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LOCATING
QUALIFIED SECURITY EXPERTS CONSULTANTS
We intend to expand this
limited section during 1999.
What to look for in a Security
Expert or Consultant :
Any person being considered
to conduct a security consulting assignment or security survey/risk
analysis; or to act as an expert witness on premises liability or
security related litigation should be a Certified Protection
Professional. This CPP designation is the only
credible certification relating to security.
It should be noted, however, that CPPs, who obtained their
certification "by review" were grandfathered into the
program without being tested. CPPs who obtained their
credential "by examination," as most have, have documented
they possess a good basic knowledge of security. It makes
sense to ask how the CPP certification was obtained.
There are probably many very competent people who work in the
security industry, but have not obtained this certification for one
reason for another. Some people with exceptionally high levels
of knowledge and competence just can't seem to do well on
tests. While they might be capable of producing excellent
work, their credibility might later come into question, particularly
in litigation matters. For instance, if an uncertified
consultant conducted a high quality security survey, the
recommendations were adopted, but subsequently an incident occurred
resulting in a lawsuit, the validity of the survey might be held up
to question in court. In such a case, if the plaintiff's
expert was a CPP, a jury would probably accept an analysis by this
person over that of the uncertified consultant, much like they would
give more credibility to a doctor than a paramedic; or believe a CPA
over an accountant.
Security experts and consultants should have a background in private
sector security. Police officers, trainers, college teachers,
and other folks with a variety of backgrounds frequently offer these
services, but in most cases should be avoided. Police work has
little do with security and persons who teach security in classrooms
are professional teachers, not professional security practitioners.
For attorneys and others considering hiring a security expert, we
highly recommend the book: Security
& Loss Control Negligence by
Norman Bottom, Ph.D. (Hanroe Press "Nuts & Bolts
Series in Personal Injury Litigation.) It is a well written,
exceptionally informative publication that takes a real world
approach to a complicated subject.
Additionally, it might be worthwhile for persons considering
security experts or consultants to check out relevant articles in
the Article Index of our Web Site.
For
Instructive Articles Concerning Security Experts, Please Click On
The Article Index Button Below:
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