When Everything Goes Wrong

Ft. Lauderdale Airport Shooting

Source: Accused Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooter said Government Was ‘Controlling His Mind’: FBI – ABC News

Esteban Santiago is the individual responsible for the Ft. Lauderdale Airport Shooting. Some quick facts about Santiago:

* Born in New Jersey but raised in Puerto Rico where he joined the National Guard in 2007

* Served in Iraq for one year and was reportedly discharged from the Alaska Army National Guard for unsatisfactory performance

* Santiago voluntarily went into the FBI office in Anchorage in November of 2016 “telling agents he was hearing voices and being directed by a US intelligence agency to watch ISIS videos”. FBI turned info over to local law enforcement and he voluntarily submitted himself to a mental health eval

* Family said he was a changed man after Iraq, claiming that he had visions and voices in his head

* He sold all of his possessions and flew to Ft. Lauderdale with only his pistol as checked luggage. On Friday, January 6, 2017 Santiago shot 11 people in the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport baggage claim area, killing five. The FBI has currently not ruled out terrorism.

The worst airport shooting in US history

I’ve purposefully waited to release an episode on this event to see what further information came out. There are so many directions that this conversation can go. Do we talk about mental illness of our veterans as well as others? Can we discuss the FBI and their possible dropping the proverbial ball with Santiago?

As the first mass shooting of 2017, we will talk mostly about how we as a nation should react to this. As with most people the question for many is how can we ensure our safety?

To be very clear, your safety is your responsibility. Getting back to the basics of readiness is the first step you should take. Awareness, readiness and having a plan can do the very best for you and yours.

What SHOULD the results of this be? My opinion only here. NOT further restrictions on gun transportation. When you give up freedoms for security, freedom almost always loses. What the you ask?

Get serious about the mental illness problem in this country. Do NOT throw all veterans into the “watch and worry” group as many are attempting already. We need to get better at watching for signs of serious illness.

Significant improvement on identifying the homegrown terrorist networks and support systems. This is the new reality for our nation. We must accept this truth and adjust our thinking appropriately. As a nation vigilance is the only response. What does this look like?

* Increased LEO presence in “soft target areas”

* Possible arming of TSA???

* Open up “armed carry” for all LEO’s. It takes a good guy with a gun…

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050. Don’t let another day go by without a good plan in place and trained people. We are here to serve you.

Our Secure Places Aren’t So Secure

We all think places like hospitals are safe and secure from people who should’t be there. Not so as the latest Brigham And Women’s Hospital security fail clearly shows us.

Like many of you, when I go to a hospital, it is usually not because I really want to be there. The last thing on most of our minds is being safe and secure while in the place we are going to get better. Major failures in healthcare security happen more often than anyone realize.

Yet, her ability to enter restricted operating room suites — without an identification badge — shows how difficult it can be to enforce security in institutions that teem with thousands of patients, families, and staff each day. Brigham officials said their review of security video and other evidence shows she gained access to five operating rooms over two days.

Source: Dressed in scrubs, she roamed the hospital. But she wasn’t supposed to be there. – The Boston Globe

The article we sourced and linked to describes a worst case scenario across many locations. Luckily no bodily harm was done in this situation and the person was eventually identified and dealt with.

Sort of..

Concerns for Healthcare

Healthcare is in the spotlight for a lot of reasons. We all want to trust the powers that be to ensuring our safety while in their care. The reality is that healthcare is vulnerable in many areas. Hospitals and providers alike have new regulations that they have to comply with, as well as a more vocal workforce. Nurses and healthcare workers are the number one group affected by workplace violence. The old standard of “check the box” training and compliance is quickly going to have to come to an end.

What can healthcare do? Get up to speed. Take a really hard look at all areas of security, and realistically determine weaknesses and seek improvements. Seek better training. Make better and more effective policies that actually work beyond the paper they are written on.

What can the individual do?

