Preventing the Next Attack
By: Monte Mills
The shocking killings of former Minnesota political figures have once again forced us to confront an uncomfortable truth: public officials, business leaders, and high-profile individuals are vulnerable, even in their own homes.
What stands out most isn’t just the act itself, but the method. This wasn’t impulsive. This was deliberate. The attacker reportedly conducted extensive open-source intelligence gathering, compiling addresses, routines, and even building a hit list of other political targets. That’s not a spontaneous act of violence, that was a calculated operation.
It’s Time to Accept a Hard Truth
We must confront the reality; we are living in a time where more people view violence as a viable outlet for grievance. And the perceived value of human life? It's plummeting.
These events point to a dangerous trend: targeted violence is evolving, while our protective posture is not. With more access to data, online directories, and surveillance tools, motivated individuals can access personal data, track movements, and exploit vulnerabilities of public figures. That should give every one of us pause.
We Can—and Must—Respond Smarter
Full-time protection for every public figure or executive is impractical, but targeted, scalable prevention is not. Here's how we move forward:
Elevate Threat Assessments: Threat assessment is not about guessing,it’s about gathering. Certified professionals can recognize early signs of violence-in-the-making and disrupt the pathway before it becomes a headline.
Reduce Digital Exposure: Publicly available personal data is a gift to bad actors. Digital vulnerability assessments and ongoing data scrubs should be standard operating procedure for anyone in a high-profile role.
Train Those in the Crosshairs: Leaders don’t need to become security experts, but they do need to be situationally aware. Recognizing pre-incident indicators, understanding behavioral cues, and knowing what to report can be life-saving skills.
Share Intelligence Before It's Too Late: Preventing violence is a team sport. Private security professionals, law enforcement, and community watchdogs must build better bridges for reporting, triage, and intervention.
Visibility Shouldn’t Mean Vulnerability
The unfortunate reality is that public figures are required to be visible—to shake hands, attend events, and remain approachable. It’s part of the job. But visibility shouldn't mean being exposed. While we can’t wrap every leader in a security detail, we can equip them and those around them with tools and training to identify threats early.
We must stop treating these attacks as isolated events because the threats are real are ongoing. And while we can’t bubble-wrap every official or executive, we can equip them, and their teams, with the mindset, tools, and strategies to protect themselves.