Defensive Countermeasures Institute —

In the fourth and final installment of our October series that addresses security-planning considerations for international business travelers, we shall discuss preparation for homeward bound departures.

As previously discussed, personal security practices require strong emphasis on reducing points on vulnerability. Planning to reduce “Time and Place” predictability plays an important role that cannot be overstated. In fact, it is extremely important to guard against pattering movements; thus denying assailants the information to predict your precise whereabouts at any give moment. This is true for any environment. For this reason it is prudent to keep your hotel departure time a closely guarded secret, sharing this information with only those with the need to know.

The first point is hotel notification. Obviously, the hotel administrators will know of your departure date and in most instances will have your final bill prepared for review and signature the night before, or at least the early morning of your departure. Typically, the hotel expects departure prior to mid-day despite that fact that many trans-Atlantic or Pacific flights leave their departure city during late-afternoon or evening hours. This presents a unique challenge for finding a suitable area to remain prior to proceeding to the airport. To mitigate this predicament somewhat, consider asking the hotel for a late-checkout. Often your request will be honored without additional fees, or occasionally you may be required to make a prorated payment based upon the length of your overstay. Nonetheless, this is more favorable than the alternative and as a matter of extending the hotel courtesy ensure you clear your final bill and relinquish the room at least 30-45 minutes before the agreed upon extension.

Second point is furnishing your final arrangements with your driver, if needed for transporting you to the airport. Upon arrival at the departure terminal, international travelers may be overwhelmed by “expeditors” who offer their services to get you and your belonging to the check-in counter. You are best to avoid this rush to assistance by communicating with your driver beforehand. If you desire assistance with luggage, for instance, allow the driver to select someone for you. This works to prevent you from becoming distracted and aids in focusing on situational awareness. If you plan on offering a gratuity to your driver for his or her assistance during your visit, do so before getting out of the vehicle—two hours before departing the country is not the time to be tipping your wallet to a sea of unknown individuals who likely will suspect they will never see you again.

At the airport, keep all personal belonging close by. Scan crowds before you, looking for signs of activity that seem out of place. Also, keep important documents such as passports, tickets and other personal affects available for inspection. Prepare yourself mentally before approaching security checkpoints by watching ahead and anticipating personal actions needed to proceed. Also, closely monitor those around you and watch for signs of distress or activity that is inconsistent with what is normally expected.

International departures can be intimidating, but by planning and rehearsing in your head the steps you will encounter prior to boarding, allows you to remain focused on the task of monitoring your personal safety and security. Remember to change the identification tag on all of your luggage for your return home. Be Safe!

We hope you enjoyed this series. If you wish to consult with a DCI representative for more detailed information about remaining safe while traveling abroad, please contact us at info@defensivecountermeasures.com

Upon settling in at your destination, the degree to which to elevate your security precautions is largely dependant on your length of stay. In other words, the longer you remain in place at your temporary destination, the greater the need to increase your awareness and make sound security choices.

For example, one of the very basic needs while conducting business overseas—excluding accommodations—is transportation. With many destinations, it is feasible to rent a vehicle from a reputable firm to solve your basic transportation needs. However, with some foreign venues this is not an option, as leasing a vehicle provided with a driver is the only option. There are obvious pros and cons to each situation; however, when you are obliged to move about a foreign city with someone else at the wheel, your personal security takes on new parameters. Couple the latter situation with an extended stay and the need for additional measures becomes clear.

In each instance when a driver is provided from the leasing company, the first order of business is to meet with them and establish a firm business-like rapport. This meeting should take place in a public setting—the lobby of your hotel, for example. The initial meeting should lay out your basic requirements, such as punctuality, driver safety. It is also important to offer the driver an understanding of the distances and locations you will be traveling. However, do not lay out each day in detail. This necessary security precaution is needed to limit the degree your travel becomes time and place predictable. Upon arrival at your meeting location, let the driver know what time you will need his or her services again. Note: Many times drivers will remain nearby, as will other contracted drivers, and they will exchange information about their clients. Therefore, be certain not to provide too many personal details to your driver.

