The Gold Standard: ASIS Celebrates 50 years of Advancing Security

1955 to 1959 – The Seminar and Exhibits and Publishing

1960 to 1969 – Chapters, Regions, and Committees

1970 to 1979 – The Industry, Finances, and Certification

1980 to 1989 – Silver Anniversary, The ASIS Foundation, Inc.

1990 to 1999 – The Economy and Education

2000 and Beyond – Advocacy, Guidelines, Websites, and Strategic Priorities

Charter Exhibitors and Charter Advertisers

From five founders to 33,000 members worldwide, ASIS International passed many milestones throughout its fifty-year history. Dedicated individuals moved the Society steadily forward, helping members meet the challenges in succeeding decades.

In the early 1950s, Robert Applegate, Eric Barr, Russell White, Eugene Goedgen, and Paul Hansen formed a bond through frequent meetings of a Special Security Group. The group discussed issues and government updates affecting their new business specialty: industrial security. Spurred on by Paul Hansen, director, Industrial Security Division, Reynolds Metals, the men agreed to form a national association that would bring together security directors like themselves from companies working on manufacturing contracts for the U.S. Department of Defense.

By 1955, the founding fathers had recruited 254 charter members to the inaugural meeting of the American Society for Industrial Security, which elected Hansen as the first president. The goals of the new Society were bold: 2,000 members by 1957, an annual conference, a directory of members, a code of ethics, a monthly publication, certification, research, public relations, and public affairs. They also crafted an organizational structure of a national board, regional vice presidents, local chapters, and functional and subject matter committees.

1955 to 1959 – The Seminar and Exhibits and Publishing. The bylaws adopted by the first board of directors called for an annual meeting to be held each calendar year. In late summer of 1955, Paul Hansen realized that the board needed to quickly plan a one-day ”convention,“ which would include reports, committee meetings, election of 1956 officers, workshops, and a closing banquet.

Hansen hurriedly called fellow founding member Russell White, and the two men met in Washington, D. C., to plan a convention at the Sheraton-Carlton Hotel on Thursday, October 27th. Another of the founders, Robert Applegate, arranged for speakers and discussion leaders through his government contacts.

Finding a prominent speaker for the banquet was more difficult, however. None of those contacted had heard of ASIS and, according to published accounts, ”seemed cautious about appearing before a new and unknown security organization.“ Ultimately, Major General Joseph Carroll, a former FBI agent on loan to the Department of Defense to head up security for the U. S. Air Force, agreed to speak.

"Joe Carroll talked about Communism like no other person in the U. S. could talk about it," said Hansen. J. Edgar Hoover was awarded the Society’s first honorary membership in absentia, the first of eight honorary memberships awarded in the 1950s.

The first annual meeting was attended by 52 members, who each a $5 registration fee and $6 to attend the banquet.

At the second convention in 1956, eleven exhibitors participated in the event. Russell White succeeded Hansen as president, and his twelve-month term of office began at the convention, a tradition that continued for more than twenty years. Hansen was named to a new post, chairman of the board, which became a permanent part of the executive committee.  

The following year, 1957, the name was changed to the annual seminar, and ”Ladies Activities“ were added. The three-day program included concurrent sessions, panel discussions, lunches, and the first ”Get Acquainted Mixer.“ Dedicated exhibits viewing time was also worked into the schedule. Registered attendance reached 322, and the event realized a net of $3,911.24, which was turned over to the Society’s general fund.

Using the theme ”Good Industrial Security is Good Business,“ the Fifth Annual Convention moved to the West Coast and was hosted by the Greater Los Angeles Chapter at The Ambassador Hotel. Donald W. Douglas, president of Douglas Aircraft Company was the keynote speaker. He described the security structure at this company and underscored his belief that the government, when purchasing his company’s products, was buying security as well, and that ”provisions for [security] should be as adequate and comprehensive as for production itself.“ Actor Ronal Reagan was the banquet speaker.

Spreading the News. The Society’s debut in print was a brochure presenting its aims, purposes, and benefits, written mainly by Paul Hansen. The brochure promised a monthly magazine, ”which will be the recognized professional journal of security,“ a membership directory, and ”special letters, pamphlets, and other media...distributed to members as the occasion demands.“

To fulfill these promises, a Publications Committee was established to solicit articles, develop polices, and supervise the editing and dissemination of a professional magazine. In early 1957, COL Sidney Rubenstein, office of the Secretary of Defense and chairman of the Publications Committee, was named editor of Industrial Security, which debuted in July of that year. George Washington was pictured on the cover, setting a precedent for picturing prominent government and industry leaders, on subsequent covers. Six advertisers purchased space .

