The U.S. Capitol Riot: Securing American Facilities

The January 6, 2021 storming on the U.S. Capitol was a violent attack on American democracy.

The attack is also a sobering reminder that leadership, vigilance, and collaboration are mission critical to the protection not only of government facilities, but also privately owned facilities.

The breach of security at the capitol is a wakeup call to all responsible with facility protection - law enforcement, administrators, security directors, emergency management officials, property managers – all must have an expertise with emergency planning and security management.  

This expertise is critical to protecting life, property, information, the survival of an enterprise, and in the case of the Capitol attack, the morale of the nation.

There will undoubtedly be assessments, or even a commission to review the Capitol tragedy, that will inevitably focus on a leadership deficiency, lack of collaboration, and failure to effective respond to warning signs and a culture of aggression.

But the purpose of this article is to present fundamental principles that will enable enhancing security at facilities throughout America.

When enhancing security at sites such as the U.S. Capitol, it is important to implement Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED), a pillar of crime prevention.  

CPTED ensures that security is enhanced where esthetics are respected and sites do not contradict our democratic open society principles by appearing to be like fortresses.

In Memoriam: U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick

Before we continue, we are reminded that securing facilities is essential to the protection of life.  Therefore, let us pause to honor the memory of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brain D. Sicknick.

Officer Sicknick died “due to injuries sustained while on duty on Jan. 6,  .. he was injured while physically engaging with protesters,” U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement.   

Officer Sicknick had his body lie in honor in the Capitol rotunda from Tuesday evening, Feb. 2 to Wednesday morning, Feb. 3 before his internment at Arlington National Cemetery.

Lying in state is typically reserved for elected officials, which is why Sicknick's ceremony is designated as lying in honor.

Following his death, his family released the following statement:

“There really aren’t enough kind words in any language to describe how sweet Brian was.  He was truly a lovely, humble soul. We are missing him terribly.

“He was sweet natured through and through.  Everyone who met him adored him.  He also loved his dachshunds dearly, spoiling them, and ensuring they got the best care possible.

“He loved his job with the U.S. Capitol Police, and was very passionate about it.  He also had an incredible work ethic.  He was very serious about showing up to work on time and refused to call out sick unless absolutely necessary.

“Our loss of Brian will leave a large hole in our hearts.

“The tremendous support we have received from the U.S. Capitol Police, the law enforcement community, and the community as a whole has been overwhelmingly warm and generous.  We’re very grateful for everyone’s kindness during this difficult time.”

Emergencies: Man Made or Natural

Essentially, an emergency is any situation that can divert a facility from normal operations or production.

Emergencies can be caused by man-made or natural circumstances. Man-made emergencies can be due to a crime such as workplace violence, terrorism, civil disturbance, or fire.

Natural emergencies can arise due to a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or storm.

A professionally designed emergency plan can save an enterprise from loss of life and property, financial chaos, marketplace loss and reputation.

Emergency planning is the description of actions necessary by an organization to protect employees, the public, and assets from threats initiating from natural or man-made incidents.

America’s Infrastructure Requires Protection

Aside from the protection of government facilities such as the Capitol, government buildings, schools, courthouses, police departments, and administrative buildings - emergency planning for private entities is also critical.

Since 85% of America's vital infrastructure such as oil refineries, chemical plants, banks, and port facilities are privately owned, emergency planning must be the order of the day for every enterprise.

ASIS International Tips

According to the "Emergency Planning Handbook" of ASIS International, an association dedicated to leadership and education in security and safety issues, the following activities are essential to initiate an emergency planning process:

·         Review existing plans and procedures for their validity.

·         Gain upper management involvement and support.

·         Identification of facilities to be included and thoroughly understand all distinctive elements of each of them

·         Conduct a vulnerability assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the facility. Parenthetically, this aspect of emergency planning must be conducted by a certified individual with a reputable and licensed company that has solid references.

·         Identification of the facilities resources and their priority such as people, equipment and existing plans.

·         Study the organization’s demographics which include knowledge of employees (especially emergency planning managers and key personnel) homes and response ability.

·         Identification of members of the emergency planning team and agreement on the appointment of a coordinator and committee representing various organization disciplines such as operations, information technology, finance, customer service, auditing, risk management and labor relations if applicable.

