Banks assess security measures in wake of NYC shooting

Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Banks in New York City and elsewhere are reviewing and analyzing their security protocols in the wake of Monday's deadly shooting at a multi-tenant office tower in Midtown Manhattan.

Several banks contacted by American Banker this week declined to talk publicly about how they are responding to the shooting, which killed an executive at the investment bank Blackstone and three others. Some that did respond said they are focused on ensuring the safety of their customers and their employees, and that they are committed to stringent security measures.

Citigroup , one of the largest U.S. banks, "take[s] security very seriously," Edward Skyler, the bank's head of enterprise services and public affairs, wrote in an internal memo to employees after the shooting. Over the past year, the $2.6 trillion-asset bank has "increased the security presence and capabilities" at its headquarters in the city's Tribeca neighborhood, Skyler said.

"This includes working closely with the [New York City Police Department]," he wrote. "While we feel confident with the protocols we have in place, we will not hesitate to adjust if necessary."

New York-based Goldman Sachs has also worked with NYPD to secure its buildings. The investment banking giant declined to provide details on its security measures following the shooting, but it has "robust security protocols in place throughout [its] buildings" and it is "constantly assessing their effectiveness to ensure they reflect best practices, especially based on recent events," Jennifer Zuccarelli, a spokesperson for Goldman Sachs, said in an email.

Spotlight on office-tower security

The July 28 shooting took place at 345 Park Avenue, a 44-floor tower that occupies an entire block from 51st to 52nd streets and houses not only Blackstone, whose headquarters are in the building, but also the National Football League, the real estate company Rudin Management and the accounting firm KPMG.

The shooting follows the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed in December in midtown just before he was supposed to speak at an investor meeting. The suspect in that case, who has been indicted on several charges, including first-degree murder, was motivated by United's rejection of insurance claims, investigators have said.

The Park Avenue gunman was targeting the NFL, blaming the league for hiding the dangers of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which he claimed to have as a former football player, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said earlier this week at a press conference.

The gunman entered the lobby of the tower and began shooting, killing an off-duty New York City police officer, an unarmed security guard and Wesley LePatner, a senior managing director and the chief executive of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust. LePatner joined Blackstone in 2014 and previously worked at Goldman Sachs for 11 years, according to her LinkedIn profile.

According to the police commissioner, the gunman then took the elevator to the 33rd floor, where he shot and killed a young associate at Rudin Management and then shot and killed himself.

How banks can stop intruders

Banks, and owners of buildings in which banks are tenants, are likely taking a close look at how the shooter was able "to get as far and as deep into the building as he got," Holden Triplett, an ex-Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent and co-founder of Trenchcoat Advisors, told American Banker. The Washington, D.C.-based risk advisory firm's clients include Fortune 500 firms, professional sports teams, foreign governments, startup companies and global law firms.

Some questions that banks may be asking include, "How did this guy circumvent … any security protocols that were in place? What didn't work and why, and what do we have that would have prevented this?" Triplett said. "They may beef up security and hire additional security teams."

The key is to create layers of protection, which should slow down assailants, he said.

At Knight Security, a company based in New York City, there have been a few extra calls this week from building owners seeking more security and armed guards, owner Ed Troiano said.

While Knight Security doesn't provide services to banks directly, it does work with office buildings in which banks are tenants, Troiano said. He predicts that office buildings that don't already require keycards to use elevators and gain access to specific floors will begin doing so.

He also expects more buildings to install panic buttons that would alert all tenants of an impending threat, and he thinks that higher, larger turnstiles will be installed to make it harder for perpetrators to hop over them and gain access.

"It's all about access control," Troiano said. "It's about elevators, it's about the doors, anything that makes it extremely hard to get into the building. … Throwing more guns, more bodies, more security will help a little bit, but that can only go so far if you don't control the access."

The Bank of New York Mellon was among the few banks that publicly commented after this week's shooting. A spokesperson said the safety of BNY's employees is its "top priority."

"We are continuously enhancing our protocols, systems and infrastructure to ensure a safe and secure working environment for all," the spokesperson said. "We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of protection for our people."