A Safer Point of View
Suspicious Person and Package Awareness
When we see a person or package that seems out of place, it makes us pause and stops us in our tracks.
That’s odd. Why is he wearing a winter jacket and face mask? It’s the middle of summer.
A briefcase. Left in the middle of the business lobby. Who would just leave their briefcase there? I’m sure it has important documents in it. That seems strange.
We ask ourselves, “Should I say something?” “No one else seems too concerned about it. I must be over-reacting.” We have regard for the person who seems to be suspicious. “I don’t want him to get in trouble. What if there’s a perfectly good explanation for why he’s wearing the coat.” And we brush off the idea the briefcase could be anything other than that. “I’m sure someone will be back to get it soon,” or “I’m sure someone from the staff will see it and take care of it.”
It’s true. The man wearing a winter jacket and face-mask in summer could be harmless. The briefcase could have been forgotten by a business person, and they’ll be back to claim it once-realized it’s gone.
But it’s not normal for a person to be wearing a winter jacket and face-mask in 80-degree weather. And people don’t typically leave a briefcase in the middle of a lobby floor. Both of these scenarios should be reported to building staff and/or the local police. Without knowledge of these circumstances, the appropriate people can’t investigate their nature.
Levine Security Solutions provides training on Suspicious Person and Package Awareness. Course instructors feature active-duty law enforcement, including former SWAT team members, and fire safety specialists. These instructors provide insight based on past experiences with suspicious persons and suspicious package incidents. This course leverages classroom instruction with scenario-based exercises to help attendees identify persons and packages seemingly out of place and give them the confidence and wherewithal to report it.
The Suspicious Person and Package Awareness training covers a variety of manmade and natural disasters and explosive/incendiary devices. For each of these threats, defined “hot zones” are revealed. The hot zones will help organizations and their personnel verify the scientifically-required distances from threats required to ensure safety.