ASIS International encourages major considerations to the emergency planning including the following:

• Centralized emergency management structure
• Effective communication with numerous levels of back up
• Timely forecasts
•  Facility shutdown procedures with clear assignments of responsibilities
•  Evacuation plans
• Mutual aid agreement for sheltering when area evacuations are not feasible
• Trained emergency assistance employees
•  A media spokesperson
• Supporting materials such as maps and call up lists.

Although each of the aforementioned has checklists necessary for effective emergency planning, it is critical that clearly established procedures for evacuations from company buildings exist, and that they are tested periodically through table top, partial scale, and full scale exercises.

ASIS International strongly recommends that maps be posted in the workplace identifying evacuation routes and shelter areas, and that safety monitors are assigned to assist with evacuations.

Employees should be assembled in specific locations and able to be easily accounted for.

The evacuation plans should also have alternative plans in case routes are blocked, as well as procedures to assist the physically challenged and visually and/or hearing impaired individuals.

Evacuation plans should also have coordinators who confirm the area/building has been effectively evacuated, appropriate distance assembly areas from the disaster scene, are aware of predetermined muster points for emergency response personnel, know the marked routes, and are aware of exits with appropriate back up lighting, shutdown and restart procedures.  Someone assigned to protecting the vital record storage plans is necessary.

Emergency planning, as ASIS International specifically relates to the evacuation procedures, must have a checklist with provisions.  These include conditions under which an evacuation is ordered.

Also essential is the individual responsible for authorizing the evacuation, with established lines of succession, appropriate options for various hazards - such as live wires that could fall, fire damage or disrupted fuel lines, indications of when facility shutdown authorizing would be safe before ordering of a general evacuation, procedures for search and rescue teams, exit options and understanding of fire escape locations, backup lighting in stairwells and corridors, continual updated education of personnel, attention to non-English speaking employees and visitors, management of organized head counts, a missing person system, and evacuation of critical equipment.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration Guidelines

Aside from practical recommendations and guidelines from ASIS International, it must be noted that an emergency action plan (EAP) is a written document required by particular Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards of the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to OSHA, the purpose of an EAP is to facilitate and organize employer and employee actions during workplace emergencies. OSHA mandates:

• Evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments
• Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate
•  Procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed
•  Rescue and medical duties for those employees who are to perform them
•  Means of reporting fires and other emergencies
•  Names or job titles of persons who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan

Properly and effectively securing a facility is a demanding responsibility in an age of uncertainties where a disaster can strike any time and any place. Individuals responsible for facilities must have updated tested effective emergency plans to protect the lives of individuals entrusted to their care and to safeguard the very survival of their organizations.

Organizations fully dedicated to emergency planning should also ensure that key emergency and security personnel attain the ASIS International designation title Certified Protection Professional (CCP) which is a coveted certification by law enforcement, security professionals, property managers, and emergency management authorities.

Final Reflections

It has been my responsibility throughout my career, to conduct hundreds of board certified security vulnerability assessments and facility post orders – which include emergency plans – for governmental and private security sites.

It has also been my honor to conduct training programs nationwide, and to author extensive articles on security management, emergency planning, and crisis management.

It is my fervent hope that this article encourage an enhancement of leadership, vigilance, and collaboration to safeguard facilities throughout America from preventable tragedies, and that individuals entrusted with security exhibit unwavering dedication to their professions. 

We must all serve as catalysts to protect our workplaces, schools, communities, public spaces, and houses of worship.

Public safety demands visionary leadership as well as vigilance, and collaboration.

Security demands proactive threat assessments comprehensive ongoing enhancements, continual training and certifications, effective response to warning signs, and building partnerships with law enforcement, private security professionals, and every member of the community.

Photos

1. Tear gas deployed during Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. (Public Domain, Creative Commons Attribution)
2. U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick (Courtesy U.S. Capitol Police)
3. National Guard, U.S. Capitol, Jan. 12, 2021 (Courtesy National Guard, Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)
4.  FBI poster seeking information on Capitol violence (Courtesy FBI)
5. Published as 3 page article in The Chief of Police, winter 2021 and distributed hard copy to police chiefs nationwide.

About the Author

Vincent J. Bove, CPP, is a national speaker and author on issues critical to America with 275 published works.  Bove is recipient of the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award and former confident of the New York Yankees.  He served as spokesperson for a coalition of Virginia Tech tragedy families of victims. His most recent books are Reawakening America and Listen To Their Cries. 

For more information:  www.vincentbove.com or twitter @vincentjbove