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The assassination of an insurance CEO in December forced corporate executives to reckon with their own safety. This week’s killings in a Manhattan office tower will force them to rethink how to protect the employees in their charge.
“These types of events galvanize focus,” said Jake Silverman, CEO of security firm Kroll. “There’s a lot of focus now on how senior executives shore up their security postures for themselves and for their people writ large.”
Companies are now faced with reassuring workers that they can protect them from random threats, like the gunman who police say drove across the country and shot his way through the lobby of 345 Park Ave. — home to investment giant Blackstone, the NFL, and other tenants — killing four people before shooting himself. The building remains closed, and some companies in neighboring office towers along the stretch of Park Avenue, which houses more financial firms and law firms than Wall Street itself, are allowing employees to work from home for now.
The attack strikes at the heart of a delicate balance. Five years after the lockdowns, companies have largely won the war over employees reluctant to return full-time to the office — much to the relief of office landlords, who during the pandemic faced the prospect of half-empty floors and abandoned leases. Fears that workplaces aren’t safe will complicate what has so far been a hard-fought battle to bring workers back, particularly among Wall Street firms.
“One, I have to get all these people out of here,” said Dale Buckner, CEO of security firm Global Guardian, ticking through executives’ challenge in the aftermath of office shootings. “And No. 2, I’ve got to bring them all back.”
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Companies will likely pressure their landlords to beef up security, which comes at a cost and — as the death of an armed police officer working security in the lobby of 345 Park Ave. shows — may not prevent a determined assault.
Modern office buildings have access control systems that can freeze elevators in place, shut down turnstiles, and remotely lock doors, said Buckner, who has several clients in 345 Park, and described the building’s access control and surveillance system as “relatively sophisticated.” In the wake of the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, companies began to take a harder look at social media threats and early indicators of violence as well.
Buckner now questions whether that will be enough. Bag checks, metal detectors, dozens of security agents in the lobby — visible signs of increased security — are some of the things buildings will have to deploy in the wake of an incident like this week’s, Buckner said. But just as important will be the behind-the-scenes improvements, especially in buildings like 345 Park, which has a large space that’s open to the public. (New York zoning rules encourage these “privately owned public spaces” like plazas, lobbies, and seating areas.)
Still, most offices have resisted overtly fortifying their buildings to avoid creating an oppressive atmosphere.
“People don’t want to work in a police state, but they want to feel safe,” John Torres, a security consultant at Guidepost Solutions and former Homeland Security official, said. “Now we know that an armed police officer isn’t going to stop something like this.”
Liz Hoffman contributed reporting.
Notable
- Companies will have to weigh a number of factors when deciding whether to up security in their buildings, including costs, The New York Times’ Dealbook notes. The price for armed guards can be double that of unarmed ones, and having armed guards in the lobby “sends the wrong message to certain people,” a building security exec said.
- It’s unclear how much more can be done to protect Manhattan buildings without alienating people, an adviser at a security firm told Axios.
- Even with heightened security, the 345 Park shooting was concerning, a former FBI executive and security adviser told the Financial Times: “It shows that if someone is willing to trade their life for yours, it’s extremely difficult to defend against.”