Connie Vaughn

View from the Chair

It's been a Fabulous Year!

This year has just flown by. What an honor it has been to be the Chair for such a fabulous ASIS International Chapter. Thank yourselves for making this year such a banner year for our Chapter!

Next Thursday, November 21, 2002, at 9:30 AM, at Hitachi, Brisbane, is our monthly meeting and the topic is going to shake everyone up. Dr. Jeanne Perkins, Earthquake Program Director, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), will provide an overview for “Doing Business with Roads Closed After a Major Bay Area Earthquake.” She will discuss magnitude vs. intensity, direct and indirect causes for road closures, and ABAG’s projection for road and airport closures. This is practical, scientific information you need to consider when writing disaster, emergency preparedness, and business continuity plans.

Road and airport closures caused by the next big earthquake are gong to affect everyone. This information is very timely and Dr. Perkins is the one to ask should you have any questions about Earthquake Preparedness. I think Earthquake Preparedness may be an oxymoron. However, prepare we must and there is no better way to prepare than to be informed.

Hitachi America Ltd, located at 2000 Sierra Point Pkwy in Brisbane, has graciously agreed to host this month’s meeting. Thank you Fred Smith!

Don’t forget, November’s meeting is also when we hold elections for next year’s Executive Council. 2003’s slate of officers includes Brad Minnis, CPP, for Chapter Chairman, this year’s Vice Chair, and Patrick Sharkey, CPP, for Chapter Vice Chair, this year’s Treasurer. For Chapter Secretary, Larry Reid has accepted the nomination. Larry has earned his nomination through hard work for the past two years on the Golf Tournament and through significant participation in the May Exhibits and Seminars. Curtis Given, CPP, is nominated for the position of Treasurer. Curtis also contributed significantly to the May show, has participated regularly in monthly meetings, and exhibits strong volunteer leadership skills.

It is with great pride that I see so many CPPs participating at the Executive level of our Chapter. (I know, I know—where’s my CPP?!) 2003 looks very promising and under Brad’s steady hand is already taking shape. Brad gives 110%, so watch for some exciting programs coming up.

We are having quite the gathering for our December luncheon. In the past, traditionally we have held a low-key event. Since we were able to get such a prominent speaker, we went with it. Ed Gomez, TSA Director of Security for SFO, is our guest speaker. He will be sharing his vision of transportation security. Because of the speaker, we took advantage of a unique venue.

December’s meeting is being held at the Aviation Museum at SFO. It is a social and business luncheon. In addition to Ed Gomez, the chapter will be swearing in the Executive Council for 2003. It appears we may be honoring a local member who has received the lifetime CPP designation (pending his availability). We will also make financial donations on behalf of the Chapter to local food banks and last, but certainly not least, we will accept donations for Toys for Tots. We hope to have an U.S. Marine available to take the donations to the local distribution center. Please bring an unwrapped toy for donation. I can’t think of anything sadder than a toyless child for Christmas.

The holidays are always a time when we ask so much of corporate America and Americans. We ask that you support the San Francisco Chapter’s community service by attending the December meeting and bringing a toy for donation.

Thank you all for your continued support and participation,
Connie Vaughn
chair@sfasis.org
SFBAC ASIS Chapter Chair

Vice Views

Fellow members of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter:

Yesterday, I, along with about 750 other Security Directors, Managers, Consultants, Government and other individuals, attended the 17th Annual Briefing of the U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).

The briefing, titled “Threats, Crises and Continuity: Managing in Uncertain Times”, included presentations on “Evaluating Threats in Today’s Environment”, “Crisis Planning and Business Continuity”, “Planning for Chemical and Biological Attacks”, and a “World Threat Overview” presented by OSAC’s Research and Information Support Center (RISC) analysts.

The highlight of the day for me though, was the keynote address by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, and a special presentation on Homeland Security by the Director of Homeland Security, Governor Thomas Ridge.

OSAC is a partnership between the American government and the American private sector to increase the security of Americans doing business abroad. It is one of the most effective partnerships between government and the private sector because it works. Members of OSAC receive important, up to date information through reports, briefings studies and other media such as the OSAC website (www.ds-osac.org). Members also have access to Research Information Specialists at the State Department for answers to specific questions and are encouraged to join one of OSAC’s overseas Country Councils, of which there are almost 50.

There are over 2,100 American companies who are members of OSAC. This represents only a small portion of companies in the United States who do business internationally. One of the things Secretary Powell asked of us is for everyone in the room to recruit one new member, to expand the membership so many more companies enjoy the services of OSAC and improve the security of their businesses and employees abroad. He asked that we take his message back to our other security organizations.

Membership in OSAC is free for American businesses. Research and information provided by OSAC is free. The Annual Briefing is free (except for travel costs). This is a highly valuable organization, which provides real information in a timely fashion, so we can make better decisions for our companies and employees. I encourage all of you that are not current members to become members.

Secretary Powell took out full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times on November 14th, encouraging American Businesses to join OSAC. In his words, “OSAC works. Please join us. Together, we will do everything possible to make this world one of opportunity safely realized”. Listening to him at the briefing, you knew he meant it.

As always, email comments and feedback are always appreciated.

Sincerely,
Brad Minnis CPP
Vice Chair SFBA Chapter
vicechair@sfasis.org

General Membership Meeting Minutes

San Francisco ASIS Chapter

The Annual Security Officer Appreciation Luncheon was held on October 17, 2002 at the Crown Plaza in Foster City, CA.

The Luncheon Meeting of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of ASIS International was called to order by Chapter Chair Connie Vaughn at 11:45 am.