As we always say, on almost every episode you are solely responsible for your safety. But what about these situations where you aren’t ultimately in control? It is difficult. Especially when system wide changes must be made. Begin to have the conversation, proactively, with your doctor and your local hospital. Look for open forums and ask the specific questions about site vulnerability, patient and staff safety, personal information security, and so on. This is not an easy or quick fix. This will take time and effort from all of us.

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050. Don’t let another day go by without a good plan in place and trained people. We are here to serve you.

Protecting our children is the most significant duty of any people. This rings especially true as a parent. The article that inspired this episode (linked below) begin’s like this: “Some may find the following post to be disturbing. Reader discretion advised.” 

Weak sauce.

I’m not upset at the author of this piece for putting this disclaimer in. I’m shaking my head at the absurdity of an adult needing to be warned and the distinct reality that the article may be too much for some to bear. As such, we get to the heart of this episode.

Protecting Our Children and this article

By the way, these written words do not replace the recorded content of the podcast. They exist to merely give the reader an overview of the show content. Our episodes contain a much larger commentary than these pages provide.

So listen. This is important stuff.

Bullet points to cover the topics:

* Massive arrests following investigation

* Some of the worst images and videos ever viewed

* Multiple countries which show us the real problem

* Specifics on the arrests of professions

What was most alarming was that many of the arrests were of people who worked with or closely interacted with children. Among those arrested were 40 school teachers, nine doctors and nurses, six law enforcement personnel, nine pastors and priests and three foster parents.

* Children rescued from their tortured conditions

* Child porn is more prevalent than anyone can imagine

When Everything Goes Wrong

Safety and security talk means nothing if it doesn’t have results. People, you and I specifically, have to make changes when we are given better or more clarified information. Otherwise it is all just useless intellectual exercise. This article reveals a lazy and apathetic society. People do not like to think about or discuss the things that make them uncomfortable.

So, they simply don’t.

And in doing so, we as a people allow things atrocities to take place. We allow predators to steal and destroy the innocence of our future of a people. We also willingly teach our children to do the same.

This is the canary and the bottom of the well. The canary is dead.

Child Predation is Evil

We, as a people, have to be able to call things as they are. Not only to clearly understand what is before us but also to make clear and effective decisions about how to respond. To shy away from acknowledging something is to concede to it. And conceding to evil has evil repercussions. So then, what to do?

* Determine, as much as is within your power, to stand against real evil. This means with your own children, relatives, friends and acquaintances.

* If you have children, have very open and frank discussions with them about human predators. This doesn’t have to be graphic, that is not what I am saying. But they need to understand that not everyone out there has their best interests in mind. Ask your friends if they have covered this topic with their kids. Do this regularly.

* Listen to what your kids say. Pay attention for a change in behavior in them. Don’t let your pride in making them participate in an event or with certain people outweigh what a child is trying to convey. Let your kids know that you trust them. And that they can trust you to protect them.

* Know what a predator looks like and acts like for both yourself and those you are trying to protect. Look up child predator grooming. We don’t have the space here to cover it all, but massively important knowledge. A good article is linked right here.

* Don’t put kids in a situation of unnecessary risk. Slumber parties with families you don’t really know? Being alone with an adult of acquaintance only?

Healthcare Cyber Threats and Solutions

The conversation about healthcare cyber threats and solutions is a hard one. This interview is with Ted Harrington, the Executive Partner at Independent Security Evaluators. A bit about ISE in their own words.

ISE is an independent security firm in Baltimore, Maryland dedicated to aggressive defense strategies through advanced science. Our elite team of analysts and developers use scientific approaches to improve our clients’ overall security posture, protect digital assets, harden existing technologies, secure infrastructures, and work with development teams to ensure product security before deployment.

