Opportunities missed in the case
Having a security screening area was a missed opportunity. This is since it would have been a perfect platform for thorough checking person entering into the courthouse given the considerable threat the courtroom was facing. Noticing a suspicious face by the security was another missed opportunity. This would have helped minimize the attack since h would have been arrested before getting to the court house.
Examples of complacency
` An example of complacency is that everyone was warned about the anonymous tip about the sentencing of the convict. The security was briefed and told everyone to be on a high alert for anything suspicious. However, despite the warning, no strict measures were undertaken to ensure that everyone in the courtroom was protected. No one had access to either weapon or a dangerous tool.
Another case of complacency is noticing that the man looked nervous and unkempt and not suspecting that he probably could mean harm to someone in the courtroom on such a day. Despite the first sign of him be unsuspicious, after he passes the screening area and the metal detector, the alarm goes off, yet no one reacts or finds it suspicious to let him in. Without counter-checking his legal, the security also allows him to go in without additional screening. This was the day that everyone had been told to be alert, which is another sign of complacency amongst the security at the courthouse. Another example of complacency is that the metal detector had not been serviced in more than three years. This shows that the courtroom and the security are not serious about personnel security in the court, hence putting them in immense danger.
Possible breaches to security
The first possible breach to security is the attacker managing to sneak in a Glock 22 and a knife. Another security breach was to allow the defendant to walk into the courtroom without cuffs, just because the deputies assume that does not pose any risk, despite his murder charges. Despite the initial alerts on the likelihood of danger, there is no extra protection to take out the attackers before they attacked and probably killed so many people, which is a clear security breach.
How would training have saved lives here?
Training would have been very vital to both the security officers and the court staff. The security officers ought to handle such cases and identify any security breaches before any crime is committed. They ought to have been trained further on handling gates and knowing who to let bin a courtroom or not (Kozhar, 2020). On the other hand, the court staff ought to have been trained on escaping and react when there is trouble, or such a scenario happened. This would have helped them know how to escape and raise alarms in the event of such a major attack.
What architectural opportunities are there?
If the courtroom was well designed, it would have been easy for people to escape from the attack. No doors leading out of the courtroom have crash bars, which is a significant opportunity for the court staff to flee. Everyone has to exit through the main entrance, which posed a high risk of getting tacked, which could have been corrected by having a well-structured route (Shaikh, 2018). There is also clearly not enough space and security alarms in the room, which could have been used to alert other security members of the attack and help minimize the severity of the attack. There is also a dysfunctional security system at the courtroom entrance, where by improving it, the attacker could quickly have been arrested before getting inside the courtroom.
Kozhar, G. (2020). 5 Benefits of Professional Security Guard Training. Retrieved from https://www.issinvestigation.com/blog/security-guard-training-nyc/
Shaikh, H. (2018). The importance of physical security in the workplace. Retrieved from https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/importance-physical-security-workplace/
