NASCO to Host First Contract-Security Summit

May 2, 2006
Day-long summit addresses government business, contract issues, hiring practices, more

Alexandria, Va. - The National Association of Security Companies (NASCO), the nation's largest contract-security trade association representing 400,000 security professionals, announces the first-ever Contract Security Summit, which will be held at the Hall of States Building in Washington, D.C. on May 17.

The day-long Summit was developed to facilitate discussions and focus attention on the latest trends and issues impacting the contract security industry. The program includes an address by John Mica (R-FL), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, who will discuss his role in the TSA-opt out program as well as other issues impacting private security. There will also be scheduled appointments with Congressional leaders and senior staff in the afternoon.

In addition, there will be a government-contracting panel discussion regarding Department of Defense (DoD) reauthorization and the increased usage of private security for military installations; TSA reorganization and emerging training requirements and grants; as well as questions and answers regarding other government-contracting concerns. The panel will be comprised of:

- Phil Grone, Undersecretary for Installations and Environment, Department of Defense (DoD) - Mr. Grone has appeared as a witness before both houses of Congress on numerous occasions regarding private security.

He provided the response to the recent GAO report on private security, as well as authoring last November's report to Congress on contract security.

- Holly Woodruff Lyons, Majority Counsel, House Aviation Subcommittee - Ms. Woodruff Lyons has served as majority counsel on the aviation subcommittee for several years and will address issues regarding TSA reorganization and contracting with airport authorities.

- Tracy A. Henke, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Grants and Training, U.S. Department of Homeland Security - A component of the DHS' Preparedness Directorate, Ms. Henke's office provides funding, coordinates training, exercise support, equipment, and technical assistance to states, local jurisdictions, and regional authorities to assist in preparing the nation's emergency responders to prevent, deter and respond to terrorist acts and catastrophic disasters.

The NASCO Contract Security Summit will also include break-out sessions to provide open discussion regarding issues directly impacting contract security operations. Topics include:

- Trends and Issues Impacting Contract Security facilitated by Cliff Ingber, Ingber & Ingber. Mr. Ingber has spent the past 20 years addressing liability and other legal issues impacting contract security, he will lead a discussion on the latest developments in the legal area, as well as labor and other issues.

- Security Hiring Practices by Dr. Shelley Kirkpatrick, Homeland Security Institute Principal Analyst - Dr. Kirkpatrick will be giving a follow-up presentation on her recent article in Security magazine "Plugging Hiring Holes," which focuses on the motivations behind insider threats and practices to minimize risks associated with the hiring process.

Gail Simonton, NASCO General Counsel and Government Affairs Director, will update the group on NASCO's work regarding state and federal legislation and regulation impacting contract security, including NASCO's efforts to raise standards and training requirements in key states, and the Private Security Officer Employment Authorization Act of 2005.

"We are working to facilitate discussions and identify common areas of interest to better represent the contract security community," said NASCO Executive Director Joseph Ricci, "As the sole organization representing the interests of contract, private security, the Summit and recent smaller, focused sessions on federal contracting, state and regional issues, provide new opportunities for the exchange of information that can positively impact performance and improve standards," he added.

The National Association of Security Companies (NASCO) is the nation's largest contract security trade association, representing private security companies that employ more than 400,000 of the nation's most highly trained security officers servicing every business sector. NASCO is leading efforts to set meaningful standards for the private security industry and for security officers by monitoring state and federal legislation and regulations that affect the quality and effectiveness of private security services. For more information about NASCO advocacy activities and resources, visit www.nasco.org.