Industrial Security showed its first profit in 1959. That year, the ASIS Board of Directors approved a plan to give chapters a 20 percent of net rebate for advertising commitments obtained by chapter members.

1960 to 1969 – Chapters, Regions, and Committees. Chapters began forming soon after ASIS was established, and the roster stood at 58 by the end of 1962.

The Greater Los Angeles Chapter, the first chapter chartered and the largest ASIS chapter in 1964, held a one-day conference that year attended by 420 persons. Held in conjunction with the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, reports noted that the conference program included ”subjects of interest to business and industrial executives who were not regular security people,“ such as shoplifting, embezzlement, and pilferage. A 1968 report mentioned ”innovative concepts“ adopted by several chapters. Western New York, for example, had developed a guard training program in cooperation with the local sheriff’s office. The Chicago Chapter conducted a training program for a police force on industrial security problems. Both the Chicago and Cleveland chapters had introduced two-day seminars into their programming schedule.

The International Dimension. The first international chapter of ASIS, the European Chapter, had been chartered in 1959. Members of this chapter consisted of Americans who were assigned to the European divisions of their employer. In 1961, the ASIS Board of Directors created a new volunteer position: assistant to the president—European operations. The position was intended to oversee ”the affairs of the Society in Europe,“ under the direction of the president. James Lynch, security officer, NATO Hawk Management, Paris, was appointed to the position.

Ernie Felago also represented ASIS in his overseas travels, and by 1967 President George Thomson named Felago assistant to the president for overseas operations. Records of the time attribute the growth of ASIS as an international organization to Felago’s efforts. 

Regions Expand. ASIS regional vice presidents (RVP), established for five regions in 1956, continued to be an important link between the chapters and the ASIS Board of Directors. In 1968, the number of regions was expanded to ten. Future ASIS presidents Albert Davis, Howard Mai, and Wayne Hall served as RVPs in those years.

Committees Branch Out. Another indication of the growth of security could be seen in the activities of the ASIS committees. Originally, two types of committees had been formed during the Society’s founding:  functional, including Emergency Planning, Government Liaison, Fire Protection, and Physical Security; and administrative, including Nominating, Membership, Professional Criteria, and Research.  During the 1960, the number of committees expanded to twenty-two, including a new type of committee: industrial.

The industrial committees reflected the results of the membership recruitment efforts spearheaded by every president during the decade. In 1964, a single Retail, Hotel, and Banking committee was added, only to be separated into three groups by 1967.  These three joined Educational Institutions, Hospitals, Insurance, and Transportation to comprise the seven industrial committees.

Committees Hard at Work. The Professional Criteria Committee and the Security Education Committee worked closely with colleges and universities around the nation to suggest acceptable industrial security curriculum standards, which would lead to a security degree.

The 1960s Research Committee solicited and reviewed research projects that could be endowed through foundations or related agencies.            Despite its best efforts, the results of the Research Committee fell short of the goal established by the founders of ASIS to embark on Society-sponsored research. Eliciting funds for such research proved difficult, and the lack of a tax-exempt status emerged as a major obstacle. This factor was addressed in 1966, when the ASIS Foundation, Inc. was formed. 

1970-1979 – The Industry, Finances, and Certification. We can expect the increase in crime to continue in this decade, and we must be prepared to cope with the problems this will create,“ said Norman McCabe as he assumed the presidency of ASIS in 1971. High profile incidents jarred new industries into realizing they needed to stem a rising tide of losses. Security controls increased in office buildings, public schools, and the airline and petroleum industries.

The first computerized security systems were being introduced in conjunction with a building’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which spawned the beginnings of integrated systems.

While locks and keys remained central components of an access control system, access cards and card readers were developing rapidly in the 1970s. Other interesting technologies in beta testing during the 1970s were low light level cameras, voice identification access control systems, and robotics—considered a ”weird novelty“ at the time.

