Hi-Tech-Consulting

Understanding the Relative Cost of Crime to Business
Security Director’s Report (04/10) Vol. 2010, No. 4,

To stop senior managers from unnecessarily absorbing the losses from crime — and to encourage them to see a lack of security spending as penny wise and pound foolish — security executives must be able to communicate the costs of crime. A security leader who wants to be a truly trusted advisor should also understand how significant crime-related losses are compared to other business costs. The average vandalism incident sets a small business back $3,370, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. “Put another way,” says Dr. Martin Bressler, a Houston Baptist University professor and author of a new study on business crimes, “a small business with revenues of $500,000 per year and a net margin of 5 percent would lose approximately 13.5 percent of [its] annual net profit.” The lesson for small businesses is that while vandalism is not frequently seen as critical compared to other business costs, it sometimes makes the difference between profit and loss.

Be Sure You Learn the Right Lessons from Crisis Events
Security Director’s Report (04/10) Vol. 2010, No. 4,

Studies reveal that organizations usually have a better response to a disaster the second time around. Put another way, one of the best ways to become crisis-ready is, unfortunately, to experience a crisis. But the extent to which a company prepares for a reoccurrence depends on whether it asked the right questions and learned the right lessons the first time. “Business Continuity Management” author Michael Blythe says companies should ask the following questions during a post-disaster audit: Did pre-crisis assessments identify risks and prioritize them appropriately? Did our mitigation efforts offset the damage? Were managers well-equipped, and did they implement contingency plans? Are the risks the same post-incident? How should immediate, interim, and long-term strategies be modified? And, What tactics, training, or policies need to be revised? As companies examine what post-crisis lessons can be culled, they must be aware of their organizational bias toward either a centralized or decentralized crisis management style. In a centralized response, authority is consolidated among higher-level manager during an event, while in a decentralized response individual business units, departments, and people are empowered to manage and respond to a crisis.

Security Guard Gets Jail Time for Mall Thefts
Pottstown Mercury (PA) (04/07/10) Phucas, Keith

A former security guard at the Nordstrom’s in King of Prussia Plaza in Upper Merion Township, Pa., has been sentenced to nearly two years in jail and ordered to pay nearly $4,000 in restitution for her involvement in a theft ring at the upscale retailer. Authorities say the security guard, Marguerite Willis, and other members of the ring–many of whom were loss prevention specialists at Nordstrom–stole nearly $26,000 worth of merchandise from the retailer two years ago by intercepting customer orders in the King of Prussia Plaza store’s mail room. Merchandise was also stolen from Nordstrom stores in New Jersey. After members of the ring stole the merchandise, they returned the items for cash refunds or gift cards, or exchanged them for other merchandise. The six other members of the ring have also been found guilty and have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing.

Violence Against Health Care Workers a Growing Concern
Danbury News Times (CT) (03/29/10) Miller, Robert

Data released by the federal government shows that healthcare workers face more violence in the course of their jobs than do employees in other fields. These violent incidents can take a number of forms, such as patients assaulting nurses or shootings at hospitals like the one that took place at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut on March 2. Experts say that there are a number of reasons why healthcare workers are at a greater risk of violence, including the fact that there are a growing number of elderly patients suffering from dementia, said Danbury Hospital President Frank Kelly. In addition, psychiatric patients are also prone to violent outbursts, said David Schildemeier, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Long hours of waiting in overcrowded emergency rooms and the increasingly violent nature of society have also contributed to an increase in violence at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, experts say. In response to the rising rate of violence against healthcare workers, Massachusetts is considering legislation that would require healthcare facilities to implement violence protection programs. Legislation has already been passed in New York that requires healthcare institutions in the state to perform individual risk assessments to prevent violence and to develop policy statements to address violence. Hospitals are also taking steps to increase security, such as equipping security guards with Tasers and installing metal detectors.