THE TORCHSTONE WATCH
THE TORCHSTONE WATCH
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TorchStone publishes The Watch to assist our readers in proactively managing risk—whether personal, professional, or organizational—in an increasingly insecure world. The featured articles, blog posts, and expert interviews address vulnerabilities and issues we have frequently encountered while safeguarding high profile individuals, wealthy families, multinational corporations, and international sporting events across six continents. Now, more than ever, security seems to be a precious commodity. Our goal is to give you more of it through The TorchStone Watch.
SPOTLIGHT ISSUE
White Supremacist Terrorism Goes Beyond The Turner Diaries
By TorchStone VP, Scott Stewart
The threat posed by domestic right-wing extremists, and specifically white supremacists, has been receiving a lot of publicity lately. FBI director Christopher Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee during his Sept. 17 testimony that racially motivated violent extremism comprises the largest portion of the FBI’s domestic terrorism investigations, and that of the racially motivated cases, “people subscribing to some kind of white supremacist-type ideology is certainly the biggest chunk of that.”
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Lessons from a Thwarted Plot in Michigan
Thirteen people have been arrested in connection with a large, multi-state investigation into domestic terrorist activities. Six of them were charged by federal officials with plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, while the remaining seven face state charges for allegedly attempting to identify the homes of law enforcement officers to launch attacks against them. A review of the criminal complaint filed in the federal case contains a number of important lessons for security professionals. The first is the importance of what I call “grassroots defenders.” Grassroots defenders are ordinary citizens or police officers on patrol who notice and report suspicious behavior.
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The Value of Contingency Plans
The chaos resulting from a crisis event can be overwhelming, but a contingency plan can help you and your family surmount the chaos. Here’s how you can create a personal or family contingency plan. When a crisis occurs as the result of events such as civil unrest, a natural disaster or a major terrorist attack, several things happen rapidly and sometimes simultaneously. First, panic erupts as people attempt to flee the immediate scene of the incident. In many cases, gridlock and significant pedestrian crowd-control problems occur, as people seeking safety trying to flee the area use the same routes police, fire, and emergency medical units use to respond to the scene.
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Lessons from a Murder in Hollywood
On July 9, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) announced that it had arrested five suspects in connection with the February 2020 murder of Bashar Jackson, a rapper known by the stage name, Pop Smoke. Jackson was shot and killed when a group of five armed men stormed the Hollywood house being rented by the New York based rapper. The three men and two juveniles arrested in connection with this case are reportedly connected with a South Los Angeles street gang that the police refused to identify. This raised speculation that perhaps the murder was somehow related to the 1990s East-coast/West-coast rap feud that resulted in the murders of rappers such as Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. While police initially declined to provide a motive for the murder, on July 9 LAPD investigators said they had uncovered evidence indicating that Jackson’s murder was not intentional, but rather the result of a home invasion robbery gone wrong.
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TorchStone is in “The Business of Before®”…What does that mean?
As our nation prepares to re-open under the new “normal,” we have the fortunate opportunity of reevaluating our current security relationships and the ways in which we provide quality security services for our employees and customers. The conventional practice of contracting with an outside security vendor during a crisis may no longer be the most efficient and responsive in the post pandemic business world. We are witnessing a move to developing relationships with security consulting firms that provide services beyond bodies, badges & guns. The new concept establishes relationships with security firms that provide a holistic, multi-faceted platform. This is the first of several discussions on the topic of establishing a robust and collaborative relationship with a security provider.
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TorchStone’s Scott Stewart talks with Steve Olivas on his podcast “The Commute.”
Scott Stewart, Vice President at TorchStone, was interviewed by Steve Olivas on his podcast “The Commute.” From the podcast’s promotional description: “Scott Stewart, former DSS agent and now corporate security expert, checks the bus for possible breeches in security this week. Really, really cool interview – lots of great info and an extremely articulate guest.
READ MORE >5 Lessons Security Leaders Should Learn from COVID-19
TorchStone’s David Niccolini, executive vice president and co-founder, and Scott Stewart, vice president, describe insights security leaders can take away from their pandemic experiences. Specifically, David and Scott discuss the need for scenario-based planning, the importance of contingency plans to build resilience, and the critical nature of maintaining flexibility.
READ MORE >Reputation Risks Facing High-Net-Worth Families
In August 2020, David Niccolini, executive vice president and co-founder at TorchStone, presented as part of a three-part series of live, 30-minute briefings with reputation management, Internet law, investigations, due diligence and risk mitigation experts, discussing the risks facing high net worth families. The program was broadcast live via Zoom, and was hosted by Reputation Communications and moderated by its founder and CEO, Shannon Wilkinson.
READ MORE >Countering Mexico’s criminal insurgency means offsetting largesse and threats
TorchStone’s Scott Stewart published an opinion piece in The Hill titled, ” Countering Mexico’s criminal insurgency means offsetting largesse and threats.” Mr. Stewart begins: “Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is wrapping up a three-day trip to the states of Guanajuato, Jalisco and Colima, some of the Mexican states most impacted by criminal violence.
READ MORE >Always Moving Forward with Chris Sanchez
Chris Sanchez, Vice President at TorchStone, interviewed by Glen Burton on his podcast, “Always Moving Forward,” discusses his role in National Security.
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