Association Manager Report – January 2010

Every day, whether it is a winter storm that causes a crisis, an attempted crime in which police were quickly summoned, an large act of heroism by a professional officer, a small act of assistance by a trusted friend, or even a quiet day helped by the deterrence of our officers, there is a reminder that the private security industry is a vital part of California. As we continue to tell this story and promote our industry, 2010 will surely be a productive year for us. With the solid foundation our industry has built and expanded throughout the state, I am excited and confident that 2010 will bring continued success for CALSAGA.

The CALSAGA Board of Directors met earlier this month to put the final touches on our 2010 strategic plan that began to take shape at a planning meeting last year. Among some of the items in our plan was the need for CALSAGA members to have more access to industry related issues and networking opportunities in their local areas. As a result, CALSAGA will be implementing quarterly seminars (each seminar will have a session in Northern and Southern California) and scheduling more frequent networking events for each region. A calendar of dates and seminar content is currently in the works for these events, and will be distributed within the next few weeks. You can read more about the other items discussed at the Board of Directors meeting in this month’s issue.

A new year means new legislative prospects, and CALSAGA has taken the first steps on three new legislative concepts for 2010.  These include a cleanup bill to the Private Security Services Act to modernize and improve clarity in the law; a bill that would give employers the option to have firearms registered in their company name; and a bill that would increase the penalties for attacking or killing a security officer.   While we have a few weeks to make the final decision on whether to formally introduce any of these concepts as legislation this year, we think these are all important concepts worthy of consideration by the Legislature.  

As most of you are aware, Senate Bill 666 went into effect on December 12, 2009, requiring by law that all proprietary security officers (PSOs) undergo an initial 16 hours of training, followed by a mandated 2 hours of annual continued education. CALSAGA is already leading the charge to create training materials for PSOs and is expected to have these modules as well us updated and amended versions of our existing material for PPOs available early this year. Please feel free to contact the CALSAGA office should you have any inquiries about our training programs. 

As an organization, CALSAGA understands the importance of our valued members, and will be renewing our efforts to increase membership benefits and services throughout the year. I look forward to making 2010 prosperous and successful for our association and the private security industry in California!

Sincerely,

Jeff Flint                                                                                                                CALSAGA                                                                                                            Association Manager