ASIS Focuses on Finances. For ASIS, the 1970s was a decade of financial extremes. In early 1970, the ASIS Board of Directors learned that the Society’s previous revenue projections had been overly optimistic. Membership was growing, but the Society lacked the finances needed to expand core services. Educational opportunities were being championed, but ASIS could not underwrite new projects. Certification was on the horizon, but cost was a major impediment to implementation. Five-year plans were developed with no funds to accomplish yearly goals.

Certification Takes Hold.  In the middle of Society’s financial struggles, the need to establish a certification program reached a crescendo. Many dedicated leaders had a hand in the development of the Certified Protection Profession (CPP™) designation. The Professional Criteria Committee, chaired by Tim Walsh, discussed the topic around 1957. The subject was tabled until 1969, when an ad hoc committee of the Professional Criteria Committee was formed, headed by Loren Newland.

At a 1972 Executive Committee meeting, President Dick Cross announced that Newland wanted to propose a certification program for security practitioners. Cross underscored three reasons why ASIS needed to develop a certification credential: to provide a way for security practitioners to demonstrate their professional ability; to elevate the status of security professionals, and to give potential employers an assurance of a person’s level of knowledge.

Newland formed a task force, which spent a year studying the issue. In November 1973, he submitted the task force’s final proposal to all volunteer leaders. The proposal included the following specifics: the credential would be called Certified Commercial Security Professional; it would be granted to members and non members based on reaching certain levels of education and/or experience and passing a test; the test would be waived for persons with added years of experience. Each person in this ”grandfather“ group would be required to help sustain the program for two years by writing questions, proctoring exams, or qualifying applicants. This last proposal sparked contentious debate, and in September 1974, said Cross, ”the full board agreed that the certification program would go forward without the grandfather clause.“

Cross proceeded to establish the first Security Certification Board (later the Professional Certification Board or PCB) and appointed nine members, including Newland and Walsh, to terms of office. Member Dick Healy, 1958 president, suggested renaming the designation Certified Protection Professional, at least temporarily.

The certification board focused on the subject matter to be tested. Estimates showed, however, that the cost to develop a databank of test questions could exceed $100,000. ASIS was in no position to provide that level of financing. In 1975 and 1976, attempts were made to elicit grants from federal and private sources, but none were successful. 

In the fall of 1976, incoming president Wayne Hall heard rumors that the U. S. Department of Defense was planning to set up a certification program for security representatives at defense contractor facilities. He realized that if ASIS did not proceed quickly, the opportunity would be lost.

Hall put together a plan and presented it at the January 1977 meeting of the ASIS Board of Directors. ”If we could get the money, we could get the program going“ Hall surmised. And ”to get the money we had to have some grandfathering.“ He cited other activities that had received the same jump-start, and the board and PCB approved the plan.

Certification by review lasted for six months, beginning on August 1, 1977. Candidates completed an application that showed extensive experience in security management. The fee was $100. All CPP™ candidates were required to subscribe to a Code of Professional Responsibility and provide references. By the end of the year, 610 individuals had been designated as CPPs™ by review.

The first certification examination followed the 1978 ASIS Seminar and Exhibits in Los Angeles, and 47 candidates sat for the text. The first ASIS CPP™ Review Course was offered at the same time to help candidates prepare for future tests. Chapters began sponsoring study groups and set up their own review courses.

By the end of the decade, the financial picture for ASIS had turned around. Membership topped 12,000, and the Society’s magazine, Security Management, had become monthly. Chapter, regional, national, and international workshops were held annually. The Certified Protection Professional (CPP™) designation had been awarded to 1,674 security professionals, and 11 tests were conducted annually.

1980-1989 - Silver Anniversary, The ASIS Foundation. The Society began 1980 celebrating the 25th Anniversary of its founding. According ”Fulfilling Wishes at 25,“ an article marking the anniversary in the January 1980 issue of Security Management, 122 chapters could be found in cities around the globe, and sixteen regions had been formed, thirteen within the United States and three internationally.

A dozen workshops were sponsored by ASIS in its twenty-fifth year, covering such topics as health care, computer, and public utilities security as well as white collar crime. ”Nearly 1,000 participants took advantage of these diverse offerings,“ said the article. Close to 2,000 security practitioners attended the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits. Membership had topped 13,000, nearly four times the number on record in 1970.

