Author: First Preventers

Return on Prevention vs. Return on Regret

This is a real-life experience.

I went down to one of the main hotel/casinos on the Las Vegas Strip to meet a buddy and his wife who were in town for some fun and some gambling.

As my buddy and I were standing and chatting in the casino by the poker tables, a big guy with an athletic build approached us and asked us what we did for energy and fun? My buddy and I did not know this guy, so we were a little confused and we both answered with sort of a vague “not much”.

The guy then said, yeah but what do you do for energy and fun? At that point, he turned and motioned to a young girl standing off to the side to come closer and then said, how about some energy and fun?

My buddy and I both said no thanks, and the guy and the young girl walked off and seemingly continued to look for “customers”.

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Return on Regret. 

I (and my buddy) still to this day wish we could have done something to help this young girl and prevent what looked like human trafficking/prostitution. SADLY, we did not have any real options because the hotel/casino did not offer First Preventers options to help with stopping human trafficking.

Challenges and Disconnects:

• We did not see any Security because most casinos do not have a visible Security presence because they do not want tourists/customers to think the casino is unsafe.
• We were not going to start screaming for Security, and casinos do not want that either.
• We were not going to make a citizen’s arrest or try and physically hold the guy until Security responded, and casinos do not want that either.
• We were not going to call LVMPD because the wait time is too long, and the guy would be gone anyway.
• We were not going to follow the guy since we did not know if he was armed.
• We were helpless and the guy knew it!

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Connecting the Dots:
Return on Prevention

Return on Prevention is always better than Return on Regret. Efforts to stop human trafficking have been going on for years, unfortunately, it is still occurring too often because the dots are not being connected even when it is happening in the open and right in front of people in casinos and hotels. Clearly, it is time to start Connecting the Dots because those who are being trafficked need our help to stop it!  

Here is what Connecting the Dots and Return on Prevention could have looked like utilizing a proven, evidence-based, community-wide Connecting the Dots Platform and First Preventers strategies that would have empowered my buddy and I (and others) to help this young girl.

Community-driven Prevention with First Preventers and the Butterfly Effect:

What could have happened was the casino and hotel could have implemented a First Preventers Program and First Preventers Team(s) that were trained and ready to see the bigger picture and take immediate prevention actions.  For preventing human trafficking, the Team Members could have included Casino Security, Casino Safety, Casino Risk Management, Casino Management, Law Enforcement contact(s), FBI contact(s), Human Trafficking resources, and potentially others. 

To help my buddy and I take action as First Preventers (and any of the locals and 40+ million tourists annually on the Las Vegas Strip), the casino could have implemented the proven First Preventers Butterfly Effect and Butterfly icon. My buddy and I then could have used our phones to take a picture or video of the guy and the young girl as they walked away, clicked on the Butterfly icon on the casino/hotel web page, selected Human Trafficking; then confidentially or anonymously uploaded the pictures/videos and answered additional questions specific to Human Trafficking incidents.  Next, the Human Trafficking Team (organization-wide and community-wide members mentioned above) would automatically and immediately been notified so they could immediately log in to the Connecting the Dots Platform to “see” the indicators, pictures, videos, and additional information… and take immediate actions!  Casino Security could have accessed security cameras to see if the guy and the girl were still on the casino floor and immediately dispatched Security, Safety, Law Enforcement, or others and perhaps that young girl’s future could have changed for the better that evening.

Preventive Intelligence and 6 Stages of Preventing:

If the guy and young girl were not immediately located, the casino/hotel personnel and community-wide resources, could immediately start gathering preventive intelligence from their silos of information and used the Connecting the Dots Platform to collect, funnel, share, and connect the dots. Law enforcement and FBI could have used facial recognition to look for matches and camera surveillance could have been reviewed to collect more dots and see the bigger picture and see other related intelligence that was funneled into the Connecting the Dots Platform from numerous other incident reporting silos (hotlines, text lines, apps, law enforcement, employees, community resources, etc.). From there, team members could engage in the 6 Stages of Preventing: Collecting/Sharing, Assessing/Investigating, Connecting the Dots, Intervening/Monitoring, Preventing, and Updating Ongoing/Situational Awareness and then utilize the proven community-driven First Preventers Program, platform, and strategies to prevent human trafficking and numerous other incidents and tragedies.

