January 2026 Newsletter & Public Safety Brief

Public safety and security risks are no longer siloed into local crime trends alone. Political shifts at home, global military actions, geopolitical flashpoints, and economic uncertainty increasingly influence real-world threats to people, property, and business continuity.

Below are five current issues leaders should be watching, based on developments from the past several weeks and their implications for organizations of every size.

1) Geopolitical Volatility: U.S. Action in Venezuela & Global Backlash

In early January 2026, U.S. forces conducted a surprise military operation in Venezuela resulting in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. The operation triggered immediate international diplomatic fallout, including emergency United Nations Security Council discussions and strong responses from regional and global powers.

Why it matters for businesses and property owners:

• Energy and commodity prices can shift rapidly when oil-producing regions face instability.

• Trade routes and supply chains become less predictable, increasing costs and lead times.

• Heightened political tension increases the likelihood of protests, sanctions, retaliatory economic measures, and cyber activity targeting U.S. organizations.

Business continuity planning should explicitly account for geopolitical scenario risk, particularly for organizations with international suppliers, logistics dependencies, or global clients.

2) Domestic Political Fragmentation & Public Safety Protest Risk

Recent shootings involving U.S. immigration agents have sparked nationwide protests and intense political debate, drawing involvement from state governments, Congress, and federal agencies. At the same time, U.S. withdrawals from international climate and policy frameworks have further deepened political polarization.

Why it matters for businesses and property owners:

• Political polarization increases the likelihood of demonstrations near civic centers, campuses, transit hubs, and commercial districts.

• Even peaceful protests can disrupt operations, restrict access, strain parking and ingress/egress, and complicate emergency response during peak hours.

Security planning should include crowd management readiness, situational awareness, and coordination with local law enforcement regarding protest forecasts and response expectations.

3) Escalation in Ukraine and the Middle East

Renewed fighting along NATO’s eastern borders, ongoing conflict in Gaza, and instability tied to Iran’s internal crisis continue to drive global volatility and uncertainty.

Why it matters locally:

• War-driven economic shocks—particularly in energy, agriculture, and shipping—can affect insurance premiums, operating costs, and real estate expenses.

• Periods of geopolitical escalation historically correlate with increased cyber-attacks, espionage, and influence operations targeting U.S. infrastructure and private companies.

  
  

Risk assessments should incorporate geopolitical intelligence alongside traditional local crime and safety data.

4) Colorado: Public Safety Infrastructure, Funding & Preparedness

Across Colorado, public safety agencies continue to operate under shifting funding priorities, staffing pressures, and evolving threat environments. While some jurisdictions have improved outcomes in areas such as transit safety and violent crime reduction, statewide preparedness remains uneven, particularly for low-probability, high-impact incidents.

Recent debates and pauses related to federal and state funding for specialized preparedness programs—including nuclear, radiological, and mass-casualty response capabilities—underscore how quickly public-sector readiness assumptions can change.

Implications for property owners and businesses across Colorado:

• Organizations may need to assume greater responsibility for emergency preparedness, drills, and continuity planning.

• Rural and suburban response times can vary significantly, making self-sufficiency in the first critical minutes of an incident essential.

• Property owners should engage proactively with local fire, law enforcement, and emergency management agencies to understand capabilities, limitations, and realistic response timelines in their specific jurisdiction.

  
  

As public resources are stretched, private-sector preparedness increasingly serves as a force multiplier for public safety statewide.

5) Political and Geopolitical Risk as a Core Business Threat

Industry surveys now rank political risk—including regulatory shifts, tariffs, elections, and policy changes—among the top three threats facing global businesses.

Why this matters to you:

• Policy uncertainty affects capital allocation, real estate values, lease commitments, workforce planning, and insurance costs.

• Organizations reliant on supply chains passing through strategic chokepoints such as the Red Sea or Suez Canal should anticipate commodity price volatility and shipment delays as geopolitical risk escalates.

  
  

Political risk is no longer theoretical—it is operational.

Public Safety Tips & Best Practices

To turn intelligence into readiness, Auctus Security recommends the following actions:

1. Design layered threat and geopolitical monitoring — Not all risk is local crime. Track trade policy changes, international conflict escalation, and domestic political unrest.

2. Coordinate with public response agencies — Build working relationships with local police, fire departments, and emergency managers; align expectations and communication protocols.

3. Test and revise emergency action plans quarterly — Include scenarios involving protests, infrastructure disruption, supply chain interruption, and mass-casualty events.

4. Train staff beyond basic awareness — Extend training into digital threat reporting, suspicious behavior recognition, and protest safety considerations.

5. Assess physical access control and cyber vulnerability together — Public safety risk increasingly includes cyber-enabled and hybrid threats.

Auctus Security Guard Services & Free Consultations

At Auctus Security, we view private security as a full-spectrum public safety partner, blending professional guard services with threat management aligned to today’s geopolitical and domestic risk environment.

Our services include:

• Uniformed armed and unarmed security officers

• Event security and crowd management

• Emergency response coordination and de-escalation

• Full array of consulting services as well security assessments 

• Patrol Services 

• Executive Protection 

Free Security Consultations:

We offer no-cost consultations to help organizations identify gaps, assess current services and posture and identify needs and fit in order to tailor guard services. 

Reach out for a strategy session and turn uncertainty into operational confidence.

Stay informed. Stay prepared. Stay secure.