Foundation’s New Focus. As ASIS programs were flourishing, another initiative, the ASIS Foundation, Inc., gained new momentum during the 1980s. Established in 1966, the ASIS Foundation’s board had established the following long-range objectives: fund scholarships; establish professorships; prepare, disseminate, and administer correspondence courses; and create an industrial security institute.

In 1975, Foundation representatives were established in chapters. Two years later, an ”Outstanding Security Paper,“ award was established. Winners in two categories received cash awards: undergraduate paper, $100; and master’s thesis, $300. In 1979, an annual scholarship program was begun.

The engine that would drive future projects, of course, was money. The Foundation’s tax-exempt status did not automatically attract funds in substantive amounts, although corporations as well as ASIS members and chapters contributed. Nonetheless, in 1979, the total raised by the Foundation was just $4,300, which was used to hire a part-time librarian to begin cataloging the accumulated books and miscellaneous publications at ASIS headquarters.   

In the 1980s, fundraising remained the most Foundation’s most critical task. In 1983, taking a bold step in that direction, the Foundation held a black-tie dinner in conjunction with the 29th Annual ASIS Seminar and Exhibits in Washington, D. C.  Considered a ”smashing success“ in published reports, the dinner attracted 114 members and guests who paid $100 each. The featured speaker was Captain Frederick Hauck, commander of the Challenger, which had been launched from Kennedy Space Center in June of that year.

The dinner’s main contribution to the Foundation was exposure and an opportunity to showcase its goals. While the dinner did add some income to the Foundation’s coffers, at the end of 1983, total income just barely exceeded $15,000, which was spent primarily on scholarships.

In 1985, ASIS granted the Foundation a $100,000 line of credit so it could operate while viable programs were established. A position was added to the ASIS staff to implement the Foundation’s fundraising and programming goals. By 1988, the Foundation had paid back its line of credit, and in 1989 total grants and giving surpassed $270,000.

Programs Generate Support. A number of Foundation projects took hold in 1986 that would continue into succeeding decades, specifically in research, education, and publications. That year, a call for papers solicited primary research proposals. Nineteen were received, and a committee of the Foundation awarded a $4,000 grant to the winning proposal from Dr. Werner Baumgartner of the Ianus Foundation in Los Angeles. Noting that hair analysis for drug offenders offered many advantages over urinalysis, Baumgartner’s study focused on whether these advantages could be put to use in a cost-effective employee drug screening program.

Cohort Groups. On the education front, in 1986 the Foundation partnered with Central Michigan University (CMU) to develop a prototype master of science in administration degree with a concentration in security management. The coursework was offered through the chapters, and three, Washington, D. C., Philadelphia, and Dallas, participated in the first cohort groups of thirty students each. The students met on weekends with CMU instructors to earn the 36-credit-hour master’s degree.

Publishing Collaboration. In another 1986 partnership, the Foundation joined forces with Butterworth Publishers to collaborate on the publishing of Security Journal, envisioned as a ”forum for original research and applied findings in industrial, commercial, institutional, and governmental security.“  Published quarterly in the 1980s, Security Journal debuted in September 1989 at the 35th Annual ASIS Seminar and Exhibits. ASIS members received a reduced rate on the subscription price.

Scholarship Grants. To recognize scholastic achievement and encourage students showing professional promise, the Foundation continued to partner with chapters to sponsor scholarships, both for undergraduate and graduate students. Chapters solicited funds and candidates for local scholarships awarded through the Foundation. Chapter winners were eligible for a Foundation regional scholarship, and one regional winner received a grand scholarship award.

1990-1999 – The Economy and Education. Economic factors affected security throughout the 1990s, from its shaky start to its optimistic end. Early in the decade, the U. S. economy slipped into a recession, which was exacerbated by the collapse of the Soviet Union, reductions in spending by the defense industry, a depressed real estate market, war in the Persian Gulf, and soaring oil prices. Corporate downsizing, technological advances, and a shifting of jobs to the global marketplace fueled high unemployment rates.

By the end of the decade, however, the U. S. budget was in balance and corporations were again showing profits and hiring workers. Productivity increased through new technologies and techniques, fed by the expanding power of computers. The Internet was changing the way companies did business, and the global economy was roaring into the new millennium.

