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Discussion 4

EXERCISE #1 – CONTINGENCY PLANNING TO PROTECT ASSETS

In any discussion of security threats, it is natural to focus on the various criminal activities directed at organizations. However, as you learned so far in this class, particularly during our Week 2 discussion of risk assessment, there are numerous non-criminal risk events with which security operatives must be concerned. This fact is still very apparent when considering the devastating impact Hurricane Katrina had when it arrived off the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2005 and Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017. All these natural risk events led to catastrophic results impacting the U.S. Government, private companies, and United States citizens in terms of lost lives, psychological effect, and business operations.

“Business Continuity Guideline” is a 2005 ASIS International publication that provides a practical approach for emergency preparedness, crisis management, and disaster recovery. After thoroughly reviewing this document, summarize its contents and explain how the Guideline will assist you as a security operative for a Fortune 1000 company in protecting an organization’s assets. Incorporate into your response the actions you would take to prepare for a crisis like Katrina, Harvey, or Irma, or a fire, floods, earthquakes, utility failure, and a host of other possible emergencies so the organization can manage and survive the disaster or other emergencies and ensure the organization’s continued visibility and capability.

EXERCISE #2 – OSHA – MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE

In 1970, the U.S. Congress enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) to address ever-increasing instances of death and injury in the workplace. The reason (and authority) for the Congress to become involved in this issue is because the injuries imposed a substantial burden upon and hindrance to interstate commerce. The goal of the Act, which established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration within the Department of Labor, was to promote a safe and healthy working environment for all employees. 

The “Small Business Handbook” is 2005 publication by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration provides security leaders and their organizations a cost-effective approach for managing health and safety at the work site by reducing occupational fatalities and injuries.

After carefully examining this Handbook and conducting any additional independent research as necessary, explain the main requirements of OSHA that you, as a security director, must understand and implement to ensure your company is indeed providing a safe environment for its employees and is compliant with applicable laws and regulations. Incorporate into your response how your routine and periodic responsibilities as a security director are impacted by the Act.

Discussion 5

Exercise 1

The “Scope of Legal Authority of Private Security Personnel” is a 1976 document written by the Private Security Advisory Council of the United States Department of Justice to identify for private security operatives the various sources of legal authority and the legal issues with which they will be confronted while performing their various duties protecting organizational assets. “The Law of Arrest, Search, and Seizure: Applications in the Private Sector” is sample text chapter published by Elsevier that presents a comprehensive discussion of legal requirements for private security arrests and searches.

After reviewing these documents any other independently researched source, explain why the U.S. Courts continue to make distinctions between public law enforcement powers and private sector enforcement issues. Incorporate into your response why a practical knowledge of the law is important to the corporate security officer and the security director and what impact criminal and tort law has on a corporation. 

Exercise 2

You must post initial responses to this discussion question. All others should read and comment as a part of their weekly engagement with their colleagues. 

-Negligence Case: Welsh Manufacturing v. Pinkerton, Inc.

Negligence could very well be one of the most frequently filed charges in civil court. It is a failure to exercise a “reasonable amount of care” in a situation that causes harm to someone or something. As an example, someone might do something in a careless manner, which a prudent person would not do, such as drinking alcohol and driving. Or, as another example, failing to act (omission) as a prudent person would, which results in harm to someone or something, such as a failure to pay obligations. In a security setting, negligence might be charged in a situation where an organization failed to provide a reasonable standard of care and someone or something was harmed. The reasonable standard of care may have involved the lack of adequate physical or procedural controls as discussed previously in this class, an emergency contingency plan that was not properly vetted, or perhaps the failure to exercise due care when hiring, training, supervising, and retaining security personnel.

This civil case involved a company that contracted security services to protect its assets. The contract was breached when it was determined the security company failed to properly scrutinize a security officer applicant’s background, or train or supervise the employee once hired. The plaintiff filed a tort complaint against the security company when it was discovered that this individual was involved in the theft of almost $200,000 in gold.

This case has a number of implications for security management officials regarding legal liability, using numerous resources to hire well, training the security staff, and providing the appropriate level of supervision required to ensure the protection of company assets. This case will be used as a basis for discussion of a number of issues over the next few weeks. For now, read the case and respond to the following questions:

(1) Succinctly summarize the facts of the case regarding the arrest and any subsequent judicial action.

(2) Describe the issues did the court had to settle.

(3) Explain the court’s ruling in each of those areas and its rationale.

(4) Describe the actual legal elements required to establish before a court to prove negligence.

Discussion 6

EXERCISE #1 – PRIVATE SECURITY SELECTION AND TRAINING

“Private Security Officer Selection and Training Guideline” is a 2010 ASIS International document that offers state regulatory agencies with “consistent minimum qualifications to improve the performance of private security officers and the quality of security services.” After thoroughly reviewing this document, describe how you, as a corporate security operative, would react to the ASIS guidance and state whether or not you would support the guidelines relating to the regulation of security and pre-assignment, post assignment, and annual training requirements. More importantly, explain your rationale and the justification you would provide to the organization’s CEO for the added annual expense that likely would result. 