Our adversary-centric perspective allows us to understand not only the actions of threat actors, but to understand their mindset as well. Although our relationship with these nefarious elements is distant, it is also intimate: we interact with them regularly and bridge that distance by a passionate desire to understand them. Adopting their perspective in our own assessments allows us to identify future attack vectors, and prepare for them. The attacks are inevitable, but can be defeated with the right methodologies, the right defenses, and the right perspective.

Ted brings a wealth of knowledge and solutions to the safety and security conversation in the specific realm of cyber security.  This interview revealed a whole new world of possibilities and threats.

What we covered in this interview

* Real threats to healthcare and hospitals through the internet

* The weaponization of providers

* Possibilities of physical harm and even death by hacking into systems and equipment

* Weaknesses of current systems readiness

* Who takes ownership of this aspect of safety and security

* Solutions on prevention of attack

* Training of security and IT personnel

* A roadmap to implement effective and life saving changes

* Looking at the future and discussion of where do we go from here

By the end of this interview my head was spinning a bit at what we had just covered. It is a lot to take in. That said, Ted did not leave us without hope of solid planning, solutions and immediate actions to take. He and his team at ISE are part of the elite group of assets that this industry is lucky to have.

New Partnership

At the end of the day if we aren’t doing our best to serve and protect you, we fail. At Full Circle Systems Security and Defense we cover physical and infrastructure threats at the highest level. With that said, we are not the cyber and online security experts. It is our ongoing commitment to serving you that has helped us make the decision to make a strategic partnership with ISE. ISE is the definitive bleeding edge in this area. As our interaction with clients grows in scope, we will be bringing in ISE for all cyber, systems and online safety and security knowledge and training.

ISE has provided their Securing Hospitals: Research and Security Blueprint. You can go to their site and download the full report for free by clicking here.

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050. Don’t let another day go by without a good plan in place and trained people. We are here to serve you.

Violence In Real Estate

Unless you are a Real Estate Agent, most of us probably don’t give Violence in Real Estate much thought. Have a conversation with a real estate professional. They can all tell you stories either from personal experience or someone they know personally.

Real Estate is seen by most of us as one of those “safe places” where nothing wrong should happen. The fact is this: violence in real estate is on the rise.

Let’s cut to the chase. If you are someone you know is in the real estate industry, we do not want them to become a statistic or story that we talk about on this podcast. This is about raising awareness and giving some solutions.

So first, let’s look at some case studies.

Georgia Real Estate Agent Attacked at gunpoint

You can go directly to this story here. This story has an agent working in a leasing office in a new subdivision. Here is the breakdown:

* Agent was working alone

* A man entered in broad daylight, then robbed her at gunpoint taking money and jewelry

* The man forced her into the bathroom where he attempted sexual assault

* female agent fought off her attacker and escaped

Real Estate Agent Fatally Shot

An example of the worst case scenario, the original story can be seen here. In Atlanta Georgia a male real estate agent was visiting a property that he was interested in purchasing.

* The property was abandoned and in disrepair

* The neighbors had made multiple complaints about their concern of vagrants living inside

* The intruder shot the agent twice and killed him inside the home

Agent Robbed and Beaten in Ambush

Visually this is a rough one. You can see the original article and pictures here.

* The male agent was the property manager and was showing it to “a prospective client”

* The prospective client was supposed to be a young woman

* The agents wife was waiting in their vehicle outside the property

* Two masked gunmen were waiting inside hidden

* They robbed him of his wallet, wedding ring and phone

* They hit him in the back of the head and fled the scene

And Many More

There are so many different stories that I could include here. Real estate offices taken hostage. Agents robbed from their vehicles, cars, homes, you name it. Serious predation against female agents is a real and growing problem as well. The problem is a real and growing concern in the industry. While it is easy to hope for the best and pretend that violence won’t happen to you, we want you to be mentally prepared and physically ready.

Solutions

At Full Circle Systems Security and Defense we have made a free resource available to any Agents, Brokers, and Offices. Simply call us at 1-877-474-6050 or email us at [email protected] and ask for the real estate resource. Beyond this actionable pdf, we offer training from solutions for the lone agent to entire agencies. Because we want you to go home at the end of your day.

