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North Star Group, 1942 West Gray Street Unit 26, Houston, TX (2026)

09/21/2026

Violence against healthcare workers should never be accepted as “part of the job.”

A recent KevinMD compilation brings together years of physicians’ and nurses’ own accounts of workplace violence in healthcare—and the message is remarkably consistent.

Healthcare workers describe being assaulted by patients and family members, threatened, bullied, traumatized, and in some cases driven out of the profession altogether. The record includes accounts of physicians being shot, nurses being seriously injured, threats being ignored, and staff feeling that violence has become normalized within the healthcare environment.

That should concern every healthcare organization.

At North Star Group, we believe workplace violence prevention in healthcare requires a comprehensive, risk-based approach that includes:

• Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
• Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM)
• Physical security and access control
• Trained security personnel
• De-escalation and assaultive-behavior training
• Threat and protective intelligence
• Duress alarms and emergency communications
• Incident reporting and trend analysis
• Coordination with law enforcement
• Post-incident support and continuous improvement

One of the strongest themes in the article is underreporting.

If employees believe violence is simply expected—or that reporting an assault will not lead to meaningful action—organizations lose critical information needed to identify patterns, assess risk, and prevent future incidents.

The article also reinforces that violence does not come from one source.

Patients, visitors, coworkers, staffing pressures, long wait times, behavioral health crises, intoxication, and disputes over treatment can all contribute to the threat environment.

No single camera, guard, policy, or training course can eliminate workplace violence.

But layered security, strong reporting mechanisms, trained personnel, behavioral threat management, and leadership that takes these incidents seriously can make a meaningful difference.

Healthcare workers should not have to choose between caring for patients and protecting themselves.

Security has to protect the people providing the care.

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https://kevinmd.com/workplace-violence

09/21/2026

A physical security assessment should be more than a walkthrough and a checklist.

The real value comes from understanding what the observations mean—how vulnerabilities, existing safeguards, threats, and potential consequences come together to affect a facility's security posture.

In our latest North Star Security Brief, we walk through the physical security assessment process from the initial site review to documenting findings, prioritizing recommendations, and producing a professional final report.

Read: “How to Conduct a Physical Security Assessment: From Site Walkthrough to Final Report”

https://open.substack.com/pub/northstarsecuritybrief/p/how-to-conduct-a-physical-security?r=7ruj9z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

09/21/2026

School safety preparedness matters—but so does how we prepare.

A recent article examining the difference between lockdown drills and active shooter exercises raises an important point: the two are often discussed as if they are the same thing, even though they can look very different in practice.

A traditional lockdown drill may focus on simple procedures such as locking doors, turning off lights, moving out of sight, maintaining accountability, and waiting for an all-clear.

More intensive active shooter exercises may incorporate simulated attackers, sounds, role players, or other realistic elements designed to test response capabilities.

Different states and school systems approach these exercises differently, and requirements, terminology, frequency, and permissible training methods can vary considerably.

At North Star Group, we believe preparedness should be effective, age-appropriate, risk-based, and designed around the actual objectives of the exercise.

The purpose should not be to frighten students.

It should be to build familiarity with procedures so students and staff know what to do when seconds matter.

Effective school preparedness should incorporate:

• Clearly defined lockdown procedures
• Physical security and access control
• Emergency communications
• Staff training and defined responsibilities
• Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM)
• Threat and protective intelligence
• Coordination with law enforcement and first responders
• Age-appropriate drills and exercises
• After-action reviews and continuous improvement

There is also an important distinction between drills and exercises.

Students may need to practice basic protective actions, while more complex scenario-based exercises involving law enforcement, administrators, security personnel, and first responders can test command, communications, decision-making, and response without necessarily exposing children to highly realistic simulations.

Preparedness should always balance security objectives with student wellbeing.

No drill eliminates risk, and no single response procedure can address every possible emergency.

But training creates familiarity. Familiarity can reduce confusion. And reducing confusion during a crisis can improve decision-making when time matters most.

School security is ultimately about prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery working together—not simply conducting a drill because a requirement says one must be completed.

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https://www.kark.com/news/national-news/lockdown-or-active-shooter-drill-the-distinction-matters-for-childrens-safety-and-well%E2%80%91being/

09/20/2026

Open-source intelligence is no longer confined to government intelligence operations.

It is increasingly relevant to the commercial and private sector as well.

A recent GovCon Wire article highlights how OSINT is being used in counterespionage, particularly as digital footprints become harder to hide and easier to analyze.

That has major implications for private organizations.

Executives, employees, contractors, vendors, researchers, and business partners all leave digital traces. Social media activity, public records, location data, professional profiles, photographs, online purchases, and other commercially available information can reveal patterns that may be useful to legitimate security teams—but also to hostile actors conducting reconnaissance.

At North Star Group, we believe OSINT should be viewed as part of a broader protective and counterintelligence strategy.

