How to Keep Government Staff Safe From Attack

“I think we’re gonna have to reassess the security we provide or don’t provide district offices,” Connolly said. “So if you’re a member of Congress and your office happens to be in a federal building, in the courthouse, you’re gonna have security. But if you’re in a commercial office space like me, you have no security. None. And what could go wrong with that? Well, we learned the answer to that this morning.”- Representative Gerry Connolly (D) Virginia.

Kudos (maybe) to Representative Connolly for acknowledging that his staff face a safety risk unless they're physically in a federal building staffed round the clock with security.

Two of his staff members were beaten in their office by a man with a metal baseball bat, who then destroyed a large swath of the space itself. The two are recovering in the hospital. The attacker, a man with a history of violence and mental health issues is in custody. He had previously been in communication with the office over an unidentified concern.

The maybe comes from the fact that staff safety has been a known issue for those that work in government since the Oklahoma City bombing. But, since the beginning of the pandemic, the threat has become heightened.

In 2020, I conducted a personal safety training for the staff of a United States senator. They had received SOME training from the Capitol police, which they felt was minimally helpful at best.

And since then, the threat has grown. Grievance based politics, and angry constituents, deep into feeling slighted are attacking staff members of elected officials.

So what steps can public officials take to protect their staff during this risky time?

• Establish better internal communications so that staff can alert others when there's a threat or ongoing attack. I like to use codewords for when staff can talk to each other in person, over the phone, or via an intercom. And I like to use wireless doorbells placed in the reception area that is hooked up to a light or buzzer in the back. That way if you can't talk you can still alert staff about a risk to safety.
• Arrange office furniture so that no person can be between you and help. It can be as simple as turning a desk sideways to the door instead of facing the door. That way you don't get trapped in place by a person standing between your desk and the door.
• Provide training in situational awareness, both in office, and while out in the community. Being able to recognize a threat to your safety before it becomes a threat is your best opportunity to AVOID having to engage with an attacker.
• Provide training in de-escalation techniques. De-escalation involves both verbal communication and non-verbal (body language) communication. Staff should know how to judge if de-escalation has a chance to worry, or if an attack will happen regardless of your efforts to avoid one. They should be able to get an angry, agitated person to calm down through reflective listening, and subtly redirecting their focus away from force. And finally, staff should have the skills to redirect their attention away from harming your staff. 
• Staff should be taught how to take away an attacker's advantage gained via a sneak attack to overcome the initial advantage that belongs to an attacker.
• Lastly, staff should be trained how to defend themselves and to stop a violent attack at the earliest possible point. Self-defense must be something that anyone, regardless of size, strength, or shape can apply quickly and effectively.

Implementing these steps can go a long ways towards keeping your staff safe while they are at work or even when they are out within the community. Working for a government agency should not require hazard pay. But, it's unrealistic to depend upon others to keep your staff safe while they conduct the people's business to benefit all of us.

Ready to improve staff safety then you should download my free workplace violence prevention checklist. You can download it here.