 

The Kootenai Health Shooting and Domestic Violence

Former jail employee: System needs to do better job protecting women in domestic violence situations

On Wednesday March 9, 2017 everything went wrong for nursing student Kelly Pease. Her former boyfriend, Steven Denson violated a restraining order, found Ms. Pease in her car at work and killed her.

Denson committed suicide the next day after being cornered by sheriff deputies. On the podcast I will read through the particulars of this case and then talk about possible solutions. You can read the original news story for yourself by clicking here.

Realities of Abuse

Domestic violence is a very sad and tragic reality in society. All too often abuse victims don’t report what happens because of fear, intimidation, or embarrassment. As we highlight in the podcast, the abusers even if dealt with by law enforcement have widely different consequences. No one has the right to wage violence on an innocent person. You have a right to protect and even defend yourself if you must. Protect your own life and if you have children, their life as well.

Solutions

This show is not intended to be an all inclusive resource  for domestic abuse. We are endeavoring to raise awareness. With that said, the National Domestic Violence Hotline we link to below has very clear plans for many different abuse situations. The main issue, as with all things safety and security is awareness and communication. Tell family and friends and please seek help.

Resources

If you or someone you know is suffering abuse, you can contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline by clicking here.

Safety Alert: Computer use can be monitored and is impossible to completely clear. If you are afraid someone is watching your internet usage, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 or TTY 1−800−787−3224.

Remember, your life has value and you are important. Don’t risk becoming another statistic, help is available!

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050. Don’t let another day go by without a good plan in place and trained people. We are here to serve you.

Runner Fights Off Attacker

Four miles into a planned 10-mile run in Seattle’s Golden Gardens park on Sunday, 36-year-old Kelly Herron stopped for what she thought would be a quick bathroom break.

Source: A jogger’s fitness tracker documented her brutal attack on a run | Fox News Runner fights off attacker is an understatement.

 Kelly Herron is a survivor. He war cry is “Not Today Motherfucker”! So much to say about her ordeal, but the first is well done lady! The picture above is her Instagram recount of the event. As always we link to the original article so you can read it for yourself.

Her attacker is Gary Steiner who is described by Seattle Police as a 40 year old registered sex offender from Arizona.  Steiner was waiting in the bathroom for what he thought would be his next obvious victim. This is where everything went wrong, for Steiner!

What Went Right

Ms. Herron recently trained in a self defense class that her workplace offered.

* She took initiative to get the training

* Ms. Herron decided not to be the helpless victim that day

* She fought back with everything she had in her

* Remembering her training she effectively used it to her advantage

* Herron beat the shit out of Steiner

* She locked him in the bathroom until the police arrived

Ms. Herron did everything right that day. This is absolutely a best case scenario of a potentially bad encounter with a predator. I do not have any specifics on Steiner but he appears to be homeless. Also, he appears to have a slighter build than average.

Let’s Break This Down Some More

The biggest point of success is Ms. Herron’s mindset. Not only choosing to fight, she fought with ferocity. She understood what was at stake in the situation and chose to give it her all. Most rapists and attackers do not expect any resistance. Plenty of studies by law enforcement reveal that predators look for the most unaware and complacent target. They do not want to struggle or fight and will MOST OF THE TIME avoid this.

This is not to say that a rapist won’t try to harm or hurt their intended mark. Plenty will and do. We are saying that being willing to fight back raises your chance of survival by a lot.

Again, great job Ms. Herron!

Our Wish List

If we have any constructive critiques, they are few. I’ll broaden this beyond just Ms. Herron to any woman reading this.

* If you can, run with a partner or group

This requires clarification. Just running with another person isn’t a failsafe. Your running partner(s) MUST have the SAME MINDSET as you do! The willingness to fight back. If one person has this mindset and the other doesn’t, the one that doesn’t becomes a real liability. This can make a potential encounter even more dangerous. Have this conversation with whoever you train with. Think of different possibilities and scenarios that could take place and discuss how you would handle it.

