When the UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed in New York City in early December 2024, executive protection and corporate security professionals worldwide had to grapple with increased fear, criticism, and demands. Chuck Tobin and Caleb Gilbert from the International Protective Security Board join the SM Highlights podcast to discuss close protection and pre-attack indicators. But growing pressure on private security can have personal ramifications—Eric Davoine outlines how burnout is a serious challenge for security professionals and what ethical leaders can do about it.

Additional Resources

Read more about the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing from Security Management in a number of articles, including:

• Security Professionals Grapple with Criticism, Board Mandates, and Public Anger in the Wake of Targeted CEO Attack: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2024/december/aftermath-ceo-attack/

• UnitedHealthcare CEO Shot and Killed in Manhattan: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2024/december/unitedhealthcare-executive-protection/

• Copycat, Contagion, and the Robin Hood Effect as Risk Enhancers in Targeted Violence: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/12/robin-hood-effect/

Want to learn more about executive protection? Here are the recommended resources from Chuck Tobin and Caleb Gilbert:

• ASIS International Executive Protection Community: https://community.asisonline.org/subjectareahome?CommunityKey=067c2745-7d91-4044-b7f4-11edd0e782b1

• International Protective Security Board (IPSB): https://ipsboard.org/

• ASIS International Standards and Guidelines: https://www.asisonline.org/publications--resources/standards--guidelines/

Learn more about mental health and burnout in security in the latest coverage from Security Management here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/01/burnout/

Read more about burnout from Eric Davoine and Gigi Agassini, CPP, here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/01/burnout/tackling-burnout/

How does burnout differ from operational stress? Learn more here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2019/07/under-pressure-managing-team-wellness/

Having trouble keeping your high-performing team engaged but not burned out? Read insights and guidance here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2022/09/how-to-keep-high-performance-security-teams-motivated/

Explore how best to manage across private security and former public sector professionals here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/09/career-transition/

Are there holes in your security program? Quite likely. In this episode of SM Highlights, host Brendan Howard speaks with red team expert Gary DeMercurio about how to develop a testing program and scope that deliver actionable results and value. Also, Marc Weber Tobias outlines the concept of insecurity engineering in locks and the basic awareness security practitioners should leverage. Then, Mark Johnson explains how data-driven video surveillance systems are being used to improve operations and safety for medevac helicopters.

Additional Resources

Interested in penetration testing? Watch a selection of key takeaways from GSX 2024 speakers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHXSh77ONPw

Read more about pen testing and red teaming in Security Management’s coverage publishing later in December.

Read more from WIRED about Marc Weber Tobias’s work on Medeco locks here: https://www.wired.com/2008/08/medeco-locks-cr/

For more on medevac helicopter security, read Mark Johnson’s article here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/december/Data-Driven-Video-Technology-Enhances-Medevac-Helicopters-Safety/

Learn more about flying debris affecting helipad safety in this National Transportation Safety Board safety alert: https://www.ntsb.gov/Advocacy/safety-alerts/Documents/SA-057.pdf

Dive deeper into transportation security in the December 2024 issue of Security Technology here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/december/

How does the tone from the top influence fraud investigations, organizational culture, security training, and technology upgrades? Scot Walker, PCI, Manish Mehta, and John Rodriguez join this episode of the SM Highlights podcast to talk through how proactive relationship-building and partnerships can drive tactical and strategic success.

Additional Resources

Join the ASIS International Investigations Community here: https://community.asisonline.org/subjectareahome?CommunityKey=e3a5949e-d103-40a3-80f9-38f8476100b1

Get resources from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on investigations here: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/tools/how-to-guides/how-to-conduct-investigation

To learn more about security operations centers (SOCs), check out Security Management’s coverage from September: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/09/soc/

Read Manish Mehta’s take on modernizing SOCs in his article: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/09/soc/modernizing-socs/

More interested in security culture and how it affects leadership? Read more here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/10/culture/

Hear more from John Rodriguez about how security leaders can leverage and influence culture in his article: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/10/culture/culture-security-differentiator/

Are you basing your emergency preparedness plans on outdated data and models? As the pace of natural disasters and critical events speeds up, security managers will need to readjust their procedures and succession plans to succeed, says Thomas Henkey, CEM. Also in this month’s episode, sponsored by Dataminr, Paul Maguire discusses how the volume of HUMINT and OSINT available today makes corporate security intelligence challenging, especially when artificial intelligence enters the scene. Then, Felix Nater outlines how security awareness training can fail… especially when users think it’s boring.

Additional Resources

Learn more about Dataminr here: https://www.dataminr.com/

Read more from Thomas Henkey about how to weather the growing tempo of tempests in Security Technology here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/october/tempo-tempest-facing-emergency-management/

Learn more about Protective Security Advisors through CISA and the Department of Homeland Security here: https://www.cisa.gov/about/regions/security-advisors

Plug into your Community Emergency Response Teams here: https://community.fema.gov/PreparednessCommunity/s/welcome-to-cert?language=en_US

For more about OSINT and security intelligence, read the full issue of Security Technology: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/october/

Where do climate and security intersect today? Amanda McCarty, director of the Climate Ready Nation initiative at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), joins the SM Highlights podcast to talk about how climate change is a “destabilizer” for organizations and individuals worldwide and how scientists are reevaluating what they measure to track new effects and map a path to resilience.