ASIS followed a similar trajectory in the 1990s. The beginning of the decade was a time of transition. While the volunteer leadership had always changed annually, the headquarters staff, led by E. J. Criscuoli, Jr., CPP™, held the constant hand, making sure that the Society’s basic goals and strategies remained consistent from year to year. In 1993, however, Criscuoli retired and was replaced by Michael Stack. ASIS, now an $8 million business, had a new chief operating officer.

Also, while the security profession was rising in stature, it was not immune to the cost cuts demanded of all business managers in the decade. Reflecting the sluggish economy and shifts in employment, ASIS membership hovered around 25,000 from 1986 to 1996. Membership renewal rates remained high, however, reaching a record 87.9 percent in 1992.  

By 1999, changes in membership criteria and a broader international focus helped total membership surpass the 30,000 mark. Revenues more than doubled in the decade, rising to more than $17 million in 1999. 

Educational Options. Both persons new to the security profession and seasoned security directors could satisfy their educational needs through ASIS in the 1990s. In addition to committee-sponsored workshops and sessions at the Annual ASIS Seminar and Exhibits, ASIS provided a series of programs under the Asset Protection Course umbrella as well as stand-alone workshops.

The Asset Protection Courses (APC) were expanded into a series of three, capped off by an Executive Update program for top-level security directors, which was introduced in 1991. APC I was further defined by the moniker ”Concepts and Methods,“ while APC II added ”Practical Applications,“ and APC III included ”Functional Management.“ Persons who completed the series received a special certificate and were eligible to attend the Executive Update program. All APC courses were taught by a cadre of regular instructors, all of whom were in security management positions. 

In 1995, APC I was offered as a two-part correspondence course. The content was based on the Protection of Assets Manual (POA), used as the text for the resident course. The correspondence course consisted of two modules: Module A covered the first ten chapters of the POA and Module B covered the remaining nine chapters. After each chapter, students completed a written exam. The completed exams were mailed to the Merritt Company, publishers of the POA, for grading.

Another mainstay in the ASIS education calendar was the CPP™ Review Course. Attendance at the review course increased steadily through the decade, helped in part by the Allan J. Cross Scholarship Fund administered by the ASIS Foundation. The course also was held in Spanish for the first time at the 1988 seminar and exhibits. The first iteration outside the United States took place in Great Britain, when twenty members of the United Kingdom Chapter gathered in 1998 to delve into the ASIS CPP™ Review Course study materials.

Pick and Choose. Workshops offered through ASIS headquarters provided opportunities for a quick educational offering in response to headline news or for an in-depth look at subject matter in a nontraditional way.

For example, a two-day workshop on strategies to prevent workplace violence followed several high-profile incidents in the mid-1990s. Sessions focused on managing aggressive behavior, the legal implications of a workplace violence incident, and workplace violence from a victim’s point of view. 

Back-to-back workshops on disaster management and fire safety, as well as access control also followed the World Trade Center Bombings. For the first two days, attendees focused on the assets, resources, and methodologies needed to generate a disaster management plan; the tools necessary to maintain and update an emergency operations center; and strategies to minimize risk.

The second half of the workshop was devoted to learning how to conduct an access control requirements survey, select appropriate technologies to address requirements, design a system to meet specific needs, and identify qualified suppliers. Workshop attendees also learned how to market their access control programs to corporate management.

ASIS educational programs also branched out internationally, as partnerships developed at the close of the decade. ASIS cosponsored Segur-Expo ’98 in Caracas, Venezuela and, in 1999, sponsored the ASIS Pacific Rim Conference and Exposition, which was held in Honolulu. During the three-day conference, more than 500 security practitioners from more than twenty-nine countries focused on the security needs in that sector of the world

These ventures followed the lead of 1997 ASIS President James Van Houten II, CPP™, who traveled to Moscow to take part in Security Expo ’97. The first seminar and exhibits of its kind, the program was cosponsored by ASIS, Russian government agencies, and business groups. Van Houten spoke on the security risks faced by U. S. businesses operating in Russia. He advised U. S. investors to consider business in Russia, relying on security professionals ”to investigate, research, analyze, and inquire then fine-tune a security plan.“

2000 and Beyond – Advocacy, Guidelines, Online, and Strategic Priorities. September 11, 2001 marked a turning point for both global citizens and the security industry. The immediate response was a sense of loss and sadness for the nearly 3,000 persons who perished, among them six ASIS members and many security officers. The general public became more aware of security and more accepting of it as a part of daily life.            

