By Sgt. Maj. Jeff Koontz
 Security, as defined by Webster, is freedom from risk or danger; safety. Freedom from doubt, anxiety or fear; confidence. By definition, security that is good should make us all feel “warm and fuzzy.” In fact, security alone in other areas of your life is a must for all, even for the hardiest of individuals. When considering security we must all start out at the same baseline. I believe we can all agree that you can’t possibly have enough security, or at least, pay for an adequate amount. It is impossible to see the immediate results of security because we don’t exactly know what has been thwarted. If you are active in the news media, you will see time and time again different locations that various subversive groups are surveilling as possible targets. We also know that these groups pick targets that they think are “soft targets,” that is to say, a target that they will be successful in hitting with little to no difficulty. Conversely, in the Security field, you will hear the term ”hardening targets or hardened targets” used extensively. Basically, this is taking anything that you deem to have value (facilities, equipment and personnel) and assessing what you are attempting to protect them from and implementing measures, procedures and/or physical barriers to attempt to thwart or mitigate loss of your valued items.  Realizing that we don’t have unlimited resources or funding for security, we must be wise in the usage of security funding we receive. We will use the term “bang for the buck” (BFTB) to describe how we have utilized our funding at the LA District. Commander COL Dornstauder realizes that his most precious asset is his personnel and has decided to emplace additional Personnel Security measures. This is evident with the recent addition of the elevator lock-offs of our facility. Utilizing the BFTB principles we were still good stewards of the taxpayer’s dollars because we utilized our existing card reader capabilities to simply add-on a secondary security measure for enhanced personnel protection.
I pose a question to you at this time. Why do I need to worry about security? I will answer by saying this, “The life you save might be your own.” When reviewing all recent terrorist incidents, somewhere along the process of the tragic event individuals interviewed as witnesses noticed something unusual or peculiar, but failed to act on their suspicions. Point being is that the more eyes you have on a problem, the better, and the real deal is that security is everybody’s responsibility because we all have a vested interest in it, perhaps even our lives. When in doubt, report it. Security is a learning environment, and just like in education, “there is no dumb question or concern.” I could go into great detail about events throughout my life that were brought to my attention that were acted upon and resolved, minimizing property loss and more importantly life. I can be reached 24-7 at (213) 479-3059. I look forward to hearing from you! |
