On December 6th (Friday), the murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, has entered its third day with the perpetrator still at large. The victim was walking alone in the street without any security personnel by their side. This incident has sparked a heightened awareness of private security among high-ranking executives of major companies. The phones of private security companies have been ringing off the hook with inquiries, and the media has been discussing the issue as well.
After the incident, corporate executives began discussing their own security concerns. Paul Sarnese, a security and safety consultant and former chairman of the International Healthcare Security and Safety Association (IHSS), told CBS that this event has prompted company executives to reassess their security concerns.
“My phone has been ringing non-stop, especially calls from healthcare leaders who are re-evaluating their security measures,” Sarnese said. “This incident has undoubtedly changed the mindset of those managers; in the past, they might have been reluctant to initiate security protocols, but I believe they are now more willing to consider protection for executives.”
Security experts indicate that the cost of protecting senior executives depends on the level of threat they face. Aaron Jackson, the owner of Finest Executive Protection and a former police officer, told Gothamist that for executives like Thompson, annual security costs could range between $175,000 and $225,000.
Furthermore, this unfortunate event has led some companies to realize that they may have divulged too much information publicly. For example, following the shooting, UnitedHealthcare immediately removed introduction pages of top management personnel, including Thompson, redirecting clicks straight to the company homepage.
Non-profit healthcare company Medica, based in Minnesota, along with other insurance firms, have taken similar actions. For security reasons, Medica not only deleted executive resumes from its website, but also temporarily closed six of its offices.
However, some security experts point out that the key focus of this murder was that the executive was a manager of a company that had stirred strong public controversy.