Everyday seems to bring a new headline where someone or some group is threatened with physical harm. Some of these folks, like high-ranking elected officials, have always been in the public crosshairs, but for others the threats and scrutiny are something entirely new. School boards across the country have become the target of both verbal and physical abuse as they confront controversial topics like mask mandates and school curricula. Healthcare workers are facing the wrath of patients and their loved ones who simultaneously resist the restrictions infection control demands and resent those enforcing those restrictions. Meanwhile, bureaucrats like public health officials are dealing with protesters, some of them armed, outside their own homes.
Such developments have forced a rethinking of traditional physical security measures, which have long focused on protecting places and property. While fixed panic buttons have been a staple of personal protection in certain workplaces (courthouses, hospitals, etc.), today’s circumstances require that protection be as mobile as those needing protection. Considerations when selecting a personal panic button or duress solution can include:
- Ease of triggering an alert
- Ability to trigger an alert without being detected
- Avoidance of false alarms
- Ability to locate and track a victim outside of a specific building
- Ability to locate a victim within a building, including floor and room
- Flexibility in sending alerts, including to whom and by what method (voice, text, email, etc.)
The physical threats that individuals face appear to be growing at an alarming rate. Fortunately, the options to send alarms when such threats arise are growing quickly, as well.
