Infographic: Assailant Awareness Rises
Cybercrime and active assailants are neck and neck among the top security threats professionals are preparing for, according to the 2020 Active Shooter Preparedness Survey from Security Management Research and Everbridge. Nearly 48 percent of 479 security professionals surveyed ranked cyber threats and active shooter events in their top three threats. Workplace violence followed close behind at 41 percent.
Concerns Climbing
Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents said that active assailant preparedness is a topic discussed among the executive team or at the board level at their organization. Executives are significantly more concerned about employee or student safety than they were two years ago.
Executive Concerns About Safety
More concerned: 59% |
About the same: 37% |
Less concerned: 4% |
Preparedness Pending
A third of security professionals surveyed said they were “somewhat prepared” for an active assailant event, but few (9 percent) considered themselves “very much prepared” for an incident. Nearly 12 percent said they are “not at all prepared” for an active assailant event. In terms of steps to improve preparedness, most respondents said they conducted active shooter education and training for employees.
Steps to Improve Preparedness
Invested in communication technology |
Invested in risk/threat intelligence technology |
Increased on-site security |
Conducted active shooter training/education for employees |
Balancing Risks
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted priorities for many organizations. According to the survey results, more than half of respondents pivoted their active shooter focus to manage health crisis issues.
How COVID-19 Affected Assailant Preparedness
