Executive's Guide to Personal Security, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 3Receipt of Suspicious Mail and Packages and Bomb Threats

IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER we covered office emergencies in general with the goal of stressing the importance of having a plan in place. While we discussed general responses to a few different types of emergencies, we did not go through each and every type of incident and emergency and describe the appropriate responses to each. To do so would take a separate book on each topic. There are, however, a few issues that are common enough to warrant their own chapter and a discussion on how to respond to such incidents if they occur. The responses discussed here are general in nature, and they will likely change given the location of your business or facility, the level of cooperation with building staff, and the time it takes for police to respond.

DELIVERED PACKAGES

Let's start with delivered packages. For numerous reasons, terrorists and other criminals have long favored attacks via the mail or other package delivery services. It is a strategy that allows the perpetrator to strike from a position of relative safety. When an explosive is sent through the mail, for example, an attack can to be delivered by unwitting third parties, while the attacker remains anonymous. These attacks can be terrifying and effective, and letter and package bombs have claimed hundreds of lives and maimed hundreds more all over the world. One individual or a group of individuals can target multiple subjects in widely disparate areas without ...