I expect there are a few gray around the edge readers like myself who are starting to wonder why people are looking at ISIL threats as something new.  This is nothing more than a cover of an old song.  The threat of criminal attack to any place the public gathers such as a mall is not new. What is new is this latest group (ISIL) has a better public media campaign.  They are still nothing more than criminals, cowards and actors looking for an audience.

 

I and many of my colleagues facilitated thousands of public safety professionals though a measured process of threat assessment and development of incident action plans 10-15 years ago.  There is no need to develop “mall response plans”. Hardening of targets does enhance security. Unfortunately it is also like sand-bagging around your house during a flood, it just forces the water to head for your neighbor.   You can’t harden everything and it’s actually a decent tactic to get us to devote assets to the wrong locations.

 

There is a need to conduct a thoughtful assessment of all targets, develop unpredictable changes in security and practice a response to an attack on any target.  Feel free to reach out to me and I’ll try and put you in touch with one of us old-timers who will help you if you like.

 

I’m hoping there are people wiser than I that have looked at ISIS’s strategy and drawn a similar conclusion about their end game.  I don’t think they’re so inept as to have a plan designed only to irritate every country into bombing small targets.  It keeps us distracted and makes us think we’re doing something important and noble.  I expect they are better planners than that.