The Alley

You have put in a long week at the end of the month and many coworkers have decided to go downtown for a happy hour event. Sporting your new all electric SUV, you decide to be the designated driver to a few of your cube mates. Your significant other is out of town visiting family and you volunteered to help a friend move to a new apartment tomorrow, so you are due for a few hours of relaxation and a good nights’ sleep in a quiet abode.

Chad, Meghan, Chris, and Tim are itching to jet out of the office shortly before 3 PM so that in Tim’s words “They can get their party on.” It is not long before they have you convinced and the five of you pile into your E-machine to head off to “Party Central”. All of your passengers remark how nice your new ride is and how much they love the scent of your little tree hanging from the console. A short time after departing the office you start to think, “Where am I going to park?” Chris tells you that luckily you left work early because there is a lot on 13th Street that will still be free, and it is safe and well lit. You apply pressure to the pedal and speed off to free parking. You arrive and find just three spots left and park right under the light post. “Yes, this will work”, you think to yourself and then you look around and say, “Isn’t Party Central a twenty-minute walk from here because of this giant city block?” Chris replies, “Not if we go through the alley over there it will only take 5 minutes.”

The group makes its’ way to the alley and begins walking down the confined lane between tall buildings towards the destination. As you walk past the many dumpsters and loading areas you can’t help but notice the excessive amount of broken glass and fast-food wrappings strewn around. Suddenly, Tim yells, “Tor” as he runs up and kicks a beer bottle across the alley and it smashes against a wall below a sign for Metro Commercial. Meghan lets out a gasp and exclaims, “This is the alley behind Metro Commercial! My cousin’s best friend was attacked and stabbed in this alley just 3 months ago!” Tim responds with a laugh and states,” You don’t have to worry I am here.” Everyone shakes their collective heads and picks up the pace and within a couple of minutes you arrive at Party Central.

Upon entering, you realize that your group is the first to arrive so you make your way to the bar so everyone can get their party on. Over the course of the next few hours, you, and your coworkers drink, eat, drink, dance, drink, and talk the evening away.?At about 11PM, Chad approaches and relays how Tim has had way too much to drink and after almost getting in at least one altercation has lost the contents of his stomach and has been told to leave. He is currently in the bathroom trying to clean up but needs to be gone from the establishment. You tell Chad to gather everyone while you go retrieve your ride. You shout, “Make sure he is cleaned up before he gets in my car!”

Departing Party Central, you cross the street and see the long well-lit street that extends off into the distance and then turn to the inky black darkness of the alley…

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Would you take the long way around or would you chance the dark alley alone at night? While reading this article did you pause to consider anything other than the corny homage to Repo Man? If you at least thought to yourself once about the safety of property or the characters in the story, then you were security aware.

We all practice security principles in our daily lives and this security awareness should not be turned off when we come to work and pass it off as “security is something that IT does.” Everyone is responsible for security; some members of an organization are just more focused on maintaining security than others. The world is a dangerous place and threats lurk in places other than dark alleys.