For Public Safety Leaders: Why Insider Risk Is a Community Safety Issue

Today, public safety depends not just on people and processes–but on digital systems that support investigations, emergency response, and essential services. When these systems are compromised, the impact extends far beyond IT departments. Investigations stall. Evidence integrity is questioned. Emergency services are disrupted. And trust between agencies and the communities they serve erodes. Yet not all threats to these systems come from external attackers.

When digital systems hold community safety data

Public safety operations now rely on interconnected systems storing criminal justice records, child welfare data, court documents, dispatch information, and social services records. These systems are accessed daily by large, diverse workforces–and are essential to mission continuity.

The 2018 Atlanta ransomware attack offers a stark example: $17 million in costs, services disrupted for weeks, and 6 million people affected. The entry point? A compromised insider.

Most cybersecurity discussions focus on ransomware, data breaches, and external threats. Insider risk is different. It develops quietly, often below the threshold of traditional detection–and by the time the impact becomes visible, the damage may already be done.

The behavioral signal most agencies can't detect

Most public sector organizations have strong safeguards: access controls, background checks, audits, and policy enforcement. These controls are necessary, but they weren't designed to detect every form of high-risk insider behavior.

Some of the strongest indicators of insider compromise don't trigger traditional security alerts. Access to highly compromising content from government devices is one example. This behavior represents more than a policy violation–it creates leverage that external actors can exploit.

In public safety environments, where access to sensitive case files and vulnerable populations is widespread, the exposure is significant. Compromised employees may unintentionally or deliberately undermine investigations, mishandle sensitive information, or become targets for coercion.

Because this activity often occurs outside the scope of conventional security tools, it can remain undetected for extended periods.

See how public safety agencies can detect this →

Why early detection protects more than data

Public safety incidents rarely begin with a single failure. They emerge through a series of missed signals.

Early identification of high-risk insider behavior allows agencies to act before operational harm occurs. It helps protect investigations, preserve evidence integrity, and ensure continuity of critical services. It also enables leadership to respond responsibly, in line with legal, ethical, and regulatory obligations.

Effective detection doesn't require invasive monitoring. Responsible approaches focus on identifying verified, high-confidence indicators of serious risk while respecting employee privacy and established governance frameworks.

When trust is part of the mission

Public trust is foundational to public safety. Once lost, it's difficult to regain.

Protecting that trust requires acknowledging that insider risk is not only a cybersecurity issue–it's a public safety concern. It requires agencies to address risks that threaten communities from within, just as seriously as those that originate outside the organization.

As 44 U.S. states experienced major cyberattacks in 2025, and government ranks as the third most-targeted sector for ransomware, the question for public safety leaders is no longer whether insider risk exists. It's whether agencies have the capability to detect it early–before it causes harm to the communities they serve.