* Run with pepper spray, a weapon or something you can defend yourself with

This can be car keys you hold spread out between your fingers. There are many options out there. The ability to use something other that your hands, feet fingernails, teeth, elbows or what have you is called having a “Force Multiplier“.  A force multiplier can turn the situation and give you a decided advantage over an attacker. Make it a habit to carry one each and every time you leave your house.

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050.

End of the week News Wrap Up

The search for a missing 15-year-old Tennessee girl believed to be with a teacher has “gone fairly cold,” Fox 17 Nashville reports.

Our end of the week news wrap up begins with a child abduction in Tennessee. Source: Second Amber Alert for Tennessee teen who disappeared with her teacher | Fox News

Amber Alert for Student Abducted By Teacher

The first item is about 15 year old Elizabeth Thomas who has been taken by her health teacher Tad Cummins.

* Suspected taken for sexual exploitation

* Cummins is believed to be armed with two handguns

* Cummins, 50, was caught kissing Thomas at school Jan. 23

* We will Update this page as more information becomes available

ISIS gunmen dressed as doctors kill at least 30 at Afghan hospital

In Kabul, Afghanistan gunmen stormed a 400 bed hospital dressed in white lab coats. The full story can be read by clicking here.

* ISIS claims responsibility

* The attack took place in a heavily guarded diplomatic area

* There are more than 30 confirmed dead and more than 50 wounded

* Afghan Defense Forces battled the attackers from floor to floor

* One of the attackers successfully detonated his suicide explosive vest

Footage of brazen sex attack at university released

An Australia college student’s attack was caught on video for the world to see. You can read the story and view the video by clicking here.

* University of Sydney video shows brazen sex attack

* The video shows the young woman entering a parking garage and the young man closely following her

* The young man is shown covering her mouth, shoving the young woman between two vehicles and attempting sexual assault

* The young woman reportedly “yelled at the top of her lungs for help”,

* She used her free right arm to fight back against her assailant, eventually shaking her body free from his grip

* The bad guy has not yet been apprehended

Woman shoots, kills self at Viera Hospital, Brevard County, Florida

Please feel free to see the original story by clicking here.

* Woman is picked up by an ambulance after suffering a “medical emergency”

* The hospital already uses enhanced security measures such as metal detectors and wands

* Ambulance  delivered patients were not screened when entering the ER

* The woman once in her room removed a gun from her personal belongings and killed herself

* The hospital has increased security measures hospital wide

* This exposes the importance of testing policies and training before an event takes place

Our Primary Takeaway

We have been wanting to cover all of these stories. This gives us the opportunity to look at some commonalities that they share. This largest item seen is the need for awareness. Awareness leads to mindset. We have spoken about this in a previous episode that you can listen to here. These are the most basic habits that can save someones life in almost every situation.

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by

The London Terror Attack

The man behind the London terror attack rampage that left at least five people dead, including a police officer, outside of London’s Parliament building was identified as Khalid Masood.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who suffered loss.

Source: London terror attack: Killer identified as 52-year-old Khalid Masood | Fox News

What does this have to do with you and the good ol’ USA? A lot actually.

* This is a copycat attack

* An attack similar to this has already happened in the United States

* It is going to happen again here

Some specifics on this attack

Masood, the identified killer was born in the UK. He was native. Masood had a history of violent behavior but reportedly was not on a watch list. He has been described as a family man.

* Masood ran his vehicle into people on the Westminster Bridge and in front of Parliament

* His car injured at least forty and killed three

* Masood then got out and engaged a police officer with a knife, killing the cop

* Police arriving on scene engaged and fatally shot Masood

* ISIS has already taken responsibility for his actions

So far the death count is at five including Masood and the police officer. London is in mourning put showing that famous British “stiff upper lip”. We are with you Mother England.

