Port Security Management
Port Security Management. By Kenneth Christopher; published by CRC Press; available from ASIS, item #1850, 703/519-6200 (phone), www.asisonline.org (Web); 325 pages; $89 (ASIS members), $98 (nonmembers).
Ports have undergone major transformations since the events of 9-11 and the passage of the Marine Transportation Security Act of 2002. In this text, the author Kenneth Christopher has done an excellent job of examining the risks and how to mitigate them.
Christopher takes the reader logically through all of the topics that should be considered when managing the security functions in a port. One of the key concepts in port security is the balance an organization must maintain between protection strategies and their impact on operations. That issue might have been overlooked by an author with less experience.
The only topic that could have been explored in more depth is the Department of Homeland Security’s Port Security Grant Program. In the current economic climate, this program can be a source for much needed capital funding for security projects.
Port Security Management is a worthwhile text for new facility security officers, security managers entering the field of port security, law enforcement personnel who work for port police departments, or anyone looking to gain insight into this unique sector of supply chain security.
Reviewer: William Crews, CPP, is the port security and emergency operations manager for the Port of Houston Authority, the largest port in the United States in foreign tonnage. He is a member of ASIS International and has participated in its Professional Certification Board’s Question Development Group for the CPP exam.