It takes community-driven efforts and connected First Preventers Team Members to prevent human trafficking, as well many other incidents such as terrorism, acts of violence, sex abuse, gangs, suicides, and more.

Get started now!

Individuals do not just wake up one day a racist, an evil doer, commit hate crimes, commit suicide, or become a bad cop. Real change means intervening along the Pathway to Prevention.

Watch Real Change Part 1 below to learn more!

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We see lots of “actions” but are they creating a real difference?

Watch Real Change Part 2 below to learn more.

The First Preventers Playbook: How to Intervene, Disrupt, and Prevent Tragedy Before It Strikes.

Enough is enough! Old playbooks and strategies depend on First Responders (defense), however First Preventers (offense) are needed too. It’s time to use a new prevention playbook to prevent more incidents and tragedies, The First Preventers Playbook is just in time to show you how.

LAS VEGAS, NV – “For too long, we have ignored the signs of mass casualty attacks and refused to work together to “connect the dots”. Rick has given us a roadmap to do just that,” Captain Griger, Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office.

Leaders in schools, higher education, organizations, and communities are looking for better prevention solutions, including new playbooks to complement their current strategies. This is where The First Preventers Playbook comes in. 

The First Preventers Playbook presents proven research-based approaches to show community leaders, community resources, and community members how to take action (not vigilantly stuff, we’re talking the right actions) when faced with soaring numbers of at-risk individuals in communities across the nation. By educating, empowering, and equipping first preventers to collect, assess, and connect the dots and take the right actions to intervene and disrupt at-risk individuals on the pathway to violence (or self-harm, abuse, drugs, hate, etc.), more violent incidents and tragedies can be prevented, and fewer first responders will have to put their lives on the line.

With this playbook, more incidents and tragedies can be prevented leading to a positive return on prevention, saving lives, reputations, and bottom lines. Pre-order your copy from Amazon today for release on October 20, 2020.

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More about Rick Shaw

Rick Shaw is a prevention specialist, pathway to prevention thought leader, author, and trusted adviser to organizations and communities. He has been researching the profile of failed intervention and preventions for over twenty years. Rick founded Awareity in 2004 and First Preventers in 2019.

Contact Information

Rick Shaw, 402-730-0090, info@RickShawPrevents.com. For more information please email info@RickShawPrevents.com or visit RickShawPrevents.com/contact.

Whether or not schools and communities remove SROs & First Responders from their campuses, there needs to be a new focus. A reactive response is no longer an option to keep schools, campuses, and communities safe. No human is able to respond fast enough to PREVENT incidents. Change is needed, and change is coming.

So, what is the new focus?

Ready to learn more? Reach out today using the form on your right, it’s that easy!

It’s time to change the focus from First Responders to First Preventers.

Why?

Communities must take control of their own prevention efforts utilizing their own First Preventers to collect, access, and take action with pre-incident indicators, resources, safety, and incident prevention. By taking control, communities can save lives and give a voice to their own people.

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Ready to learn more? Reach out today using the form on your right, it’s that easy!

Community Challenges: Officers Killed in the Line of Duty

First Preventers is helping schools, organizations, and communities across the United States prevent incidents and tragedies, and they are offering free prevention assessment tools to get others set up for success.

LAS VEGAS, NV – People are feeling more scared for their safety, more confused by rumors and misinformation, and even more disconnected due to the current pandemic.  Violence is increasing in the workplace, in schools, and in communities which causes fear, confusion, chaos, and questions about what can be expected with this new normal. These are serious problems that require leaders and First Preventers to work together as a team. 

For leaders who are ready to act now, First Preventers created a FREE Prevention Assessment which can be taken advantage of here: www.FirstPreventers.org/Prevention-Assessment.   This FREE and valuable assessment also includes a personalized follow up from a First Preventers expert to help you improve your proactive prevention efforts.

If you are tired of the status quo, tired of the violence, fear, confusion, and chaos that has been happening far too long, and if you feel like being a hero, First Preventers is here to help!

