by Brianna Crandall — March 18, 2019 — ASIS International, the worldwide association of security management professionals, has just released the ASIS Private Security Officer Selection and Training (PSO) Guideline (ASIS PSO-2019), which provides recommendations for establishing and managing a program for the selection and training of private security officers.
The new Selection and Training Guideline sets a critical benchmark, as the private security industry employs millions of security officers across the nation to protect people, property, information, and other key assets, points out ASIS. Applicable to both proprietary and contract security, the guide focuses on three key areas of a private security officer selection and training program — its development, implementation, and improvement.
ASIS PSO-2019 is equally applicable for companies that hire their own private security officers, companies that want to ensure that their contractors are following best practices when they hire, and private security companies in their selection and training process.
The framework comprises:
- Establishment of policies and procedures
- Assignment of roles and responsibilities
- Allocation of resources to the program
- Setting vetting and selection criteria
- Private security officer training and competencies
- Program evaluation and improvement
The guideline is consistent with industry best practices and takes into account legal, regulatory and contractual obligations.
Chuck Baley, PSO Technical Committee Chair, explained:
While the guideline includes most elements of the 2010 edition, it goes a step further in providing organizations a generic framework for designing or improving its selection and training program.
ASIS International, in its role as an accredited Standards Developing Organization (SDO), develops standards and guidelines to serve the needs of security practitioners in today’s global environment. It is recognized globally through its Category-A Liaison Status in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Risk Management and Security and Resilience Technical Committees. Current projects under development focus on Active Assailant, Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM), and Security Awareness.
The ASIS Private Security Officer Selection and Training (PSO) Guideline (ASIS PSO-2019) is now available on the ASIS website.
