This month, the Dallas Independent School District opens the doors to its newest transformational school, which is designed specifically for high school students interested in architecture, urban planning, environmental science, and community development. CityLab High School will offer students the opportunity to leverage the city of Dallas as their own hands-on laboratory.

But this cutting-edge “best-fit-school” concept, part of the city's public school choice program, comes with a daunting challenge: ensuring a safe and secure environment in an urban city center, and doing so on a limited budget.

That’s where the School Security Grant Competition, started by ASIS International and the ASIS Foundation in 2003, plays a critical role. This year, in conjunction with the ASIS International 63rd Annual Seminar and Exhibits, ASIS is awarding CityLab High School a $22,000 grant to pay for upgrades to the school’s camera system, access control system, and classroom intercoms. Axis Communications is making an in-kind donation of cameras and other equipment.

ASIS 2017 Host Committee Chairman Martin Cramer, CPP, worked closely with the Dallas Independent School District Police Department to get the word out about the grant and to identify the school with the greatest need.

“CityLab really stood out,” said Cramer. “Parents had voiced concerns about the school’s proximity to downtown Dallas, a busy interstate highway, and a homeless shelter. But with most of the school’s budget going to new construction, renovations, and asbestos removal for the 1950s building, there was little more the school could afford to improve security. These funds will go a long way to provide students and staff a safe and secure learning environment.”

The school identified a number of needed security upgrades, including network improvements, new security cameras, access control devices, and classroom intercoms covering all five floors of the building. 

“In a large urban school district with limited funds, the responsibility of campus safety falls within the school’s budget,” wrote CityLab High School Principal Tammy Underwood, in her grant competition application. “This grant is an amazing opportunity for CityLab students and staff to be in a safe environment so that they can focus on their highest educational goals.”

The School Security Grant Competition is just one of the many ways ASIS International pursues its mission to advance security management best practices and give back to the community hosting the Annual Seminar and Exhibits. 

“Without a doubt, school safety contributes to academic success, and promotes innovation, inquiry, and risk taking in high-poverty, high-performing schools,” wrote Underwood. “Students who feel safe are more attentive and efficient in the classroom, and they also have fewer symptoms of depression. I want parents, students, staff, and visitors to be comfortable and confident coming to our building.”​

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY AT THE ASIS 2017 CAREER CENTER 

As the premier education and technology event for security professionals worldwide, ASIS 2017 promises unparalleled networking and career development options. 

Now in its sixth year, the Career Center will continue to offer unprecedented professional value. Free to all attendees, the Career Center offers résumé reviews, career coaching, networking opportunities with employers and peers, and access to career development tools and job postings—plus free professional headshots in the Headshot Studio.

The excitement starts on Tuesday, September 26, with a Coffee and Careers Networking Event sponsored by the Young Professionals Council, a perfect place for great networking. Attendees currently seeking jobs in the security field will want to return later for an interactive panel session, “What Security Employers Look For and What Makes Candidates Stand Out,” where senior security executives and hiring managers will share what elements in an applicant’s history impress employers, describe what they look for in interviews, and provide advice on how to stand out from the crowd. 

The day culminates with a session for ambitious professionals who have set their eyes on the top and are looking for an answer to the question, “How do you become a CSO?” This is their opportunity to hear straight from senior executives how they reached the top, lessons learned along the way, and how attendees can benefit from their experiences. 

On Wednesday, the Career Center will hold another Coffee and Careers Networking Event for those looking to transition into the security field to help them create new professional connections, foster ones already made, and take part in engaging discussions on career development. Afterwards, attendees will have a chance to further build on those discussions when they take part in the “Career Development in Security” session, which will offer young security professionals the tools and best practices they need to grow their security careers.

The Career Center wraps up with a bang on Thursday with two of its most impactful sessions. The first, “Mentoring: Guiding Tomorrow’s Leaders” will provide the next generation of security industry leaders with another avenue to hone their skills to achieve their career goals, whether it’s to embark on a new challenge or advance within their organization. Panelists will examine the importance of mentoring, as well as what to look for in a mentor, key factors in building an effective relationship, and the qualities of a successful mentee. 

Attendees will continue examining the future of security with a convergence panel that will explore the ever-changing relationship between information technology and physical security. As threats around the globe become increasingly sophisticated, it is vital that security professionals in every focus area can collaborate and identify comprehensive solutions for the risks facing citizens, industry, and governments around the world.

Career Coaching and résumé reviews will take place during exhibit hours. Stop by to book an appointment. 

“ASIS has been instrumental to my professional development and as cochair of the Young Professionals Council, it has been particularly rewarding to help shape the high-caliber programming. From CSO perspectives to employer hiring needs to mentorship best practices and leadership skills, ASIS 2017 will provide security professionals at every stage of their careers with the tools they need to succeed in today’s job environment,” says Angela Osborne, PCI, regional director for Guidepost Solutions. “I encourage security professionals across every sector to take advantage of the breadth of career-enhancing education, advice, and professional development that will be available.”

Whether attendees are new to the security field and looking for those first valuable connections, or seasoned veterans of the industry seeking to further their existing careers, the Career Center offers a world of opportunity ready to be explored.

INTERNATIONAL BUYER PROGRAM HELPS EXPAND ASIS 2017’S GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

Attendees and exhibitors at ASIS 2017 will have the chance to expand the scope of their business opportunities to a global level. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Commerce International Buyer Program (IBP), a joint government-industry effort, hundreds of global buyers from multiple delegations will attend ASIS 2017 for business-to-business matchmaking with exhibitors and attendees. The buyers represent security professionals from around the world.  

