Certification Profile: Jamie Ridenhour, APP
Jamie Ridenhour was among the first security professionals to earn the new ASIS Associate Protection Professional (APP) certification, launched in early 2019 to serve as the first rung on a security manager’s career ladder. To Ridenhour, the APP was a valuable step along the career path in the profession he loves.
After finishing high school, Ridenhour knew he wanted a career working in public safety. He contemplated entering law enforcement or becoming an emergency medical services professional. Ultimately, he secured a position as a security officer.
“I came across a job ad for DSI Security Services and thought, ‘Why not?’” he reflects. “From the beginning, I was hooked. I love people, and I love service. Having worked in the industry for close to eight years, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
In that time, he has risen through the ranks. From security officer in 2012 to branch manager in 2016, he now serves as DSI’s national training and compliance manager.
When it comes to training and compliance, Ridenhour’s scope includes everyone in the organization. In addition to serving as administrator for several of the organization’s online platforms, he simultaneously manages regulatory and company policy compliance and conducts and administers employee training and company certifications.
“Several years ago, an employee handled an emergent situation extremely well,” he recalls, “de-escalating the situation, applying medical aid, and notifying first responders in a professional and proper way. While filling out paperwork on the incident, he thanked me for training him, to prepare him for situations like these. That really stuck with me. The act of equipping people with the knowledge and skills they need to be better security professionals and to grow as individuals really drives me.”
While he was familiar with ASIS certifications, Ridenhour did not meet the experience requirements to take the Certified Protection Professional (CPP®) exam. When he was made aware that ASIS was developing the APP early career certification, he began his certification path.
“Many of our managers hold ASIS certifications,” he says. “Earning the APP certification lends further credibility, helping me stand out from the crowd and solidify my reputation and standing.”
DSI is a strong advocate of ASIS certification, he affirms, with Chief Operating Officer Eddie Sorrells, CPP, PCI, PSP, achieving the certification Triple Crown. It was Sorrells who introduced Ridenhour to ASIS International in 2018, as Ridenhour prepared to pursue the APP.
Ridenhour, too, is a champion of certification—particularly the APP. In March, he will help lead ASIS’s first ever APP Certification Review Course in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
He considers certification a multifaceted benefit. “From an organizational standpoint, a certification affirms the organization’s credibility as well,” he says. “Additionally, when an individual becomes certified, their accomplishment advances the knowledge base and professionalism of the industry.”
With the APP in tow, Ridenhour looks to climb the next rung on his career ladder: he intends to earn the CPP.
Profile by Steven Barnett, ASIS communications Specialist