Additional Resources

Take security higher with GSX: https://www.gsx.org/

Learn how to build resilience and deal with unknown knowns in this year’s GSX Game Changer sessions: https://www.gsx.org/game-changers/

Learn more about the Climate Ready Nation initiative and NOAA here: https://www.noaa.gov/building-a-climate-ready-nation

Interested in understanding how climate change intersects with security risks? Read more from Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2023/05/climate-change-and-security/

Learn more about security’s role in resilience and anti-fragility here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/07/resilience/

Study the links between climate extremes and mass migration and displacement with Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2024/june/mass-migration-extremism-climate/

Carlos Francisco, CPP, spent more than two decades climbing the ranks in security at Walt Disney World Resorts, learning how to balance situational awareness, de-escalation, and customer service. Now, he joins the GSX Daily edition of SM Highlights to discuss the human-centric security culture that led the world-class environment for guests at the “Happiest Place on Earth” and how to apply those lessons across the security management profession.

Additional Resources

Take security higher at GSX: https://www.gsx.org/

Learn additional lessons for career growth—especially for early career and aspirational leaders—here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2023/09/workforce-development/

Study the value of concierge guarding from cultural properties and museums: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/04/concierge/

Are your soft skills up to par to handle a customer-centric culture? Get pro tips here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2023/11/soft-skills/

Need to come to grips with cybersecurity acumen and where cyber risk intersects with physical security? Read Security Management’s ongoing cybersecurity coverage on our topic page: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/Topics/cybersecurity/

In this special GSX 2024 edition of the SM Highlights podcast, sponsored by Sign In Solutions, Orange County Convention Center security administrator Earl Biggett, Jr., CPP, shares some career advice—especially for people changing from the public to the private sector—and how working in concierge security positions changed his approach to his job and security technology.

Additional Resources

Learn more about Sign In Solutions here: https://signinsolutions.com/

Discover how GSX takes security higher: https://www.gsx.org/

Interested in transitioning from public service into private security? Read Security Management’s latest coverage here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/09/career-transition/

Find career resources through ASIS International here: https://www.asisonline.org/professional-development/career-hq/

How are robotics being used in security today? Learn more from Security Technology: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/August/

Learn about concierge security approaches online here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/04/concierge/

It’s not quite like the movies—bank robberies are still a regular challenge for security professionals, but theft trends continue to change as robbers seek faster, more convenient ways to get cash, says Robert Ross, VP of security and office services at Gate City Bank. Also in this episode of SM Highlights, learn how to improve your transition from the public service to private corporate security with Eric Kready, CPP. Then, RC Miles, CPP, explains how organizations can improve documentation and training to boost their defenses against lawsuits.

Additional Resources

For more about bank robberies and ATM crimes, check back with Security Management on 16 September.

In the meantime, learn how banks are addressing vagrancy in ATM vestibules and bank property here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2021/11/coping-with-vagrancy-in-atm-vestibules/

Want a two-year timeline for a more effective career transition from the military or law enforcement to private security? Read Eric Kready’s guide: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/09/career-transition/Two-year-map-for-career-transitions/

More tips and tough truths about career transitions are available in Security Management’s content collection here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/09/career-transition/

Learn more about why security gets sued online here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/08/lawsuits/

Read more from RC Miles, CPP, about why security guards can be your forgotten risk mitigator here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/08/lawsuits/security-guard-risk-mitigator/

Read the checklist on guard training here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/08/lawsuits/training-documentation-checklist/

Learn about the Champlain Towers South building collapse and subsequent settlement here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2022/june/Contract-Security-Provider/

Learn about the security officer use of force lawsuit and charges in Milwaukee here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2024/july/Hotel-Operator-Fires-Security-Personnel/

From robots to drones to autonomous cars, AVs present threats, challenges, and opportunities for security professionals worldwide. In this special bonus podcast, sponsored by the ASIS Foundation, a trio of researchers shares their perspectives and findings after conducting a meticulous study into current and potential use cases for autonomous vehicles.

Want to learn more? Check out the ASIS Foundation’s latest report, available for free to ASIS members, online here: https://store.asisonline.org/autonomous-vehicles-threats-risks-and-opportunities.html?_gl=1*29gc34*_gcl_au*MTUzNTkxODIxNi4xNzIyMjY2ODI3*_ga*MjEyODY5NzQ4MC4xNjY3NDE3ODkw*_ga_0ZPVSP549B*MTcyMjk3MjI4My4xODQwLjEuMTcyMjk3MjI4OC4wLjAuMA..

Support the ASIS Foundation’s ability to provide research, scholarships, grants, and more by donating or participating in the foundation’s annual fundraising events. Learn more here: https://www.asisonline.org/get-involved/asis-foundation/

Get moving with the ASIS Foundation Fitness Challenge, sponsored by Thermal Radar, Sage Integration, DSS, and Stapp One. https://www.charityfootprints.com/ASISFit/

If your organization keeps getting blindsided with crises, it’s time to revise your crisis management program to get out in front of problems faster, improve your communication, and leverage more strategic viewpoints, says Erik Antons, CPP, PSP. Also in this episode of SM Highlights, dig into performing supply chain due diligence and setting standards with Kevin Biggs, CPP. Then, check in on the current state of robots in the security industry with William Plante.

Additional Resources

Dig deeper into crisis management team development in this article from Erik Antons, CPP, PSP, here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/07/resilience/create-crisis-managment-team/

Interested in derisking your supply chain? Kevin Biggs, CPP, explores the topic further here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/07/resilience/diversifying-supply-chains/

Want to learn more about resilience and crisis preparedness? Check out the full Security Management topic here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/07/resilience/

For more about security robotics and technology, see the August 2024 issue of Security Technology: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/August/

Read more insights from William Plante about security robotics online here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/August/Revolutionizing-Security-Rise-Future-Security-Robots/

For daily news from Security Management, including trends, analysis, and more, keep up with our Today in Security coverage: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/