Companies are ramping up their security ever since the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Thompson, 50, was shot and killed while walking outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan on his way to speak at an investor conference. Video surveillance on the street showed Thompson walking by himself before being shot just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Thompson’s wife told NYPD that her husband had received threats prior to the event.
Suspect Luigi Mangione, 26, was charged with murder and other felonies on Monday in connection with the deadly shooting. An NYPD intelligence report said Mangione viewed himself as a martyr against "corporate greed."
Companies are now looking to improve and possibly put in completely new security measures to protect their workers and high-ranking officials. Some companies have cancelled in-person events and even removed pictures and biographies of their top executives on their websites as a precaution.
Lt. Randy Sutton (Ret.) is an expert in the law enforcement community. He's a 34-year law enforcement veteran with a decade spent in New Jersey and 24 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Sutton said the assassination of the UnitedHealthcare CEO sent shockwaves through corporate America.
"The reality is everyone is vulnerable," Sutton said. "What has resulted because of this incident is a much more malign corporate America."
Social media activists and even U.S. government officials have been decrying corporate CEO's, the insurance industry and capitalism. Thus, companies aren't taking any chances and are absolutely ramping up their security detail.
Large corporations already have private security, whether it be uniformed guards or personal protection, but also typically have access to other resources that they can bring in if needed. Sutton said corporations could also have former military or law enforcement officers on hand for internal security.
"This is going to be a very important time for corporate private security," said Sutton, who expects there to be a shift with how the more private and "low-key" security members act for who they're protecting moving forward.
"There will be a more visible prescience because they are trying to deter any attacks rather than tack action after an attack," he added.
Sutton also expects there to be attempted copycats of this cold-blooded killing and hopes companies will get ahead of any potential attacks by bolstering their security measures.
Lt. Sutton is an author, host of the 'A Cop's Life' podcast and the founder of The Wounded Blue, a nationwide charitable organization working to improve the lives of injured and disabled officers.