The 9/11 terrorist attacks also brought new challenges to ASIS, not unlike those faced by the Society’s founders nearly fifty years earlier as the result of World War II and the Cold War. Members and government officials turned to the Society to help formulate new strategies for the new threats. Among the concerns was how to safeguard the nation’s critical infrastructure and how to contribute to homeland security.

In response, ASIS leaders made bold decisions aimed at ensuring that ASIS would play a leadership role in the new War on Terrorism. Guided by the principles laid down by the founding fathers, ASIS presidents in the new millennium redefined the Society’s role, reached out to new partners, and ensured that existing programs remained on a solid foundation.

New Directions. In 2002, the Society officially changed its name to ASIS International. A new logo that symbolized inclusiveness along with the tag line ”Advancing Security Worldwide,“ was adopted by the ASIS Board of Directors.

”Every nation, every state, every city, and every citizen is a stakeholder in creating a more secure world,“ said 2002 ASIS President Steven Millwee, CPP™.  By making the change, said Millwee as he made the announcement, ”ASIS is stressing its global commitment.“

Advocacy. Post 9/11, ASIS became ”an educational organization with an advocacy mission,“ says Executive Director Michael Stack, to ensure that ”the security industry and the profession are perceived to have value not only by employers but also by the general public and government.“ 

Part of the advocacy initiative was to work more closely with other groups where synergies could benefit both organizations. For example, ASIS reconnected with The Conference Board, a New York City-based organization that was instrumental in the founding of ASIS, and the two groups cosponsored biannual Business Continuity, Security and Crisis Management Seminars beginning in 2002. The two groups also joined together to prepare a comprehensive report, Corporate Security Management: Organization and Spending Since 9/11. The study found that corporate security spending on security tended to be an ”evolution rather than a revolution,“ noting a median increase of 4 percent among the companies that had participated in the study.         

ASIS also assisted the White House in conducting a series of ”Town Hall Meetings“ to discuss the development of a National Strategy to Secure Cyber Space, a Department of Homeland Security initiative. Meetings were set up through the ASIS regional vice presidents in Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, and Portland, Oregon. Two years later, as part of an ongoing partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, all ASIS members were invited to participate in the National Cyber Alert System, intended to deliver timely and accurate information to help secure computer systems.

In a similar vein, ASIS was appointed in 2002 to a private sector council of national organizations that advised the U.S. Department of the Treasury on security in the financial services industry. As the sole security organization on the council, ASIS was selected because it could provide resources in every aspect of security.

The next year, ASIS became a founding member of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, LLC, an outgrowth of the 2002 group. Among the council’s goals were to share best practices and coordinate the crisis response. Council members include the American Bankers Association, the American Council of Life Insurers, Fannie Mae, and the NASDAQ Stock Market.

Speaking Up. Also under its advocacy initiatives, ASIS International sponsored Security Policy Summits in 2002 and 2003, bringing together representatives from security-related associations to discuss legislative matters of mutual interest. The first summit, held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., was addressed by officials from the newly formed U.S. Office [later Department] of Homeland Security.  Panelists and attendees voiced concerns about the Homeland Security Act, which mandated the new cabinet-level office. Spirited discussions questioned the legal ramifications of private industry sharing information with the Office and vice versa.

The second summit in 2003 focused on legislation. Speakers urged the assembled groups to support three bills favorable to the security industry and work toward defeating a fourth. This last bill, ”The Restoration of Freedom of Information Act of 2003,“ would reverse the exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act provided to private sector companies that voluntarily submit critical infrastructure information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ASIS took the position that the information should remain protected so companies could freely provide it ”under a veil of confidentiality.“

Legislative Action. The Society’s most important legislative victory occurred when President Bush signed into law a bill reauthorizing the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which removed workplace misconduct investigations from the notice and disclosure requirements of the FCRA. The change meant employers could hire outside professionals to investigate workplace misconduct without notifying suspects in advance, thereby denying suspects the opportunity to tamper with evidence or influence or threaten witnesses.

