Association Manager Report – June

June has been a difficult and tragic month for our industry.  There have been at least 7 security officers that have been killed in the line of duty this month -- most notably, Officer Stephen Johns who was brutally murdered at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.  His act of heroism and the response of his fellow officers literary saved countless of lives.

The events that happened at the Holocaust Museum, because of the location, received the most attention.  The actions of James von Brunn were despicable, but so were the actions of criminals who took lives of security officers in Florida, Colorado, Alabama and here in Stockton, California, even though these incidents received less media coverage. 

During the same period, there have also been numerous assaults on security officers as well. The point here is this -- enough is enough. 

Out of such tragedies, we try to find some positives and some hope. 

First, we can be proud of how our industry, led by CALSAGA and our friends at NASCO (the National Association of Security Companies) have been united in condemning the violence and have reached out to the families of the fallen officers to lend financial and emotional support.  

Secondly, these incidents have raised awareness of the true role of the private security officer in society today.  After a year in which we have seen negative stereotypes portrayed in movies like “Mall Cop” and “Observe & Report,”, we are hopeful that heroic acts like those of Mr. Johns and his fellow officers will resonate and slowly, begin to change perception.

In other news, CALSAGA recently met with industry representatives from the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and major employers of proprietary private security officers to discuss Senate Bill 741.  As a reminder, SB 741 (Maldonado) would require proprietary employers to register with the State.   While everyone is mostly in agreement with the bill, there are still a few issues that the group is working through, but we are confident that these issues will be resolved. 

CALSAGA continues to lobby for meal break reform and are actively engaged in a grassroots effort to put pressure on targeted legislators.  For members in Region VII (the Inland Empire), be on the lookout for a special communication on how you can participate.   There is still a possibility that meal period reform will get tied into ongoing budget negotiations related to how to make California more business friendly, so we are also monitoring those developments as well. 

As a reminder, please note that our training database help desk is available Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  If you haven’t done so already, we ask that you communicate to your staff members who use the CALSAGA database to adhere to those times if at all possible.  We understand that there are circumstances that will make this difficult sometimes, so we are always available to handle emergencies.  But dedicating certain hours per week to handle routine database questions allows the CALSAGA staff to efficiently handle all CALSAGA business.

Finally, be on the lookout for the launch of the 2009 Annual Conference!  We are excited about this year’s conference and look forward to sharing it with our members very soon.  As always, please feel free to drop us a note at whodges@calsaga.org. 

Regards,

Jeff Flint                                                                                                               Association Manager