That can include:

• Identifying suspicious patterns of activity
• Monitoring executive and employee exposure
• Detecting potential espionage or insider threats
• Protecting intellectual property and R&D
• Supporting protective intelligence
• Assessing third-party and vendor risk
• Identifying online targeting or surveillance
• Understanding adversary capabilities and intent

The article also reinforces how difficult it has become to maintain a false identity in the digital age. Decades of online activity can create a pattern of life that is extremely difficult to fabricate consistently.

The same principle applies in business.

Organizations should assume that publicly available information about their people, facilities, research, operations, and leadership can be collected, analyzed, and potentially weaponized.

That does not mean companies should fear open information.

It means they should understand what is exposed.

OSINT can help security professionals identify vulnerabilities before an adversary does, but it should be integrated with physical security, cybersecurity, insider threat programs, Security Risk Management, and protective intelligence.

The strongest security programs do not wait until sensitive information is stolen or a threat becomes visible at the front door.

They look for the indicators earlier.

In today’s environment, intelligence is often hiding in plain sight.

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https://www.govconwire.com/articles/osint-counterespionage-data-rdte-moodys-2026-intel-summit

09/19/2026

A safer school does not have to look or feel like a fortress.

A recent Albany Business Review article highlights how school entrance design can improve security while still supporting student wellbeing, visibility, and a welcoming environment.

That balance is exactly where Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) can add value.

At North Star Group, we believe school security should begin with understanding how people move through and interact with the environment. Secure vestibules, clear sightlines, controlled entry points, visible approaches, active public spaces, thoughtful landscaping, and defined boundaries can all strengthen security without creating an unnecessarily institutional atmosphere.

The article specifically reinforces several core CPTED principles:

• Natural Surveillance — improving visibility so staff and legitimate users can observe approaches and activity
• Natural Access Control — guiding visitors through clearly defined entry points
• Territorial Reinforcement — using design to establish ownership, boundaries, and appropriate use of space
• Activity Support — keeping legitimate activity visible and present in key areas
• Maintenance and Management — preserving an environment that communicates care, order, and oversight

Access control is an important layer, but it is only one layer.

A secure vestibule can help manage visitor entry, but broader school security still requires behavioral threat assessment, emergency planning, physical security, reporting mechanisms, trained personnel, situational awareness, and coordination with first responders.

The article also makes an important point about targeted hardening. Ballistic-resistant materials, security film, reinforced doors, and other measures may be appropriate in certain locations, but those decisions should follow a comprehensive risk assessment and be incorporated where they provide the greatest value.

Good security design should answer two questions at the same time:

How do we make unauthorized access more difficult?

And how do we make students, staff, parents, and legitimate visitors feel comfortable using the space?

Those goals do not have to compete.

When security, architecture, facilities, and school leadership work together early, the result can be an environment that improves access control, visibility, deterrence, and response while still supporting the school’s educational mission.

The strongest security measures are often the ones people barely notice.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2026/09/18/safer-school-entrance-design-security-wellbeing.html

09/18/2026

What if several people inside an organization each know something concerning—but nobody realizes the others know something too?

A supervisor notices a behavioral change. A coworker receives an unsettling message. Security documents unusual activity. Management knows about an escalating grievance.

Individually, each observation may mean very little. Together, they may provide important context.

In the latest North Star Security Brief, “The Warning Signs May Never Reach Security,” we look at the role of protective intelligence, why information can become fragmented across an organization, and why effective reporting and multidisciplinary communication matter.

Protective intelligence isn't about predicting the future or treating unusual behavior as evidence of a threat. It's about getting relevant information to the right people so it can be assessed in context—while there is still an opportunity to manage risk.

🔔 Read the latest Brief and subscribe for future editions:
https://open.substack.com/pub/northstarsecuritybrief/p/the-warning-signs-may-never-reach?r=7ruj9z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

09/18/2026

Executive protection increasingly begins long before a principal ever leaves the office or home.

A recent Security Today article highlights how executive data exposure has become a physical security problem. Home addresses, property records, family information, routines, social media activity, tagged photos, and other publicly available information can provide would-be threat actors with a roadmap for surveillance, harassment, stalking, doxxing, or worse.

At North Star Group, we believe this reinforces the need to treat data privacy, protective intelligence, and physical security as interconnected parts of the same protection strategy.

Executive protection today should consider:

• Protective and threat intelligence
• OSINT and digital-footprint monitoring
• Data privacy and personal information exposure
• Residential security
• Travel and route security
• Physical security and access control
• Family exposure
• Doxxing and harassment monitoring
• Behavioral threat assessment
• Continuous reassessment of the threat environment

The article makes an important point: many physical threats begin digitally.

A hostile individual may spend days or weeks gathering information before ever approaching a principal. By the time someone appears outside a residence, office, hotel, or event, much of the reconnaissance may already be complete.

That is why physical protection cannot operate independently from digital risk management.