Also, you are asked to research your home state’s private security training requirements and report it in this discussion and comment on its potential effectiveness for improving security operative performance and professionalism.

EXERCISE #2 – CURBING THEFT THROUGH EFFECTIVE INTERNAL CONTROLS: SELECTION OF PERSONNEL

As the corporate security operative of XYZ corporation, you have been asked by the CEO to work with the Human Resources department in developing a new pre-employment screening proposal that would be more effective in hiring trustworthy personnel, thereby stemming the tide of internal theft– a problem that has been significantly increasing over the past few years and clearly impacting the organization’s “bottom line.” It is generally accepted in the security profession that “hiring well” is one of the most effective procedural controls available to protect an organization’s assets.

After reviewing the “Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices” segment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) website, the “Notice – Employee Polygraph Protection Act” segment of the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, the “Facts About the Americans With Disabilities Act” (ADA) segment of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission’s website, and any other independently researched sources, outline the procedures you would propose to the CEO—knowing there are costs attached to each procedure—and explain why each procedure is important. The CEO will want to know your rationale.

Also incorporate into the response your understanding of employment law as delineated in the documents cited above and ensure you make it clear that your proposal complies with the various and legal requirements. 

Discussion 7 

EXERCISE #1 – WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND RESPONSE

“Workplace Violence Prevention and Response Guidelines”Guidelines for Preventing Workplace” is a 2005 ASIS publication that provides security directors a strategy to prevent workplace violence and effectively manage and respond to threats.

Workplace violence is a critical issue identified by security directors in a 2016 Securitas survey as discussed previously in class. Students of security management should understand that workplace violence takes many forms and is more than just active shooter scenarios we seem to be experiencing in today’s society. 

Security operatives often talk about employing a multidisciplinary approach when developing an organization’s workplace violence prevention and response strategy. After reviewing the ASIS document, explain what it means to employ a multidisciplinary approach and how such a strategy might be planned and implemented based on the guidelines presented. Incorporate into your response the essential elements that must be a part of any violence prevention program. 

Also, describe the role of the security department and other departments you believe to be key stakeholders in achieving the program’s goals and objectives.

EXERCISE #2- PHYSICAL AND IT SECURITY CONVERGENCE: THE BASICS

In a series of published articles, Derek Slater discusses one of the most significant security planning issues discussed in the security profession over the past 10 years—convergence. The author defines term and addresses the advantages and difficulties associated with convergence, but his article culminates with a convincing argument for implementing convergence and offers five specific reasons that are trending which he believes are “knocking down the walls between traditional security stovepipes” (Slater). Students of security management need to be familiar with the issues currently facing the security industry so they can better prepare to take a position and address the issue when they have the future opportunity. 

After reading the Slater article and conducting any additional independent research on this topic, discuss from the perspective of a security operative of a Fortune 1000 corporation how convergence might benefit the organization and what might be the unexpected “pitfalls” that can obstruct efforts to merge physical and information security operations. Be specific with the advantages and disadvantages. Finally, state whether or not you agree with convergence and explain your position.

Discussion 8 

EXERCISE #1 – ETHICS AND THE PROTECTION OF ASSETS

After reading “What Security Executives Should Know about Ethics” by Mario Moussa, explain why security directors must have a keen understanding of the role ethics plays in an organization’s plan to protect assets and discuss the fundamental challenges confronting these security operatives, including the ethical demands resulting from the changing business environment in which they operate.

Be sure to cite your sources from both the Learning Materials and outside research.

EXERCISE #2- PRIVATE-PUBLIC RELATIONSHIPS IN POLICING– EXPLORING A TRENDING MODEL TO PREVENT CRIME AND COMBAT TERRORISM

In a study conducted by Rick Ruddell, Matthew O. Thomas, and Ryan Patten entitled, “Examining the Roles of the Police and Private Security Officers in Urban Social Control,” the authors state, in part, “this study sheds light on the relationships between the police and private security, especially in regard to the formal and quasi-formal social control of urban areas. We find that the actions of private security officers augment the activities of the police, and it is likely that they will become a more important force in the future as the line between private and public policing becomes increasingly indistinct” (2010, p. 66). 

“Engaging the Private Sector to Promote Homeland Security” by Andrew Morabito and Sheldon Greenberg in 2005 essentially make a similar assertion with regard to the future role private security must play in augmenting the activities of law enforcement in protecting the nation from terrorism. The authors concede there are obstacles to overcome, but the benefits of law enforcement – private security partnerships are many and must be explored and implemented to enhance our security plan.

As your last discussion topic for this course, identify and discuss in general terms the primary obstacles that must be addressed before private security-law enforcement partnerships can be fully operational and the significant benefits each of these entities could gain from each other. Also, as a security operative for a Fortune 1000 company, regardless of the risk for a terrorism event directed at your facility, explain how you would go about establishing or enhancing a partnership with law enforcement to protect your company’s assets and the assets of the larger community.

Be sure to cite your sources from both the Learning Materials and outside research.