ASIS International, the world’s largest association for security management professionals, announced that Soft Target Hardening: Protecting People from Attack (Second Edition) by Jennifer Hesterman was selected as the 2019 ASIS Security Industry Book of the Year.

“Increasing instances of active shooter assaults underlines a universal truth in security: It is easier to commit crime or terrorism when a facility has minimal security [otherwise known as soft targets]” said A. Benjamin Mannes, chief compliance officer for a Philadelphia-based financial firm and member of the ASIS Philadelphia chapter. “Author Jennifer Hesterman, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, draws upon her experience securing military assets overseas and applies it to protecting soft targets in the domestic and civilian space. By adopting the principles in this book, readers can take an important first step to recognizing and mitigating threats to their organizations.”

The ASIS Security Industry Book of the Year is selected by a panel of ASIS members who review member-authored titles using criteria including relevancy to today’s security threats, importance of the subject in the field and the uniqueness of the coverage of a new security concept, idea or technology. Runners-up for the 2019 award include Reawakening America: Leadership, Vigilance, and Collaboration (Vincent Bove) and Workplace Violence: Issues in Threat Management (Christine M. Holbrook, David E. Bixler, Eugene A. Rugala, Carri Casteel).

“I am truly humbled by this award,” Hesterman said. “Being recognized for a second time by the world’s leading organization in security management is an honor of a lifetime. It is my sincere hope that organizations in both the private and public sectors gain new perspectives and knowledge in order to better protect their workplaces, public spaces and other assets.”

Hesterman will be honored and will sign copies of her book at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 9 in the ASIS Bookstore at this year’s Global Security Exchange (GSX). She will also be interviewed by ASIS TV at the ASIS Hub (booth 2027) on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. Her book will be available for purchase in the bookstore onsite at GSX and is available online now at the ASIS Online Store.

Past ASIS Book of the Year winners have included:

• 2018: The Five Technological Forces Disrupting Security: How Cloud, Social, Mobile, Big Data and IoT are Transforming Physical Security in a Digital Age, Steve Van Till
• 2017: Managing Critical Incidents and Large-Scale Event Security, Eloy Nuñez and Ernest G. Vendrell
• 2016: Risk Analysis and Security Countermeasure Selection (Second Edition), Thomas L. Norman
• 2015: Soft Target Hardening: Protecting People from Attack (First Edition), Jennifer Hesterman
• 2014: Crisis Management and Emergency Planning: Preparing for Today’s Challenges, Michael J. Fagel