Special Report
The 2023 Security Benchmark Report Achievers
The Security Benchmark Report recognizes the achievements of this year's security program respondents.
Each year, Security Benchmark Report respondents share accomplishments achieved by their programs. Below, we highlight a number of the impressive achievements we have seen over the past year, from improvements in enterprise-wide training programs to innovating security despite staffing challenges.
Editor’s Note: If a security program chose to remain anonymous for The Security Benchmark Report, they were not considered for the Achievers section.
Security Achieving Great Things in Training
Security training plays an important role in maintaining operational continuity and supporting an organization during an emergency.
The below 2023 Security Benchmark Report Achievers demonstrate how training can be used to benefit enterprise security posture by enhancing emergency preparedness and incident response.
Advocate Health
Randy Stephan
System Vice President for Security
We have expanded all facets of security training to include new officer training, annual refresher training, remedial training, policy training, new equipment training, leader training, peer function training (HR, Risk, Compliance, Safety) and non-security frontline teammate training.
Associated Grocers of New England, Inc.
Alan R. Cote
Director of Risk Management
We developed a solid Active Aggressor/Workplace Violence program, as well as cross-training in many safety and risk management areas for the security team administrative personnel.
AVANGRID
Brian Harrell
VP & Chief Security Officer
We conducted our first full-scale active shooter exercise on a corporate campus. This included federal, state and local first responders, as well as technology providers, to help us respond to violence and walk through recovery.
Cleveland Clinic
Gordon Snow
Chief Security Officer
Enterprise-wide training emanating from Protective Services greatly increases Caregiver awareness and tools with which to respond to incidents in conjunction with Police/Security staff.
Security Leading Crisis Management
From the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine to lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened natural disasters, enterprise security teams support their organizations in times of instability and crisis.
This year’s Security Benchmark Report Achievers in crisis management show how security springs into action when organizations are faced with emergencies.
ADM
Brian Howell
Vice President & Global Head of Security
We have successfully led the company’s crisis response to the war in Ukraine. This includes full evacuation of eligible staff and families, as well as an ongoing life cycle of risk assessments and mitigation recommendations to business leaders.
Chico’s FAS, Inc.
Joe Biffar
Vice President, Asset Protection
Our preparation for and response/recovery after Hurricane Ian which devastated southwest Florida (where our HQ is located) [has been our greatest achievement]. Our security team’s efforts directly supported our organization and community at large. We housed 3,000 linemen crews from Florida Power and Light on our campus immediately post-landfall to support community resiliency. We also opened our doors, and enterprise security supported the American Red Cross, who set up their Disaster Headquarters for Hurricane Ian response on our corporate campus. Security, our security operations center (SOC), field team, facilities crews and crisis management teams overcame significant challenges (even as some of their homes flooded out) to support our organization and community.
Memorial Healthcare
Jeff Hauk, MBA, MSA, CPP, CHPA
Director, Public Safety and Police Authority Services
Our greatest achievement has been our continued resilience in the wake of the continued challenges (financial and staffing) and continued rise in patients with mental health and substance abuse issues. In addition, the onboarding of a new public safety dispatch and reporting platform, developing and operationalizing fingerprinting capabilities, and retention of public safety staff.
State Street Corporation
Stephen D. Baker, CPP
Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer
Our greatest achievement from 2022 has been leading the COVID-19 response for the company globally and allowing us to demonstrate our business resiliency to clients and regulators.
Security Implementing New Initiatives
It’s up to today’s security executive to innovate and work to successfully introduce new initiatives where they would benefit the enterprise.
The following 2023 Security Benchmark Report Achievers are recognized for their achievements in new security initiatives, from conducting comprehensive security program reviews to responding to violent crime.
Corning Inc.
Steve Harrold
VP, Global Security
We have gained executive support for Corning’s Insider Risk program. Through multiple strategic initiatives, we strengthened Corning’s overall crisis management and resiliency posture.
Excelerate Energy
Jeremy Rodrigues
Senior Director, Enterprise Security
Our security organization’s greatest achievement in 2022 was the commissioning of a comprehensive security program review in May 2022. The resulting product from the security program review played a pivotal role in building a strategic roadmap to enhance our service delivery. The strategic roadmap, backed by data-driven analysis and well-defined action plans, resonated with our leadership team, solidifying their support for the security initiatives. As a result of this achievement, we have been able to significantly mature our security service delivery and establish a stronger security posture for the company.
Lexington Medical Center
Justin McClarrie
Director of Public Safety
Our Hospital Watch/community involvement program is an amazing tool in maintaining a safe environment for our patients, visitors and staff. At its core, the Hospital Watch Program focuses on the intentional growth and maintenance of meaningful and lasting relationships between the staff of the various departments of the hospital and their assigned Public Safety Partner. Our goal is to address criminal activity hand in hand with staff to promote a safe and secure environment that allows Lexington Medical Center to continue to provide quality health services to the community.
University of Pennsylvania
Kathleen Shields Anderson, JD, MBA
Vice President for Public Safety
Our response to violent crime in our patrol zone has successfully minimized this type of incident within our footprint even as Philadelphia as a whole is experiencing an increase in various kinds of violent crime. Our Mental Health Co-Responder Pilot was a success. The feedback from all stakeholders was uniformly positive and we are proud that this program enhanced the services that we provide to our community.
Security Tactically Leveraging Technology
Technology can help expand the reach of security programs and augment the power of human security staff. From access control to unified security technology suites, security leaders leverage technology to solve problems across their organizations.
The below 2023 Security Benchmark Report Achievers are recognized for their accomplishments in technology implementations.
Clarios
Robb Koops
Global Security Director
In addition to the creation of our best-in-class Workplace Violence Prevention program, the Clarios security team has had increasingly direct engagement with our facilities on upgrading and standardizing the physical security technology we utilize. This includes significant and ongoing investments in a variety of systems and technologies including; access control, visitor management, video management, drones, biometrics, weapons detection, and supply chain tracking, monitoring and response.
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital
Joey E. Hunter Sr.
Director of Security and Emergency Management
In 2022, we were able to secure a Homeland Security grant in excess of $100,000 to help protect the organization. Additional license plate reader cameras were installed in the surrounding outside parking lots, and new access control doors that integrate with cameras were installed throughout the interior of the facility.
Tampa General Hospital
Tony Venezia
Senior Director of Public Safety
We added weapons screening for all patients and visitor entrances and a K9 Officer Program. [Since these functions were] added in January 2023, we have successfully screened more than 720,000 patients and visitors.
University of Texas (UT) Police at Houston
William Adcox
Vice President, Chief of Police and Chief Security Officer
The division undertook a major technological effort to centralize three disparate video recording solutions into one solution, thereby centralizing 4,000 video cameras to one system. The division also has continued to test and correct any deficiencies in blue phones, blue pulls and panic buttons. Last year, the team’s testing efforts contributed to more than 100 issues that were identified and resolved, including loss of connection, technology accidentally disabled due to construction project, and technology removed physically but not from the alarm system.
SOURCE: The Security Benchmark Report, November 2023
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