1. Beef up internal reporting. Know tenants, employees, and what is on and around the property. Share information about terrorism alerts with on-site staff. Train employees to spot suspicious behavior and to report it to local authorities.
2. Keep tenants in the loop. Use the community newsletter, e-mails, Web sites, and flyers to alert tenants of potential threats. Encourage residents to notify the local police or FBI field office and the building’s manager of suspicious behavior.
3. Inspect the units. Walk through vacant units, and instruct maintenance crews to be observant when they’re in apartments doing repairs. The FBI recommends reporting tenants whose apartments contain materials like gunpowder, nails, dismantled kitchen timers, firearms, ammunition, or chemicals.
4. Review contractors and employees. Require contractors to bond their own employees and screen them for criminal histories. Check the work they do every day, especially in nonpublic areas.
5. Screen applicants. Verify their identification, check their references, and learn if their names appear on any government lists of known terrorists. Require them to produce originals rather than copies of documents like driver’s licenses.
6. Strengthen relationships with the police and local FBI offices. Make sure they know their way around the building or complex.
7. Secure nonpublic areas. Keep equipment shops and storage areas under lock and key. Report loss of keys to the building owner.
–Michael Bordenaro is a freelance writer in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