How to Respond

As always we never want anyone listening to live in fear. Ever. That said, we want you to understand this very clearly. This will happen, not just again, but many more times. In both other countries and here.

Why?

Because it works, very well. So, how do you protect you and your loved ones from a car or truck careening into you and others? Our standard answer as always is awareness and communication.

* Be aware of the threat

* Communicate the importance of awareness, readiness and mindset to those in your life

* Talk through “what if” scenarios with them

So, will awareness and communication safe you from a vehicle attack? Well, maybe not. It will however give you more than a fighting chance. How so?

* Awareness of your immediate surroundings (Crowd? No Crowd? Escape routes?)

* What you carry everyday

* Communication with your friend or family in the moment

* Ability to help others in the event of an attack/real bad situation

* Your choice of whether or not to get further training

See? Opens up many more possibilities than “oh shit, we’re all gonna die!” This continued practice of awareness and communications turns the tables for you as well. You go from being a reactionary person to being as proactively ready as a situation will allow.

Awareness gives us options. Options allow choice of movement. Movement is life.

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050. Don’t let another day go by without a good plan in place and trained people. We are here to serve you.

US Strikes Syria and Other News

There is an ancient Chinese curse that goes like this. “May you live in interesting times”. I’ll just let you work that out. We have several different news events that have happened in the last 48 hours as we discuss the US Strikes Syria and Other News.

The Syrian Air strike by the United States is the biggest news event on the radar. While that is significant, these other two can’t be ignored in this context of events. The U.S. hit a Syrian Air Base with Tomahawk Missiles in response to the Syrian Government using sarin gas on civilians in its own country. This gas attack has been well publicized with graphic pictures of the dead, including children.

Source: The U.S. Strikes a Syrian Air Base | Stratfor

Stockholm Truck Attack

This morning in Stockholm Sweden a truck was driven into a busy department store. It is being claimed a terror attack . The impact has killed at least five and injured many more.

“Some people felt that this was just a matter of time,” she said. “Paris, Brussels, London and now Stockholm. I just had a feeling something like this would happen.” -Katarina Libert, 32, a freelance journalist

We have spoken about the possibility of terror attacks after the London Car Attack. Incidents of terror using vehicles will continue to be used.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/world/europe/stockholm-attack.html

Russia has a New Submarine

Russia is also in the news announcing their latest submarine. This thing is a monster. They are also informing the world that their global patrols are increasing. Russia has significant interests in Syria. They are a growing power in the global arena to be sure. This new submarine has immense tactical capabilities.

Coming full circle (see what I did there?) Russia is now rattling their sword at the US air strike. Very clearly there are lots of behind the scenes politics going on.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/04/06/russia-bolsters-naval-arsenal-unveils-its-most-powerful-nuclear-sub-ever.html

What Does All This Have To Do With You

Depends on you actually. Either these events are significant, or they aren’t. It is my experience that most (not all to be sure) people tend to react one of two ways.

*  They don’t care. The events are not in their home town or backyard, therefore – don’t care

* They flip the hell out. Everything turns into a doom and gloom scenario. Government conspiracies have taken over. The boogie man is clearly after them. Right now.

While these things are all in some way possibly (maybe) true, there is another option. You can choose to become aware. Learning to ingest the news and events is a skill. It is a thing you can learn to do on your own. Everyday. This skill set brings a gift with it. Awareness and the ability to analyze makes you free. Free from what you ask?

Freedom from being a sheeple. Oh man, new terms to define!!

Sheeple: People who are incapable of thinking on their own. Sheeple always conform and follow the crowd.

We are begging you not to be one. If you are, please have hope! You can change! Fighting the sheeple epidemic is why this show exists.

We are here to help.

We are Full Circle Systems Security & Defense

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us by clicking here. Also, you can call us toll free at 1-877-474-6050.