IACP’s Private Sector Liaison Committee:
Partners in Public Safety

By Thomas Seamon, Vice President, University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(From June 1999 LXVI (6) Police Chief, p. 17)

In a large conference room, an extraordinary group of talented professionals discusses the challenges posed by a new technology to the law enforcement agencies of America. Will it be a boon to public safety or an unproductive drain on the already overburdened resources of the nation’s police? The private sector has great hope for the future of this technology; it is envisioned as a great step forward in personal protection for the average citizen. But police executives are wary. Can the product live up to its claims? Will it pass the real-world test? Do they have the resources to make productive use of it?

Who are these people and what are they doing?

They are the members of the IACP’s Private Sector Liaison Committee (PSLC)—a dedicated group of professionals from the public and private sectors who meet to research, debate, develop guidelines and offer advice to law enforcement and private security professionals through the guidance of the IACP.

Around the conference table sit police chiefs, sheriffs, federal law enforcement executives, corporate security directors, security consultants, directors of security industry associations, a law professor, a Marine Corps officer, an executive of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, security company executives and IACP officials. Expertise, a love of their work and a desire to help law enforcement everywhere are their common bonds.

The PSLC was founded in 1986 with the mission to “develop and implement cooperative strategies for the enhancement of public law enforcement and private sector relationships in the interest of the public good.” Chief Mike Shanahan, University of Washington Police (retired), one of the founding members, is co-chair with Gerry Marini, vice chairman of New Jersey’s Governor’s Council for a Drug-Free Workplace, and a retired pharmaceutical industry manager.

Since its inception, the PSLC has been co-chaired by representatives of both the public and private sectors. Sharing the leadership of the committee is a very practical way of furthering the second part of the PSLC’s mission— to “encourage and promote positive linkages between the public and private sectors dedicated to the efficient application of resources to mutual problem resolution.”

The past two decades have seen a dramatic expansion of private security worldwide, greatly outpacing the growth of public law enforcement. There are compelling reasons to promote the collaboration of private security and public law enforcement for the advancement of public safety. Media focus has increased on interdisciplinary cooperation, as well as the horror stories that result from poor cooperation and antagonism.

The IACP recognized early that it needed to foster a good working relationship with the private sector for the public interest. Its original Private Security Committee served to keep private security issues before police executives and led to the formation of the PSLC. Today, with 81 members, the committee has evolved into a “think tank” for the IACP on a myriad of issues. The following are areas in which the committee has developed protocols or guidelines.

Protocols

Product Tampering. Collaboration on issues of mutual concern for the public and private sectors led to the development of the PSLC’s first protocol on product tampering. Researched and developed in 1988, this protocol offered guidance to police chiefs and corporate security directors in handling this new menace. As a result of this effort, the state of Washington has incorporated product tampering as a standard area in its law enforcement agency accreditation program.

Drugs in the Workplace. The next protocol to be developed addressed drugs in the workplace. A model substance abuse policy (first developed by a special committee formed by the state of Maryland) was further revised and disseminated nationally by the PSLC. This model policy could be modified to fit the needs of any employer, regardless of the size of the company. Police executives now had a policy, recommended by the IACP, that they could offer to their private-sector partners as they jointly confronted the scourge of substance abuse.

Combating Workplace Drug Crimes. In 1991, recognizing the terrible destruction associated with illegal drugs, the PSLC next entered into a cooperative effort with Hallcrest Systems and the Institute for Law and Justice through a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to prepare a protocol titled Combating Workplace Drug Crimes. Through the illustration of case studies, this document set forth guidelines for businesses, law enforcement and prosecutors. The guidelines suggested steps that employers and law enforcement should take when workplace drug crimes were discovered or suspected.

False Alarm Perspectives. In 1993, the PSLC recognized the growing problem of the waste of police resources in false dispatches to alarms. The committee reached out to the alarm industry, asking industry representatives to partner with the IACP in researching the problem and crafting a solution. The response from organizations such as the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association, the Central Station Alarm Association and the Security Industry Association, to name only a few participants from the private sector, was overwhelming. Private security trade organizations and individual companies invested time and money to tackle what seemed to be an intractable problem. False Alarm Perspectives: A Solution-Oriented Response, published by the IACP, brought together a range of information and resources available to police executives and others to enable them to forge their own solutions to the false-alarm problem.

The publication was only the beginning of the committee’s work on false alarms. Out of this public-private partnership has evolved the Model Cities and Model States programs. Alarm industry coordinators throughout the country now work with police to significantly reduce the numbers of false police dispatches to alarms. Constant attention to this problem is required, and much remains to be done. However, the PSLC is committed to the long haul. The demonstrated results and positive partnerships serve as examples for resolving other complicated public/private sector issues.

