approach the security process with a sense of corporate responsibility, critical thinking, and resist using fear as a lever. 

Let’s look behind the headlines for important clues for how our mindset is reflected in the way we approach the services we offer and look at skills we can add to our personal, professional, and institutional tool kit that make us more effective business partners.

WE COME FROM DIFFERENT PLACES

Many physical security practitioners come to the private sector from law enforcement

• Public law enforcement is about maintaining public order and investigating crime

And we increasingly come from the military

• The military is about protecting national interests and projecting power

While many of us have always worked in the private sector

• Business is about the bottom line

Images http:/commons.wikimedia.org/

WITH ENOUGH SHOTGUNS

“You can’t have enough off duty cops with shotguns.”

“Your job is to make sure nothing bad happens!”

“I can’t tell you what security is, but I’ll let you know when you’re getting it.”

“When all you have is a hammer all your problems look like nails.” – Abraham Mazlow

Image http://www.remington.com/products/firearms/shotguns/model-870/model-870-express-tactical.aspx 

MORE USEFUL PHILOSOPHIES

Our job is not only to make sure nothing bad happens, but to make certain the right things do happen.

Security is a people business: We work with people, to protect people, from other people. 

ISSUES FOR PHYSICAL SECURITY
 

• We are late adopters
• It can be difficult to demonstrate the effectiveness of our programs
• We treat risk wrong
• We tend to take the side of power
• We protect the status quo
• We are prone to lead with emotion, especially fear and anger
• We struggle to align our programs with the business

 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

• Cognitive perception of risk
• Cognitive dissonance
• Confirmation bias
• Using fear as a lever
• Creative problem solving
• Enterprise risk management
• Servant leadership

TOPICS WE DISAGREE ON 

• Social roles
• Workplace violence
• Role of private security in Homeland Security and the Global War on Terror
• Surveillance
• Prosecuting criminal suspects
• Use of force
• Profiling
• Concealed carry and shall issue laws

CULTURAL COGNITION OF RISK

AKA “Conservative White Male Effect”

“The ‘cultural cognition of risk’ refers to the tendency of individuals to form risk perceptions that are congenial to their values.” – Kahan

Image http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/05/02/did-may-day-save-occupy-wall-street.html

It looks like so…

Photo http://www.culturalcognition.net/  

Which means we disagree like so...

Photo http://www.culturalcognition.net/  

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

  

It is psychologically uncomfortable to hold contradictory cognitions. This dissonance, being unpleasant, motivates a person to change his cognition, attitude, or behavior, by

• acquiring new information or beliefs that will increase the existing consonance and thus cause the total dissonance to be reduced; or,
• changing one or more of the beliefs, opinions, or behaviors involved in the dissonance;
• forgetting or reducing the importance of those cognitions that are in a dissonant relationship

We tend to deal with beliefs that conflict with the evidence by the more familiar concepts of rationalization, self-deception, irrational faith, confirmation bias, and overestimation of one's intelligence and abilities.

Image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_and_the_Grapes 

CONFIRMATION BIAS

 

• We are rationalizing animals
• We prefer evidence that supports what we already believe
• It’s why we do double blind studies and submit to peer review
• External attempts to change our beliefs frequently result in reinforcement of the belief

Image http://sacemaquarterly.com/methodology/why-does-medical-research-sometimes-get-it-so-wrong.html

SELLING THROUGH FEAR

 

• “The time for urgency is now!”
• “Do something!”
• “Workplace violence is an epidemic!”

Image from http://usopenborders.com/ 

“TWO FATALITIES A DAY”

HOMICIDE VS SUICIDE

TYPE II, III, AND IV

CLIENTS, CO-WORKERS, AND INTIMATES

WORKPLACE HOMICIDE RATES

Image from http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0009.pdf

 

WORKPLACE ASSAULTS

Image http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/wv09.pdf

SERVANT LEADERSHIP

 

• Serve yourself
• Serve your team
• Serve your company
• Serve your profession
• Serve your community
• “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” – Tom Peters
• Ask “What do you need more of from me? What do you need less of from me?”

Image http://jamesstrock.com/services/21st-century-leadership1/servant-leadership

 CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

 

• Encourage creativity in problem detection and problem solving
• Cultivate your curiosity and interest
• Surprise your people
• “Creativity occurs at the edge of our comfort zones” - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Don’t forget to apply your solution, measure it, and adjust iT

Image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi 

ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT

Convergence of physical and logical security has not happened

• And maybe it shouldn’t 
• Physical and logical security may not overlap enough

Assembles a variety of risk management disciplines under a single leadership executive

Physical and logical security, safety, environmental, emergency management, disaster recovery, business continuity, compliance, audit, risk, and maybe even legal

Manage risks to the business interest

• Not fighting crime for the public good
• Not waging a global war on terror

Learn to accept dynamic risk

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

 

• Cultivate our emotional intelligence
• Care for our teams
• Engage in appropriate influence
• Resist the urge to stage “Security Theater”
• Do not scare people – not deliberately, not accidentally
• Further the business interest

