The attack on lawmakers at the baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia has left some questioning their own safety. 

  • Security expert says more businesses, groups need to look at security
  • Being safe requires layers of protection, says security expert Zach Hudson
  • Congress should have had more law enforcement at baseball field, says Hudson

A local active threats expert says there are measures businesses and local venues can take to increase security and prevent attacks from happening.

Zach Hudson is always looking for where people’s safety could be in question. Hudson worked in local law enforcement for many years. Now, through his company Grantham Systems, he conducts security vulnerability assessments. He says the assessments are needed because each place is different and has its own security needs.

“Most organizations don’t go that route,” said Hudson. “They buy a bunch of cameras or hire an off-duty police officer and they think that’s adequate, and in most cases it’s most certainly not adequate at all. You want layers of security.”

Hudson analyzed what we do know about the attack on lawmakers in Virginia. He says there should’ve been more armed law enforcement officers and a security screening process in place.

“This guy managed to get a rifle into this environment, so there was obviously no screening process that was going on,” said Hudson. “So there’s got to be a screening process when people enter the property, particularly when you have high-profile targets like senators and congressmen.”

Hudson says keeping people safe requires layers of protection, which usually means hiring more people. He says some businesses aren’t willing to spend the extra money.

“There’s this level of denial, it’s not going to happen to me, out there,” said Hudson. “And then bad things happen, whether it’s at UPS, whether it’s the Forsythe attack, Ms. Grimmie, Pulse – I mean the list goes on and on and on. This is our new norm, and we have to be proactive in dealing with it.”