“The International Buyer Program provides an excellent opportunity for security professionals globally to benefit from the collective wisdom of the 22,000 attendees and exhibitors at ASIS 2017,” says Godfried Hendriks, CPP, managing consultant at GOING Consultancy BV and secretary of the ASIS International Board of Directors. “In today’s threat environment, security professionals need a global community of peers they can turn to year-round for support, best practices, and information sharing. ASIS 2017 will help facilitate these relationships.” 

Every year, the IBP generates approximately $1 billion in new business for U.S. companies, primarily through increased international attendance at participating U.S. trade shows. 

ASIS 2017’s participation in the IBP provides attendees with access to a broad array of security professionals, qualified international buyers, representatives, and distributors. It also increases the chances of finding the right international business partner. Not only will attendees meet more global buyers, representatives, and distributors, but exhibitors’ products and services can be listed in the Export Interest Directory and distributed to all international visitors for additional awareness.

Once a potential partner is identified, attendees have complimentary use of the on-site International Trade Center, where companies can meet privately with prospective international buyers, prospective sales representatives, and other business partners.

To assist in facilitating conversations, international trade specialists will be available on-site in the International Trade Center to provide matching assistance and expert trade counseling to global delegates and U.S. exhibitors.

Don’t miss out on the chance to expand your global footprint. Stop by the International Trade Center on the expo floor to learn more. ​

ALL THE HUB-BUB

ASIS 2017 promises a show floor filled with fantastic networking opportunities, groundbreaking security products and service solutions from industry-leading exhibitors, and second-to-none education opportunities. At the center of it all is the ASIS Hub, an enormous 1,600-square-foot presence on the show floor that is serving as the place for all things ASIS International. 

The Hub is the primary location for meeting with ASIS staff and learning more about becoming a member, obtaining one of the three board certifications, and getting involved in one of the professional interest councils. It’s also the place to unwind and recharge—literally—in the lounge with several charging stations.

The Hub will function as the go-to space for everything related to ASIS councils, with council members standing by to answer questions and offer expertise. The 34 ASIS councils explore focus areas like Crime Prevention and Loss Prevention, Healthcare Security, Information Technology Security, Investigations, Physical Security, and much more. There is a council for security professionals in nearly every discipline and industry sector.

The staging point for multiple Fireside Chats, the Hub will provide attendees an opportunity to interact in small groups with speakers after select education sessions. Members can visit the Hub for updates on the certification programs and exhibitor press conferences. And this year, the prize booth is located inside the Hub, where, twice a day, lucky attendees will walk away with exciting prizes.

Members of ASIS International are part of the largest community of security professionals worldwide, all with the shared goal of advancing global security. Engaged in their local communities year-round, members are dedicated to the security mission and making all communities safer places to live. Additionally, ASIS certifications are recognized worldwide as the gold standard of excellence in security management. Offering Certified Protection Professional® (CPP), Professional Certified Investigator® (PCI), and Physical Security Professional® (PSP) accreditations that are transferable across all industry sectors and geographic borders, ASIS certifications are valuable investments in advancing a security career. 

Those who stop by the Hub can gain insights and tools needed to further their careers, get more involved in the Society, and learn about the unmatched benefits of membership in ASIS International. ​

LIFETIME CERTIFICATION

Congratulations to the following members who have been named Lifetime Certificants.

• Thomas M. Prochaska, CPP

• W. David Rabern, CPP

• David O. Best, CPP

• Walter F. Bodner, CPP

• James M. Gill, CPP

• Peter Urbach, CPP, PCI, PSP

• Richard G. Steele, CPP

• Samuel E. Manto, CPP​

LIFE MEMBER 

The ASIS Board of Directors has granted life membership to Bob Battani, CPP.

MEMBER BOOK REVIEW

The Key to Keys: 5 Steps to Developing an Effective Access Control System. By Randy Neely. CreateSpace Publishing; available from Amazon.com; 118 pages; $15.95.

While this book could more aptly be titled Keys: A Memoir, author Randy Neely does a sound job of highlighting a widespread challenge that everyone in the security business has experienced at one time or another—the effective control and accountability of key and access systems.

Neely employs first-person narrative to recount his professional history and how he invented key and access control systems, relying too much on personal description for a professional publication. 

Nonetheless, the author does a superb job of bringing to life the adage that necessity is the mother of invention. After experiencing a series of expensive lost key episodes, he created a system to more effectively manage keys. Valuable first-hand stories help round out the problem-impact-solution triad. 

Neely chronicles the financial and legal impacts that inadequate controls can bring. For example, a single set of lost master keys cost a university nearly $350,000. The impact doesn’t end with the bottom line, but it can also adversely affect legal documents and court cases, as well as an organization’s reputation.

The Key to Keys has some instructive value to students of security management, but it goes too far in promoting the author’s products. Further, some of the photos, tables, and figures lack defining labels or captions, are presented out of focus, or do not adequately line up.  

The most valuable lesson from this book is that motivation and initiative can inspire an earnest practitioner to not only safeguard people and property, but also to take that next step and invent new and effective ways to help improve security practices.

Reviewer: Terry Lee Wettig, CPP, is an independent security consultant. He was previously director of risk management with Brink’s Incorporated and a U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant. He is a doctoral candidate in organizational management and a member of ASIS. ​