Working with a coalition of organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the National Council of Investigation and Security Services, ASIS worked for four years to achieve this goal. ”The importance of this achievement cannot be overestimated,“ says Shirley Pierini, CPP™, 2004 ASIS president. ”The Society’s legislative success has taken a major step forward.“

Commission on Guidelines. Another strategic change for ASIS also occurred in 2001, when ASIS President Bonnie Michelman, CPP™, established a Commission on Guidelines. She appointed two former ASIS leaders to co-chair the commission: Don Walker, CPP™, chairman of Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., and 1978 ASIS president; and Chad Callaghan, CPP™, vice president of loss prevention, Marriott International Inc., who had served as ASIS vice president in the late 1990s. Ten other ASIS members rounded out the commission’s roster.

The General Security Risk Assessment Guideline was the first guideline published by the commission. Applicable to any environment where people or assets are at risk, the guideline provided a methodology by which security professionals could identify security risks and determine appropriate solutions.

Timothy Walsh, CPP™, served on the first commission. When he was ASIS president in 1965, Walsh had listed a ”coherent security philosophy“ as one of the four factors needed by the security profession, and he considers the commission’s work to be a significant step in that direction. ”When we look back five years hence,“ he says, ”I suspect that the largest contribution the Society will have made is in the development of guidelines and perhaps standards.“

Online Options. The ASIS Web sites received facelifts beginning in 2000 and ultimately became more integrated, offering myriad ways for members and nonmembers to gain access to the wealth of information available through ASIS.  The Society maintained three Web sites: one for all ASIS programs, another with in-depth information from Security Management, and a third with broad product and service coverage through the ASIS Security Industry Buyers Guide. Users could access the three types of information from any of the Web site addresses.

The Society’s main Web site, www.asisonline.org, was reorganized and redesigned in 2003 to give users immediate access to the many parts of the site in multiple ways. Through navigation bars, visitors could browse through the layers of information available on each topic or pinpoint the location of a specific transaction.

The site’s secure store allowed visitors to join the Society, register for ASIS educational programs, and order books and merchandise online. 

Some information could only be accessed by members through a special password: for example, the Employment Resource Center. But the information on the Society’s legislative, educational, and certification efforts as well as chapter and council initiatives were all available to any visitor. The online library gave users the ability to search and borrow from the catalog as well review and contribute to a glossary of security terms.

By visiting www.securitymanagement.com, users could gain access to reports, legislation, and supplementary information to feature articles in the monthly magazine. A special symbol in the print edition told readers when additional information was online. A monthly column, ”Home on the Page,“ highlighted important security documents or research that could be accessed via the Web site. ”Forums“ on the Web site gave users an opportunity to post questions and respond to peers in numerous subject categories, which generally mirrored the ASIS councils.

The 2004 online version of the ASIS Security Industry Buyers Guide, accessible at www.sibgonline.com, offered an even more in-depth look at the security industry, with detailed information on 3,500 companies represented in 830 categories. The site’s ”Product News Archive“ contained product releases posted in a central, searchable database. A ”Product News Alert“ complemented the archive by sending e-mail notices of new products to users who had registered to receive alerts in specific categories or about certain companies. Security companies in the database created and managed their listings via a secure online interface on the Web site.

Strategic Priorities. ASIS presidents in 2000 and beyond set strategic priorities that focused on many issues, including marketing the positive accomplishments of the security industry to the media and encouraging the involvement of student members. Partnerships with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security remained a strong goal, as did advocacy, the setting of guidelines, and global services.

”Things don’t happen overnight in a Society like ASIS,“ says 2001 President Michelman.  ”It takes a lot of time, a lot of lobbying, communication, and marketing“ to have projects reach fruition.

The presidents in this anniversary decade feel the shadow of their predecessors and respect their accomplishments. ”Those presidents have not only protected what is, but dared to envision what might be and made giant strides for this Society,“ says Pierini.

”It is not enough to inherit tradition,“ said President Millwee in 2002. ”You have to work to keep it growing and advancing with the times. That’s what sparks innovation.“

Charter Exhibitors (1956)

American District Telegraph Company; Alarm Device Manufacturing Company; American Sentry; Electronic Corporation of America; Diamond Power Specialty Corporation; Walter Kidde & Company; Lord-Taber Company; Mosler Research Products, Inc.; Motorola Communications & Electronics; Thompson Products; and Philco Corporation.

Charter Advertisers (1957)

American District Telegraph Company; Walter Kidde and Company, Inc.; Mosler Research Products, Inc.; Radio Corporation of America; Reynolds Metals Company; and Whitehead and Company, Inc.