Initially, you will most likely situate yourself in the rear seat of the vehicle as you move about your day. However, you eventually want to climb into the seat next to the driver. This not only allows you to keep close watch on the road ahead—as well as the driver’s speed and other habits—you present a less attractive target for street crime since you do not appear to be “chauffeured,” which translates to affluence in many regions of the world. Finally, if your travels will routinely be between one or two locations during the length of your stay, be sure to vary your pick-up and departure times, plan for the use of alternate routes and equally important is to consider the needs of your driver. Ensure you allow for customary needs such as meal breaks, daily prayer and adequate rest periods. Building rapport and mutual respect with your driver is an essential element for taking charge of your personal safety and security when traveling in foreign lands.

Be Safe!

Traveling to a new oversea venue requires a bit more planning than merely ensuring your passport has the appropriate visa, or that your international immunization record is accurate and up to date. As soon as it becomes known that a trip is scheduled one of the first orders of business is to gather background information on the country destination.  Two excellent sources to start your research are the U.S. Department of State web page www.travel.state.gov and The World Factbook, which may be viewed by following the link located at www.cia.gov.  Each of these pages offer background information available to the public, providing valuable updates to Travel Warnings, country conditions, population densities and other data that is extremely useful to assess security precautions.

If you manage your own accommodations, check availability on two or more hotels that match your needs. To the extent possible arrange your itinerary so that you arrive at your hotel during daylight hours. This is allows you the opportunity to become familiar with the grounds before last light. Also you are wise to conduct a cursory inspection of the room assigned looking for fully functional, deadbolt door locks. Be sure to step from the room and identify all stairwell exits on your room floor, ensuring that they are not blocked and do provide an emergency open air exit.

It is equally important to get a feel for the surrounding infrastructure.  You may be surprised to learn that the hotel selected based on an internet research is located adjacent a vacant lot or other landmark that is inviting to loitering or other unsavory activity. By arriving early, you allow yourself opportunity to inspect where you will be staying.  You will also be giving yourself time to move to your alternate choice should the primary location not meet your security expectations.

Take nothing for granted.  The practice of planning for your personal security must never be overlooked or taken lightly.  Doing some homework before heading overseas better prepares you for conducting business on foreign soil.  Be Safe!

 

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Starting this month, we will begin discussing personal safety and security topics with a central theme—one for each month, that continues through the final week of December. The notion is to introduce a new theme each month and build upon it with 3-4 editorials. Our goal is to cover subject matter that is pertinent, informative and perhaps worthy of practice. We invite you stay with us for the weeks ahead as DCI offers new and practical ways to take charge of your personal safety and security.

October is “International Travel” month. Welcome to the discussion.

Departure Planning –

Success comes from hard work. Rarely does anyone achieve measured success in their chosen profession without putting in the time and paying dues along the way. Striving to be at the top of your game is an admirable undertaking that is deserving of recognition and reward—leaders recognize selfless commitment. After much patience and anticipation, the day of your promotion arrives…It is time for a new business card.

You begin by passing them out like freshly minted currency, which is too hot to handle. Not a problem - that is what they are intended for. However, soon they begin to morph into luggage identification tags and here is where your personal security practices become flawed.

Points to consider:  During transit to and from your business destination, your checked luggage is out of your physical control. It would be unjust to suggest that everyone that handles your personal property during this timeframe is unscrupulous, but the truth of the matter is that one never knows for sure.

Business cards generally offer the holder’s name, business and contact information. However, micro-printing now seems to compel us to include professional or academic titles, licenses and amazingly; photographs. While this information may be required of your particular organization or business, it is excessive for a luggage ID tag. Have you ever received your bags and found that the personalized luggage tag is damaged or missing?

As an alternative, consider a label that includes only your name and contact information at your travel destination. If the bag is misrouted, there is ample information available for it to be reunited with you.

For example:

Mr. John Williams,

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jakarta.

If you are inclined to do so, a telephone number to the front desk may be included.

