Historically, site weaknesses have made it easier for incidents to occur and harder for personnel to intervene quickly. For example, at some incident sites:

• Offenders had easy access into the facility.
• Occupants had inadequate escape paths.
• Staff or volunteers were unable to spot threats in time.
• Staff were not trained and empowered to take independent life-saving actions under the extreme stress of an actual incident.
• Communication was inadequate.

A security assessment often identifies site vulnerabilities. The assessment process provides an opportunity to work with community partners to identify, correct, and prevent problems. It also fosters communication with those that would be involved in a crisis situation.