Getting Ahead of Protest Risk: Essential Pre-Event Preparations
A Three-Step Play for Proactively Preparing Your Organization for Potentially Violent Protests
This article is part of The CP Journal’s Operational Readiness Playbook, designed to help Academy subscribers get the most out of their weekly Watch Office situation reports.
When protests carry the risk of confrontation or violence, proactive preparation is essential to safeguard your organization's people, assets, operations, and reputation.
This Play provides a clear, three-step approach to help you achieve strategic outcomes such as threat reduction, escalation prevention, asset protection, and relationship maintenance during unrest.
Trigger: Activate this Play upon receiving notification from a Watch Office report indicating planned protests likely to escalate into violence, involve counter-protests, or pose heightened risks to your organization.
Keys to Success
Success in these situations hinges on clarity, coordination, and visible leadership.
Clarity of Intent: Clearly define strategic objectives, such as protecting people, assets, operations, or community relationships, to measure outcomes effectively rather than simply completing tasks.
Early and Consistent Communication: Engage stakeholders promptly, setting clear expectations and roles. Foster trust and cooperation between corporate security teams, public safety agencies, community leaders, and media partners to minimize confusion and enhance joint readiness.
Visible Leadership: Demonstrate proactive, visible leadership before and during protests. Confident messaging and presence reassure teams, executives, and the public, enhancing trust and situational stability.