Once your business is concluded and round-trip planning begins, it is time to change out that destination card.

It now reads:

Mr. J. Williams

Los Angeles, CA

310.555.1234

Again, if you desire more detailed information, place inside the luggage or suitcase.

You deserve the promotion and the opportunity to promote your business abroad. However, announcing your degree of importance on your personal luggage is unwise and bad business. And by the way,, while you are meeting after-hours, think twice about depositing your business card in that fish bowl at the bar or restaurant. The promise of a free lunch or souvenir Polo shirt is not worth the hassle. Be Safe!

Have you ever entered a familiar room and felt that something was out of place but could not quite put your finger on it?  Did curiosity win out causing you to enter the room in an attempt to uncover the mystery?  Consider the following the next time this occurs.

1. No matter how careful an intruder is, he is bound to leave something disturbed that a security minded person will seize upon on immediately.  It may be as subtle as tracking fresh grass clippings to the threshold of your front door—clearly you would never leave such a mess—or, perhaps the presence of a foreign fragrance that is not your own. In each instance, your senses are working overtime and with practice, you can learn not to ignore them. The first step involves the understanding that we adapt to our environment, and this adaptation is an instrument of our survival. From use of our senses we are able interpret sight, sound, taste, touch and smell.  Once stimuli is identified, we process the information and place it into two categories—Threat and non-Threat.

A problem occurs when we are unable to recognize stimuli or we improperly categorize the information—e.g. the fresh grass clippings at the threshold.  Clearly, in this instance we must conclude that someone unbeknownst to us has waltzed across our freshly manicured lawn and has at least proceeded as far as the front door to our home. 

As we work to acknowledge our senses and categorize the stimuli correctly, we begin to increase our security posture and enhance our well-being.

2. Now, for those individuals who need a little boost or advantage in this area, there are some simple tricks practiced by security-minded professionals.  They are referred to as ‘Traps.’  Traps involve prearranging items in a manner known only to the person who sets them.  For example, personal items in a hotel room may be laid out in a pattern you establish prior to heading out for the afternoon meeting, or an evening meal.  Should you return to your room and notice the pattern has been disturbed, alarms bells sound indicating that someone has been in the room during your absence, or worse, is lurking in the closet or bathroom.  Who among us hasn’t seen the savvy foreign agent, dressed in his tux, pluck a strand of hair from his head and tack it skillfully across the doorframe before heading to the hotel casino?

These simple security practices can be applied at home as well.  The ‘Traps’ can be as intricate as you like.  However, simple traps work best and should employ redundancy.

Try it, and remember the next time something seems out of place it probably is.  Be Safe!

Humans tend to be creatures of habit.  However, considering personal security we must strive to identify good habits and safeguard against bad ones. 

Abductions may be thought to be the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. While this may certainly be true in some instances, they can also occur because of the absence of sound security practices.  “Time and Place” predictability is an element needed to perpetrate a calculated abduction.  In others words, the perpetrator will look for patterns in movement and location, seeking to exploit these security weaknesses to their advantage.  For this reason, it is important to understand the risks involved.

Business commuters for example should remain cognizant of the patterns they set by routinely taking—let’s say—the 8:00 a.m. flight to Chicago each Monday morning.  Similar patterns are unconsciously established by stopping each morning of the week for coffee at the same location, or even parking your vehicle in the same section of the employee parking lot each work day.

Vulnerabilities to our personal security increase dramatically when our daily routines begin to read like a European train schedule. By taking a critical look at our personal habits, with an eye on identifying poor practices, time and place predictability becomes evident and we can see firsthand the importance of deviating from established patterns. 

Frequent and subtle change to our movement patterns is one proactive step that can be undertaken to mitigate the threat of abduction.  Alternating routes to and from work, or varying departure times plus or minus 15 minutes are great starting points.  Driving a spouse’s vehicle to work once or twice a week, as well as parking in spaces other than your designated spot in employee parking are other examples of what can be accomplished to reduce vulnerability.

What patterns have you established? While it may not be feasible to deviate from the 8:00 a.m. flight to Chicago, the route and mode of transportation to the airport remains under your control.   

