Former Cops Teach HR Leaders How to Avoid or Survive Violent Incidents

“He walked in the front door and shot my friend Ray three times.”

That was but one of the statements that kept attendees on the edge of their seat during an Active Shooter seminar held in Arkansas earlier this month. The speaker, retired Police Chief Tim Keck, regaled the audience with true stories from his experience and lessons learned from studying violent crime.

The incident in question happened decades ago but could have been ripped from today’s headlines. An angry man, who blamed his ex-wife for all of his problems, took revenge by murdering his former in-laws, kidnapping his ex- and taking over the police department by force. During the ensuing stand-off, the wife was shot twice before being rescued by officers.

In the hours following, then-Corporal Keck sat in a darkened hospital hallway, guarding the victim’s room. He recalled how officers recognized the escalation of violence by this criminal and how, if something didn’t change, this local bad guy was going to murder his ex-wife. In other words, they predicted the crime months before it happened. Yet officers felt helpless to prevent the tragedy.

Much has changed since that time, according to Doug Elms, founder of SafeHaven Security Group, LLC, who sponsored the seminar. “We now know how to recognize the pre-cursors to violence. With our clients and in our training, we teach everyone to watch for warning signs so that mass murder can be prevented.”

“Human Resources professionals are who we work with most,” said Elms, “as every organization has a vested interest in keeping their people safe.”

Monte Mills, Director of Security Operations for SafeHaven, urged leaders and HR managers not to buy into the three myths that the Police Department in the above story fell for:

1. It will never happen to us. 2. It cannot be predicted. 3. It cannot be prevented.

“Of course, it probably won’t happen to you. But it absolutely could. The victims of every mass shooting thought it wouldn’t happen to them,” said Mills. “They also thought that such a thing couldn’t be predicted. But now we know it can, to a large degree, by understanding the correlates of violence. And of course, most anything that can be predicted, can be prevented.” Based on lessons learned from the United States Secret Service and others, SafeHaven Security Group runs a vibrant nationwide Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) program. Elms defined the term as “The art and science of determining exactly how dangerous a situation is, then working to de-escalate or eliminate the threat entirely and keep everyone safe.” He said although his company has only been in existence for five years, they have a 100% success rate in preventing or mitigating against violence.

He said a typical case begins with someone in HR at a client’s site being told that there is a problem and people are “concerned.” The person driving employee trepidation might be a customer, a fellow employee, or the spouse of a coworker. He said it matters less who they are than their specific behavior.

“Managing threats isn’t about profiling or backgrounds, it’s always about actual behavior. Where people come from or what people say matters little. But the things they do, their actual behavior, can reveal their true intentions,” said Elms.

After discreetly gathering intelligence about the threat, experienced and qualified threat managers go to work to derail the threat completely, which is far safer than doing it yourself, Elms advised.

“Imagine that you listen to the concerns of an employee and decide there likely isn’t a threat. But what happens if you’re wrong?” he asked. “How do you explain to the families of the victims that you knew there might be a problem, but made the decision on your own not to act?”

It is this exact scenario that has driven the growth of Elms’ company, from one employee five years ago to 250 employees now.

“HR professionals simply needed someone to partner with them, to listen to their needs and work toward employee safety within a framework of business objectives. That’s what we do for them. Or rather ‘with’ them!” he quipped, “We make their job easier.”

How does Elms and his cohorts know about the needs of human resource managers and company leaders? “Because, after 10 years in law enforcement and being wounded in a shoot-out, I went to work for the world’s largest company. I helped set up Walmart’s executive protection program, protecting multiple CEO’s and members of the Walton family. Then I moved into the business side of the company and learned how to be successful in that environment,” Elms answered.

“All leaders at SafeHaven Security Group have similar backgrounds. We have police chiefs, security heads from major international companies, military veterans who have protected assets in the harshest of environments and former small business owners - all working to help you keep your people safe,” Elms said proudly.

The seminar in Harrison, a small community in the Arkansas Ozarks, was very well attended. Co-sponsored by the chamber of commerce, the police department and the county sheriff, attendees ran the gamut from business leaders to government officials to school administrators.

Judy Harris, Boone County Circuit Clerk said “This seminar provided information I believe everyone needs, and presented it in a very dynamic, interesting manner.

The main instructor took a tough subject and presented it with positive, effective ways to keep us safe in an Active Shooter situation. He added humor which helped keep all attending captivated.

I took my entire staff to the seminar and a couple of days later two of them came to me with a concern about someone they had seen that morning in the building. No trouble occurred that day but, in reviewing their concerns, they described how information they had learned in the seminar gave them the tools to deal with that particular situation with confidence.”

Elms encouraged HR leaders and others to trust their instincts and, when something feels wrong, pick up the phone and call. “Better yet,” Elms said, “educate yourself on the warning signs of potential violence so you know what to watch for.”

The mantra throughout the day was that it costs nothing to call SafeHaven Security Group for help as initial assessments are always free. Their number is 1-844-SAFEGROUP or www.SafeHavenSecurityGroup.com.

In speaking of the police department takeover, Chief Keck said “I can tell you what it’s like to walk into your place of business and see bullet holes in the wall and bloodstains on the floor. You don’t ever want to do that. Pay attention. Trust your instincts. Call for help and partner with a professional to keep yourself and your people safe.”

Participants in an Active Shooter Seminar in Harrison, AR, participate in a guided visualization to decrease reaction time and increase survival response strategies. Taken from such endeavors as Olympic athletes and special forces operators, this technique and others were taught by instructors from SafeHaven Security Group, a leader in anti-violence training and prevention.