Is Your Security Real or Pretend?

As a security professional, I see all kinds of different things, from the real-deal to pretenders.  Being prepared is not just about being armed or trained in the use of a firearm, it is a mindset.  There is a wide variety of what being prepared looks like, or what it really is- the mindset is what is key.

Say you want to secure your place (work, home, the house of worship); you realize that your door is not good enough as it is.  In order to improve things, you create a huge deadbolt system; get a large padlock and feeling pretty good about how you have improved your security.

Take a look at this photo, that is a huge deadbolt and a giant padlock and for sure appears to be secured to the door, with a one-inch thick deadbolt. That looks great, right?  Proud of your work? How much time and energy have you spent on this upgrade?

Better yet, let's say you have hired someone.  You told them you wanted to make security improvements and you identified an entryway that needs to be upgraded or reinforced. So, the company, a person has come and done their work. Looking at the locking system above, you see a major upgrade has taken place and the system appears to be much improved.

Let's take one step back, further away, look at the overall photo and see what we think now….

Does it make sense to you now? Do you still feel like you have upgraded your door? Or can you see the fallacy of all that work putting in a huge deadbolt right next to two large glass windows? 

Now I don’t fault the people responsible for this, I know them. We fall into a thought process and a pattern of behavior that we are comfortable with. The folks who did this are not security professionals and they had all the best intentions; however, this is a monument to something that won't work the way we want it to.

Security is a mindset. You have to be able to see the larger picture (quite literally) and understand what people are capable of and where weaknesses are that could be exploited. Training and practice are what help us develop those processes and skills. Do not wander around thinking you put a deadbolt on a door when your door is still made of glass- seek out training.

We can teach you how to make your home, place of worship, your workplace, and your life more safe and secure. We can teach you how to defend yourself both armed or unarmed. Be prepared; know what to do and this includes learning first aid and CPR.

Among the best things, you can do if you wish to be better prepared in a dangerous world is training and practice, that practice does not always mean a trip to the range. The best things you can do is proper training, on your own or with an instructor. Train a little, a lot.  In other words, train in small batches as often as you can.

Copyright Raven One-Five, LLC, 2019