Whether your needs are for free advice or a personalized analysis on how to reduce your vulnerability to abduction, please contact Defensive Countermeasures.  Our professional staff is prepared to assist with your specified requests.  Be Safe!

Back to school season is upon us. It’s time to reiterate the importance of Stranger Danger with your children. Whether your child is five or fifteen, don’t assume because you had “the talk” once, it should suffice.

Teens are just as vulnerable as elementary aged children. Discussions should include two important criteria:

1). Age appropriate - Talk with your teen about not walking and talking on the cell phone at the same time or drinking and driving. For younger children, discuss what or who a stranger could be. (Many children still think of a stranger as only an ugly, mean, nasty, scary monster looking person).

Develop a secret word or handshake for younger children. Many younger children would go with an adult if they were told “Your mom couldn’t pick you up and asked me to come get you.” In the event that you are unable to pick up your child and need to send a friend or co-worker in your place, alert your child that she may not go with that person unless the substitute knows the secret word or handshake. Role play this until you are confident your child fully grasps the importance of this check and balance system.

2). Discussion vs. Lecture – Unless you wish to get blank stares or a response of “Ya ya I know already” it’s best to talk with your child, not to your child. Ask open ended questions. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no answer. A two way dialogue will be much more effective than a monologue.

Just as the switch to Day Light Savings time is a reminder for all to change the batteries in smoke alarms, Back to School time should be a reminder for all parents to have age appropriate, interactive safety discussions with their students.

Did you hear about the woman in Connecticut who strangled a rabid raccoon this weekend?  The coon was attacking a child; so she went into defensive mode and choked the animal with her bare hands.  No joke - Google the news if you haven’t heard about it.

Two important lessons can be learned from this:

#1 - When you or someone you love are in danger, you absolutely can do what is necessary to protect yourself and your family.  The adrenalin will kick in and protection mode will ensue.

#2 – The woman was walking in the woods with small children. This just goes to show you that anything can happen in the woods.  Be smart about where you are walking when you’re alone or with small children.  Be prepared.

While this story could have turned out much worst, I’m sure the rabies treatment that the woman and child are undergoing is no picnic either!  Let them be a lesson to us all!

Kudos to the woman for her bravery!

Light is important to our personal psyche. When we enter a dark room, we search for the light switch that immediately washes the room with illumination, aiding in navigation and eliminating any subconscious suggestion that something, which might be harmful, is present beyond the threshold.  Light is also one of the single most important tools for personal safety.  Unfortunately, it is frequently under utilized as a personal security essential.  Law enforcement and other security-minded professionals have long understood the tactical advantages that light provides; aiding in searches, providing visual cues to colleagues and when required, an effective non-lethal response. 

As citizens, we too can take advantage of this portable utility.  Several firms stood up in recent years and are making a kings ransom marketing flashlight models that are durable, lightweight and in some instances very concealable.  These products are capable of producing intense light that will temporarily blind an attacker, thus aiding in a thwarted attack. The light—when directed at the pupil of an assailant—produces this result in both day and night scenarios. Quality lights are a bit pricy, however they come as state-of-the-art and are every bit as useful to homemakers and savvy business travelers as they are to people who face dangerous situations as part of their daily routines. 

I am reminded of a story shared with me by a close—security minded—friend. Not too long ago, the city she was traveling experienced a blackout that encompassed the entire metro area.  As luck would have it, the power failed just as she was returning to her hotel room after dinner.  Suddenly, the world around her turned black.  Never one left unprepared, she quickly retrieved the Surefire E2D flashlight clipped to the inside pocket of her blazer and lit the path from the parking garage to the hotel lobby. There she found the staff frantically trying to recover from the sudden loss of electrical power, not to mention field questions of concern from guests who descended on the front desk desperately seeking guidance. My friend swears that this event more than any other serves as continuous reminder of the need to prepare for the unexpected.  She has come to recognize the value of a quality flashlight as a personal protection savior and never leaves home without it.