softThere are plenty of unsafe businesses and private areas that can become easy victims of many levels of crime. These easy victims are soft targets. A soft target refers to a location containing vulnerable persons or things that is relatively unprotected. It might be a hard fact to accept, but there are too many soft targets in the United States. This needs to change.

  1. Schools

Security at schools around the country has improved. Although this needs to and will get better, this progress is continuing to make our schools the safest they can be. Protecting our children is the number one priority. Let’s keep them safe by reducing schools that are soft targets.

  1. Hospitals

Most hospital security is not up to par and there is an increased risk of biological attacks. Usually, an attack on a hospital will need to be planned out thoroughly. Hospital security needs to be prepared for many types of situations which require extensive training. It is important to protect hospitals because it is a part of our country’s critical infrastructure.

  1. Night Clubs and Bars

Unfortunately, with recent events in Orlando, we are reminded that our night clubs need to beef up security. One uniformed officer won’t be enough nowadays. There needs to be a plain-clothed armed security officer in the bar/club. Where there is a mass of people in one location, there needs to be a trained individual who can operate a firearm safely.

  1. Sporting Arenas

Many of the arenas that are not for professional organizations will not have proficient security to defend against modern threats. With a large sum of people in one building, security must be top notch. Ticket prices could be raised $1 or $2 each and that could cover the security costs. I know I would rather pay the extra dollar or two to be better protected.

  1. Shopping Centers

We all know how busy the mall gets, especially during the holiday season. Even the grocery store gets packed at times. Think about it. Do the grocery stores have security to protect you? Does the mall have enough security? If not, then make sure to be cautious and aware of your surroundings. At minimum, shopping centers may want to consider security during peak hours. Show that safety matters.

  1. Restaurants

Some restaurants are at a greater risk and have more security needs. If there are any special events or the restaurant is famous, then this can draw a large crowd. Large crowds require security for internal safety and external safety. Without additional coverage for these particular scenarios above, restaurants can quickly become soft targets.

  1. Hotels

As we saw in Mumbai, India in 2008, terrorists attacked many different locations of the city. Some of India’s best hotels were seen as soft targets. The attack lasted nearly 60 hours on the Oberoi Trident and Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotels. Here in the United States we need to optimize our hotel security. Additional security is needed when the hotel knows large groups of people will be together at one time.