REFERENCES

ASIS International CSO Roundtable. (2010). Enterprise security risk management: How great risks lead to great deeds. The CSO Roundtable of ASIS International: Alexandria, VA. Retrieved from http://www.asisonline.org/education/docs/CSORT_ESRM_whitepaper_2010-04.pdf

Bodner, S. (2006). Servant leadership: The complexity of a simple idea. Pyramid ODI. Retrieved from http://www.pyramidodi.com/papers/servant.pdf

Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011). Occupational homicides by selected characteristics, 1997-2009. United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/work_hom.pdf

Carroll, R. (2011). Cognitive dissonance. The Skeptic’s Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.skepdic.com/cognitivedissonance.html

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Charts, 1992-2010 (revised data) http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0009.pdf

 

Flaherty, J. (2005). Coaching: Evoking excellence in others, 2nd Ed. Elsevier: Burlington, MA. 

Leider, R. (2006). The leader in midlife, in F. Hesselbein & M. Goldsmith, Jossey-Bass (Eds.), The Leader of the Future 2; Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the New Era. A Wiley Imprint: New York.

Lennick, D. & Kiel, F. (2008). Moral intelligence: Enhancing business performance & leadership success. Wharton School Publishing: Upper Saddle River, NJ. 

Parker, P. (1999). Let your life speak; listening for the voice of vacation. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.

Quinn, R. (1996). Deep change: Discovering the leader within. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.

Schneier, B. (2003). Beyond fear: Thinking sensibly about security in an uncertain world. Copernicus Books: New York.

RESOURCES

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/09/skeptics-discount-science-by-casting-doubts-on-scientist-expertise.ars

http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/wv09.pdf

http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/

http://diyscholar.wordpress.com/best-webcasts-podcasts/

http://eclecticbreakfast.blogspot.com/

htTp://jps.anl.gov/index.html

http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is907.asp

http://web.me.com/lskitka/styled-3/index.html

http://www.asisonline.org/

http://www.culturalcognition.net/

https://www.ncci.com/documents/Workplace_Research.pdf

https://www.securityexecutivecouncil.com/

Michael Brady, MA, CPP

Michael Brady is a life-long security leadership professional. He has provided security and safety services as a manager in high tech, as an independent security consultant, and as an executive for security service providers. Currently an account manager, consultant, and trainer for Hannon Security Services, Inc., Michael is also an adjunct instructor in the Security Management program at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota School of Graduate & Professional Programs. Michael recently completed his Master of Arts in Human Development degree where he focused on issues of leadership, team building, and problem solving.  He blogs at http://eclecticbreakfast.blogspot.com and can be reached at michael_brady_cpp@yahoo.com

God Against The Gods

The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism...

 

God Against the Gods describes the unhappy and ultimately terminal interaction between monotheism and polytheism, especially as the latter waned under the influence of Constantine and later Roman emperors as Christianity became the state religion starting in the 4th century.  Jonathan Kirsch's book is uneven in spots, rich in others. He wears his biases on his sleeve, but writes well enough for the reader to overlook it most of the time. I'm getting to a point in my studies where I've seen a much of this books' contents elsewhere, but the manner in which the details are assembled here in a cogent whole makes God Against The Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and Polytheism a book worth reading.

Don't Taze Me, Bro!

HomelandSecurityNewswire is parroting lurid headlines again...

Tasers are once again in the news.

Today the HomelandSecurityNewswire essentially reprinted a Michigan State University press release in an article titled "Stun guns increase chances of citizen injury, but protect police officers."

Haven’t seen the Justice Quarterly articles referred to by the HSN but I’ve done a quick scan of Bill Terrill's original study, "Assessing Police Use of Force Policy and Outcomes." The paper is a detailed analysis of use of force continuum policies, their application, and outcomes at eight different public law enforcement agencies.  The use of Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs), which includes but is not limited to Tasers, is only one of many elements evaluated in the 287 page report. In the press release and the article Terrill is quoted as saying: 

“There has been this increased perception that these devices are effective and safe.  But in terms of safeness, our data conclusively shows they are not safe to citizens. Now, are there concerns to the point that we’re recommending that law enforcement agencies not use them? Absolutely not. We think there needs to be more careful analysis done, and it has to be done in a way that’s fair and objective.” 

This conclusion does not leap from the pages of the full report.  In fact, such pronouncements serve to attract attention to some potential shortcomings in the study.

1) The report tracks injuries reported after a use of force incident without determining whether or not the injuries were the result of the subject's behavior that prompted the decision to apply force or if the injury was the result of the application of force by law enforcement.

2) The report analyzes the rate of reported injuries extracted from use of force reports, citizen complaints, and litigation.  With the exception of the self-descriptive category "broken bones" the study does not describe the severity of injuries in categories “bruise,” “abrasion,” or “laceration.”

3) Reported injuries resulting from use of force incidents involving Taser use include the abrasions (scrapes and skin marks) or lacerations (cuts to the skin) caused by the Taser barbs.