Combating Workplace Violence. In 1994, the PSLC partnered with the Defense Personnel Security Research Center (PERSEREC) to research the problem of workplace violence. For several years, a steady succession of gruesome incidents of violence in private companies and government organizations had played out on the nightly news. Private employers were turning to police chiefs across the country and asking for help. The IACP turned to the PSLC to develop useful guidelines for its members.

Utilizing its experience in researching and developing previous national protocols, as well as its unique contacts in both the public and private sectors, the PSLC undertook this extensive project. Focus groups were conducted throughout the country. Subject-matter experts gave their expertise pro bono to review and improve the many subsequent drafts of the guidelines under development. Published in 1995, Combating Workplace Violence was the result of input from over 300 chiefs and command officers representing large, medium and small departments. The employer guidelines also reflected input from hundreds of subject-matter experts and practitioners, including business owners, managers, supervisors, lawyers and specialists in the fields of security, human resources, threat assessment and employee assistance.

The result was a distillation of the best thinking and advice on workplace violence. As it has all PSLC protocols, the IACP made this document available free of charge to law enforcement practitioners and other interested professionals around the world. The development and wide dissemination of the protocol was accomplished at almost no expense to the IACP.

Non-Sworn Alarm Responder Guidelines. As a result of the its work regarding the false alarm problem, the PSLC realized that non-sworn private security personnel were being used on a limited basis as first responders to intrusion alarms. Through its contacts with the alarm and security officer industry, as well as government regulators, the committee assembled a working team of subject-matter experts to research the issue. The PSLC did not find national consensus on the desirability of using non-sworn responders. However, it did produce the Non-Sworn Alarm Responder Guidelines for consideration by jurisdictions developing protocols and policies for non-sworn private security personnel responding to alarms.

Private Security Officer Selection, Training and Licensing Guidelines. The most recent PSLC protocol to be produced was published in 1998. Recognizing that high- quality private security personnel benefit both the private sector and law enforcement, the PSLC partnered with the American Society for Industrial Security, the National Association of Security Companies and the National Sheriffs’ Association to produce the protocol. Titled Private Security Officer Section, Training and Licensing Guidelines, the intent was to provide minimum guidelines for security personnel. These guidelines should be especially useful to state regulatory bodies.

Operation Bootstrap

In addition to the protocols and guidelines produced by the committee, Operation Bootstrap was founded in 1985 by Chief Shanahan, the founding co-chair of the PSLC. Through this program, law enforcement professionals have received access to corporate management training that would not normally be available due to cost. The PSLC played an active role in nurturing the program, and in 1993 the IACP assumed control of it. Since 1998, the Missouri Police Chiefs’ Association has operated this program.

Work in Progress

The PSLC is currently developing a number of projects designed to benefit both law enforcement and the private sector.

• The High-Technology Crime Subcommittee is collaborating with several organizations in extensive research on the problem of technology-related crime in its many facets. The American Electronics Association, partnering with the International Electronics Security Group, commissioned the RAND Corporation to undertake a study of high-tech theft. The outcome of this project will be useful information and training for law enforcement practitioners to help them cope with the steady rise of computer and other high-tech crime.
   
• A protocol for the legal and ethical use of closed-circuit television camera monitoring and surveillance by public safety organizations is under development.
   
• Guidelines for law enforcement response to mobile security devices (MSDs) are being developed. These new devices incorporate alarm, global positioning and cellular phone technology in one package. Although initially envisioned for use in motor vehicles, this fast-growing technology has already blossomed into hand-held personal devices. The PSLC, through its long experience in dealing with the false alarm problem nationwide, immediately recognized potential problems for law enforcement if policy did not keep pace with this new technology. The committee was able to quickly mobilize the necessary professionals to deal with this emerging issue. A national protocol on law enforcement response to these new alarms will be published in the near future.
   
• Critical-incident planning is underway for public safety agencies in the light of new threats posed by weapons of mass destruction, the Y2K dilemma and the constantly evolving terrorist problem.
   

The Future of the PSLC

Over the years, the PSLC has built an unsurpassed network of knowledgeable professionals in many fields, and strong partnerships with other law enforcement and security organizations. The committee stands ready to deal with the challenges that lie ahead for police and security organizations. Outreach to other law enforcement and private organizations will continue, especially professional organizations that have a natural affinity with the IACP. The experience the PSLC has gained over the years in organizing research, developing projects and disseminating the results to a wide audience will enable it to produce an improved product efficiently and effectively. One of the greatest strengths of the IACP is its committee members’ dedication to public service. The PSLC continues to build on this tradition and live by its slogan—“Forget the credit. Just get the job done right!”