If an executive is doxxed, receives increasingly specific threats, or has personal information exposed online, that should inform physical security decisions. Protective measures may need to change based on what is happening in the digital environment.

The same applies in reverse.

A physical incident, suspicious surveillance, or unwanted contact should trigger a review of what information about the principal may already be publicly available.

Good executive protection is layered.

Reduce unnecessary exposure.
Monitor for emerging threats.
Protect the physical environment.
And make sure the digital and physical sides of the program are communicating with each other.

In today’s environment, data privacy is no longer just an IT or cybersecurity concern.

For executives and other high-profile individuals, it can be a personal security issue.

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https://securitytoday.com/articles/2026/09/print/why-executive-data-exposure-is-now-a-physical-security-problem.aspx

09/17/2026

Property managers are increasingly finding themselves on the front lines of safety and security issues that extend far beyond traditional property operations.

A new Portland State University survey, reported by both the Portland Business Journal and KATU, found that many property management professionals are dealing with growing concerns involving personal safety, trespassing, behavioral health crises, harassment, and other difficult interactions. Nearly 70% of respondents said they sometimes face situations that make them concerned for their personal safety, and more than half said they have avoided interacting with a tenant because they felt unsafe.

At North Star Group, we believe the broader lesson extends well beyond Portland.

Property managers, HOAs, multifamily communities, commercial properties, and real estate professionals across the country should be evaluating safety and security as part of everyday operations—not only after an incident occurs.

That means looking at:

• Physical security and access control
• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
• Security risk and vulnerability assessments
• Situational awareness and staff training
• Visitor, contractor, and vendor management
• Cameras, lighting, and other security measures
• De-escalation and workplace violence prevention
• Incident reporting and documentation
• Coordination with law enforcement, behavioral health resources, and community partners

The Portland survey also found that many respondents felt they lacked adequate tools or support when dealing with dangerous situations, and many reported increased stress and negative impacts on their well-being. Respondents called for stronger workplace safety standards, additional security measures, and better coordination among property managers, law enforcement, and mental health providers.

That is an important reminder that property security is not just about protecting buildings.

It is about protecting the people responsible for operating them.

A gate, camera, or security officer can be valuable, but no single countermeasure is enough. The strongest programs combine people, policies, physical security, training, situational awareness, and community partnerships into a layered approach.

This is not simply a Portland issue.

Property managers everywhere should be asking whether their employees have the tools, training, procedures, and support needed to safely manage increasingly complex environments.

Security should help create safer properties for residents and tenants—but also safer workplaces for the professionals responsible for them.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2026/09/16/property-management-security-concerns-psu.html

09/17/2026

A threat assessment and a physical security risk assessment are related—but they don't answer the same question.

Understanding potential threats is important. But meaningful risk analysis also requires looking at vulnerabilities, assets, existing safeguards, and potential consequences.

In the latest North Star Security Brief, we break down where threat assessment fits within the broader physical security risk assessment process—and why the methodology matters more than the label.

Read: “Physical Security Risk Assessment vs. Threat Assessment: What’s the Difference?”

https://open.substack.com/pub/northstarsecuritybrief/p/physical-security-risk-assessment?r=7ruj9z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

09/17/2026

Physical security should not be something added to a building after the design is already complete.

It should be part of the architecture from the beginning.

A recent Omdia article makes an important point about smart buildings: physical security needs to move from isolation to integration. Access control, video surveillance, identity management, building systems, and other technologies are increasingly interconnected, and that creates both opportunities and new vulnerabilities.

At North Star Group, we believe effective building security starts with integration.

When security is considered early in the design process, organizations can:

• Build access control into the architecture
• Improve visibility and natural surveillance
• Reduce costly retrofits later
• Integrate cameras, sensors, and building systems more effectively
• Identify vulnerabilities earlier
• Improve situational awareness
• Streamline incident response
• Support business continuity and operational resilience

The same principle applies to smart building technology.

A modern building may combine access control, video management, visitor systems, HVAC, lighting, elevators, fire systems, occupancy analytics, and other connected technologies.

That level of integration can provide significant operational advantages.

But it also means security cannot remain siloed.

A weakness in one connected system can create consequences elsewhere. Physical security, cybersecurity, facilities, IT, and building operations increasingly need to work together to understand the full risk picture.

Good security design should also consider how people actually move through the environment.

Who needs access?

Where should they be allowed to go?

What areas require additional protection?

How can legitimate users move efficiently without creating unnecessary friction?

And how can suspicious activity be identified early enough to respond effectively?

That is where Security Risk Management, CPTED, access control, surveillance, cybersecurity, and operational planning all come together.

The strongest security systems are not necessarily the ones with the most technology.

They are the ones where the technology, architecture, people, and procedures are designed to work together.

Security should not be bolted onto the building.

It should be built into it.

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https://omdia.tech.informa.com/blogs/2026/sep/the-importance-of-physical-security-in-smart-building-architectures

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