As Terrill picks sides in the TASER debate it appears he regards the word “safe” as synonymous with the term “injury-free”?  If so, that seems a little short-sighted.  Maybe I’ll ask him.[*]

Earlier this week...

In Tasers Pose Risks to Heart, a Study Warns the New York Times tells us of a study completed by cardiologist Douglas P. Zipes titled Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death Associated with Application of Shocks from a TASER Electronic Control Device published in  Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.  

"The study, which analyzed detailed records from the cases of eight people who went into cardiac arrest after receiving shocks from a Taser X26 fired at a distance, is likely to add to the debate about the safety of the weapons. Seven of the people in the study died; one survived."

The article does not mention that tens of thousands of law enforcement officers have been "tazed" as part of their training to use Tasers and not one of them has experienced a cardiac emergency.  Some have experienced orthopedic injuries, but no deaths.

Nor does the article mention the controversy surrounding the concept of excited delirium.  While ExDS is not accepted by all professional medical associations it seems to have some explanatory power when it comes to sudden in-custody deaths of arrested persons, included those subdued using Conducted Energy Devices (CED). 

There is one more interesting detail in the article:

"The author of the study, Dr. Douglas P. Zipes, a cardiologist and professor emeritus at Indiana University, has served as a witness for plaintiffs in lawsuits against Taser — a fact that Mr. Tuttle [a spokesman for TASER International] said tainted the findings. 'Clearly, Dr. Zipes has a strong financial bias based on his career as an expert witness.'" 

That sounds more than a little like a notoriously small study written by former physician Andrew Wakefield alleging a connection between vaccines and autism.  His paper, which drew its death-dealing conclusions from a sample size of 10 patients, was fraught with flaws and ethical concerns, repudiated in peer review, disavowed by his fellow authors, and formally retracted from the Lancet.  When it was also discovered that Wakefield was employed by liability attorneys litigating alleged vaccine injury cases he was struck from the medical register.  

It would not take much for Zipes to be a better man than Wakefield, but the anti-Taser crowd may need a spokesman with little less baggage and a slightly larger sample size.

*UPDATE: I sent this message to Dr. Terrill today [3 May 2012]

I am not a subscriber to the print version of Justice Quarterly so I have only read the abstract on EBSCO and your statements in the MSU press release regarding Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) and Citizen Injuries: The Shocking Empirical Reality.  I have, however, reviewed your earlier paper Assessing Police Use of Force Policy and Outcomes, from which I presume you extracted data for the JQ article.  With regard to the earlier paper I'm wondering if the following assessment of citizen injury data are accurate.

1) The report tracks injuries reported after a use of force incident without determining whether or not the injuries were the result of the subject's behavior that led to the decision to apply force or if the injury was the result of the application of force by law enforcement.

2) The report analyzes the rate of reported injuries extracted from use of force reports, citizen complaints, and litigation. With the exception of the self-descriptive category "broken bones" the study does not describe the severity of injuries in categories “bruise,” “abrasion,” or “laceration.”

3) It seems that reported injuries resulting from use of force incidents involving CED use include the abrasions (scrapes and skin marks) or lacerations (cuts to the skin) caused by the Taser barbs.

In this context when you are quoted as saying, "But in terms of safeness, our data conclusively shows they are not safe to citizens," do you regard the term "safe" as synonymous with "injury free?"  I propose there is a difference between minor injuries noted, those requiring medical treatment, and those resulting in long-term disability.  A pair of small abrasions from Taser barbs ought to be regarded as less significant than serious injuries resulting from the use of impact devices or a hogpile.  Is the data your team collected sufficiently granular to add a "severity of harm" axis to your injury results?

You May Have Heard I Have An Opinion

About Potential: Workplace Violence Prevention and Your Organizational Success by Bill Whitmore...

My review of Bill Whitmore's Potential has just been published in the March/April 2012 edition of the The Workplace Violence Prevention eReport.  The eReport requires a free subscription, which is painless enough to request.  What's more, subscribers to the eReport receive a promotional code for a free PDF version of Whitmore's book (and to think I paid cash for a copy printed on dead trees).  For some reason the review starts in the middle, so until that's fixed just follow the link to the complete text.  If for some reason you don't care to sign up for the eReport, I'll be posting the review here at The Breakfast next month.

Supersense

Why we believe in the unbelievable...

In Supersense Canadian research psychologist Bruce Hood does a very thorough job explaining the way the human mind is inclined to attribute essence to inanimate objects or intentionality to mindless physical processes. To that end Supersense is about why we believe in one particular sort of unbelievable - our very natural intuition that unseen forces energize the natural world around us. This tendency explains both the earliest of religious notions - animism - and the slightly more modern concept of the mind-body duality held by both the conventionally religious and the proponent of new age spiritualism. It is not so broad a book as I had expected, but is, on balance, the better for having remained focused.  His newest book, The Self Illusion is on my Goodreads "to-read" list as well.