There are some exciting new sharing programs hitting the security industry streets.

The Zalud Report just heard the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) has established a partnership with Safe City. Safe City is a national, community-based initiative uniting businesses, residents, city officials and law enforcement to build awareness and develop and implement crime reduction solutions.

The program was originally launched in Minneapolis, Minn., and has grown to more than a dozen cities across America. The Safe City model helps reduce common urban crimes like shoplifting, auto theft, panhandling and assault. The end goal is to make people feel safer, less vulnerable, and free to enjoy their community.

CPI Major Role in Safe City Program

As a corporate sponsor, CPI anticipates that its PrepareTraining program will play a major role in the Safe City program. The program is an adaptable and expansive curriculum that can be customized to meet the evolving needs of any work environment. With a core philosophy of respect, service and safety at work, the program offers proactive solutions so organizations can count on confident, well-trained employees who respond consistently and effectively to a variety of challenging situations. Any workplace environment facing difficult or disruptive behavior will benefit from this unique program.

CPI shares in the desire to make cities safer so that citizens can live within their community without fear. For more information about the Safe City model, visit www.mysafecity.com.Value Added at York College

Then my good friend Chris Hertig tells me that students at his York College of Pennsylvania have the opportunity to participate in various educational programs at no additional cost. Through an agreement with the International Foundation for Protection Officers, York students and alumni receive tuition waivers into Foundation programs.

In addition to the savings of the IFPO program tuition, students save by using textbooks in several classes. The Protection Officer Training Manual and Security Supervision and Management: Theory and Practice of Asset Protection are both used in multiple classes.  This reduces student cost even further, Chris proudly told me.

Foundation programs that have been meshed into York College classes include the Crime and Loss Investigation Program, Certified Protection Officer designation and the Security Supervision and Management Program. Each program is a self-contained course of study which culminates in a certificate or professional certification. Each is designed for distance study at the student’s own time and place.

Myriad IFPO Programs

For example, the Crime and Loss Investigation Program was designed to provide the participant with a practical yet thought provoking perspective on Investigation. Developed by an international committee of investigative managers and academicians, the Crime and Loss Investigation Program covers Intelligence, Interviewing, Surveillance and other essential aspects of contemporary investigation.  Program content is covered within two texts and a series of online papers, enabling those wishing to pursue it the option of beginning immediately. Persons beginning their careers or those wishing to transition from public sector employment into “private security” will benefit from this program.

And completion of the Security Supervision and Management Program is the first step towards earning a professional certification as “Certified in Security Supervision and Management.”

The Certified Protection Officer (CPO) Program has over 28,000 graduates around the world.

Online support for the courses is offered so that students can begin and continue their study from any location at any time. There are online Tutorials as well as Practice Examinations posted on Hertig’s York College Web site. There are also online learning aids posted on the Wadsworth.com site as part of the Crime and Loss Investigation Program.

For more information on Foundation programs visit ifpo.org. These two educational  partnership programs are examples of how organizations are working together closely to provide more opportunities to improve the profession and help business security efforts.