If you have questions, reach out to info@FirstPreventers.org so you can take action and be a part of something better, because everyone wants better prevention.

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More about First Preventers

First Preventers is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2019. Through donations, fundraising, and grants, First Preventers helps to provide schools, organizations, and communities with access to the trailblazing First Preventers Program and other partnerships in order to create a safer space for students, employees, community members, and others by preventing more incidents and tragedies before they happen.

I had such high hopes for this headline:

Former Secret Service agent on keeping houses of worship safe:

 ‘We have to think about it in a different way’

But then I read the article and the different way of thinking was not different, it was actually more of the same, status quo, conventional thinking where an organization has a team, training, and cameras.

While having armed security is an option and it can work well as we recently saw in Texas, I believe a ‘community-wide prevention effort’ where houses of worship are working together in a First Preventers Program is more proactive and truly different thinking.  The gunman in Texas was well known by the church and known to be escalating in anger and behaviors… what if First Preventers had been involved before he escalated to the point of showing up at the church in disguise with a shotgun?

The First Preventers Program helps communities to leverage resources that can help with intervention, disruption and prevention efforts involving at-risk individuals who are exhibiting concerning behaviors and escalating behaviors.

Every community has at-risk individuals, and in many cases, the numbers of at-risk individuals are increasing, so every community needs the First Preventers Program to prevent more at-risk individuals from escalating and executing their plans of attacks because they feel they have been wronged, or have a grievance, or needs to get revenge, or other.

Depending on First Responders to address the at-risk individual will always be needed, however recent attacks that were over in as little as 6 seconds still resulted in innocent people dying, lives being ruined, new and growing fears, lost trust, and numerous other costs and consequences.

We can do better and the First Preventers Program is different thinking that is research-based and proven in the real world.  With the new year and new decade, leaders should be looking for new and different ways to save lives, eliminate fears, improve trust, and more… because conventional approaches are not enough.

Ready to start your Prevention Assessment? Click here to learn more.

Rick Shaw – Prevention Specialist & Executive Director of First Preventers

Executive Director Rick Shaw and program partner Jason Destein took a few minutes out of their time at GSX 2019 to talk with Security Guy TV about the new non-profit, First Preventers, which is out to change how people think about prevention.

It’s not about First Responders getting there faster to minimize the carnage and the damage. It’s about First Responders, working with First Preventers to help move from a Pathway to Violence to a Pathway to Prevention. Listen to the interview here!

First Preventers is already helping schools, organizations, and communities across the United States prevent incidents and tragedies with the proven First Preventers Program.

LAS VEGAS, NV – First Preventers officially launched in January of 2019 with approval from the State of Nevada and recently received its 501(c)3 approval in August 2019. Through donations, fundraising, and grants, the nonprofit will continue to help provide schools, organizations, and communities with access to the trailblazing First Preventers Program and other partnerships in order to create a safer space for students, employee, community members, and others by preventing more incidents and tragedies before they happen.

Executive Director Rick Shaw is an internationally sought-after speaker and prevention expert with over 30 years’ experience in providing assessment and creating prevention tools, programs, and trainings. In this new role, Mr. Shaw will continue to travel and speak in order to educate and inform industry and community leaders in order to share the trailblazing successes seen with The First Preventers Program, because everyone is demanding better prevention solutions after recent shootings and other acts of violence across the nation.

The next official speaking event will be at the 2019 GSX show in Chicago, IL presented by ASIS. Mr. Shaw will be co-presenting with a First Preventers Program partner, Jason Destein of Securable Alternatives, on Wednesday, September 11^th, 2019. The session, titled “The Gap Between School Violence and Security Solutions: What’s Missing?”, will feature current research on prevention strategies in an effort to shine a light on the glaring missing pieces of the puzzle (first preventers).

For more information on First Preventers or the First Preventers Program, or to support these important prevention efforts, please visit FirstPreventers.org.

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More about First Preventers

First Preventers is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2019. Through donations, fundraising, and grants, First Preventers helps to provide schools, organizations, and communities with access to the trailblazing First Preventers Program and other partnerships in order to create a safer space for students, employees, community members, and others by preventing more incidents and tragedies before they happen.

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To download a copy of this press release please click here.