Research Paper on ASIS International

Introduction

During the making of a good security officer, competence and integrity are prime aspects to look at to ensure the provision of quality professional security services in the future, and to push the ratings of the security company. I believe that the guidelines and recommendations by ASIS International (2010), discussed in this paper can play a very significant role in selection and training of personnel in private security by improving the quality and performance of the officers.

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The ASIS International publication has a recommendation which requires pre-assignment, 8 to 16-hour on-the-job training and annual training for security officers in the private security and also expects them to pass a performance examination. I support the move because it ensures overall competence; the classroom courses offered in pre-assignment training educates the officers on general security and firearms, post-assignment provides additional training with or without weapons, and the compulsory annual training ensures constant ability to handle the job. Although the course of this training is lengthy, costly and time-consuming, it is fruitful in the end.

Different states in the US have different training requirements for private security, depending on the state law, to ensure that only competent individuals with a clean criminal record are licensed to serve as security agents. In Massachusetts, the law licenses to private securities whose employees have met specific criteria, for example, security officers should hold no criminal records or history with drug abuse, and they should be at least 21 years old if they are to carry guns. Private security companies are also expected to have a $50,000 surety bond to cover their actions and those of their employees. Although the law has not stated minimum education level as a requirement in entry-level, a driving license is expected for all applicants ("Massachusetts Security Guard Requirements | Become a Security Guard in MA," n.d.). These requirements are essential in ensuring quality private security serves and also controlling criminal activities in the region.

Curbing Theft Through Effective Internal Controls: Selection of Personnel

If pre-employment screening is conducted well, it is almost guaranteed that quality, productive workers will be hired and they will follow a professional moral code in their line of work. However, the screening method should comply with the rules the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has set to ensure that the process favors not only the organization but also the job applicants. Therefore, the steps discussed in this paper can be used to set up an effective and legally acceptable pre-employment screening process.

First, a brief background investigation should be conducted a check for education history, work history with different organizations, relationship with former employers and find any possible police records, to ensure that the organization knows every detail of the applicant well. Secondly, medical records should be looked at to provide stable psychological health and drug screening to tell whether or not the applicant abuses drugs to make sure that the workplace stays drug-free. Personal skills and competence should also be tested because although a worker is healthy with no traces of illegal drugs, he/she is not valuable if there is no ability to work and post good results. In most organizations today, a person's credit ratings and credit records are checked with a relevant Credit Rating Bureau (CRB) as part of the pre-employment screening, to ensure that the candidates do not have a habit of taking more substantial debts than they can pay. If they do have due credits, stealing from the organization to finance their lifestyles or to pay the debts is a possibility. Lastly, it is essential to screen the applicants' social life to understand their personality better and to know whether or not they can be trusted to care of the organization's resources.

A team in the organization, consisting of legal personnel should be designated to carry the pre-employment screening process, in implementing the proposal above. The move is to ensure that the process complies with the federal law and also cuts cost by avoiding hiring external help to conduct the operation.

References

ASIS International. (2010, February 26). Private Security Officer Selection and Training - Guideline. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/749858/asis-2010-pso-guideline.pdf

Employment Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) - Wage and Hour Division (WHD). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/whd/polygraph/

Facts About the Americans with Disabilities Act. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/fs-ada.cfm

Massachusetts Security Guard Requirements | Become a Security Guard in MA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.securityguard-licence.org/massachusetts-security-guard.html