Chair Vaughn greeted the members and guests and called the meeting to order. Chair Vaughn led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Matt Williams, Pinkerton Security Officer at Guidant, gave the Invocation.

Chair Vaughn then introduced the head table which included the Executive Board, Event Chair Art Lesser, Today’s Speaker Sherrie Moffet-Bell and Noreene DeKoning, Dennis Haw, CPP, Nominations Committee Chair.

Chair Vaughn called on Dennis Haw, CPP, Nominations Committee Chair. Dennis gave a committee report where as the Nominating recommends the following individuals for Chapter Officers for the year 2003.

Chair – Brad Minnis, CPP
Vice-Chair- Patrick Sharkey, CPP
Secretary- Larry Reid
Treasurer- Curtis Given, CPP

Dennis announced that the Chapter would hold an election at the next meeting on November 21, 2002. At that time, nominations would be accepted from the floor. Nominated individuals must provide their consent too be nominated.

Chair Vaughn asked for a motion to suspend the normal business meeting. A motion was made, seconded and passed.

The Treasurer, Patrick Sharkey, CPP asked permission of the Chair to give a Financial Report since much time has passed since the last one. Chair Vaughn approved. Patrick stated that the balance as of August 31, 2002 was $29,802.73, with income for the month being $1,814.21 and expenses of $7,415.89. The ending balance was $24,201.05 as of September 30, 2002. A copy of the report is posted on the Chapter Web site (www.sfasis.org). Treasurer Sharkey reminded everyone that Dues Invoices for 2002 were pending and could be paid.

Patrick then introduced the committee members that served on the Security Officer Selection Committee and the selection criteria utilized. Copies were made available at the entrance to the room. Patrick relayed the idea that it was the intent of the Chapter and its elected leaders that we could use this in the future years as a standard requirements and program. He asked if anyone had comments to improve upon it to let him know. Committee members included: Brenda Knox, CPP; Brian Persing, CPP; and Matt Pope.

Chair Vaughn then introduced our speaker for the meeting, Sherrie Moffet-Bell, Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), State of California. The topic that Deputy Chief spoke on was “The Upcoming Changes in Private Security Industry Legislation in California and Processes”

Deputy Chief Moffet-Bell introduced another person from the bureau, Noreene DeKoning that also was in attendance to answer any questions or be of assistance.

Sherrie spoke about the 100,000 applications they receive a year for processing and the results of Senate Bill 1241 to abolish “Temporary Cards” was placing on the Bureau. She stated that they have 42 full time personnel and 27 part-timers to clear up the backlog. One area where guard companies could speed up the processing time was in the use of “Live Scan Card”. Use of this system allowed a turn around time of 3 to 7 days.

Discussion centered on Senate Bill 1241 and Bill 2880 (scheduled to be effective January 2004). Bill 2880 increases the amount of training from 3 hours to 40 hours.

Deputy Chief Moffet-Bell also gave a warning that BSIS has teamed up with Employment Development Department (EDD) and has a Joint Operations Task Force now working on enforcement of its regulations and requirements. On a recent activity 13 out of 15 checks made citations were issued. In 7 cases there were firearms involved.
BSIS Website is at: http://www.dca.ca.gov/bsis/

At the conclusion of the presentation, Chair Vaughn presented Deputy Chief Sherrie Moffet-Bell with a “Certificate of Appreciation” from the Chapter.

Chair Vaughn called upon Vice-Chair Brad Minnis, CPP to provide the results of the Security Officer of the Year, Security Supervisor of the Year and Distinguished Service Award of the Year. Brad read off the name of each individual nominated for the different categories, had them stand and be recognized by the group. He then announced the following:

• SECURITY OFFICER OF THE YEAR
  David Zamora, Guardsmark, Inc.
• SECURITY OFFICER OF THE YEAR - RUNNER-UP
  Jaswant Singh, Barton Protective Services
• SECURITY OFFICER SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR
  Michael Kelly, Allied Security Inc.
• SECURITY OFFICER SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR - RUNNER-UP
  Kuldip Singh, Barton Protective Services
• DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
  Christine Lebeau, Barton Protective Services

Each was awarded a certificate signifying their accomplishment and award designation. All primary winners received a check for $500.00 and the runner-ups received a check for $250.00.

Chair Vaughn announced the December Holiday Luncheon Meeting would be held on Dec 12th at the San Francisco Airport Museum. This meeting would include the installation of the new 2003 Chapter Officers.

Next Chapter event is the November 21 meeting. The Speaker will be Jeanne Perkins, Association of Bay Area Governments speaking on the Revised Road Closures in the Bay Area for the next Earthquake. The meeting will be held at Hitachi America Ltd., 2000 Sierra Point Pkwy, Brisbane, CA 94005.

Chair Vaughn closed the meeting at 1:15 pm

A total of 211 Honorees, members and guests were in attendance.

Respectfully Submitted,
Ken Fauth, CPP
SFBA Chapter Secretary

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

ASIS SF Bay Area Chapter
Executive Council and Committee Meeting
Teleconference
November 11, 2002, 9:00 a.m.

Chair Connie Vaughn, Vice-Chair Brad Minnis, CPP and Secretary Ken Fauth, CPP were present for conference call.

1. Discussion centered on the November 21st Meeting. Dennis Haw, CPP, Chair of the Nominations and Election Committee would conduct the election. The Speaker, Jeannie Perkins, would present around 10:15 her report on “Road Closures in the Bay Area”. Need a projector for the event speaker, Brad will supply.
2. The next item discussed was the December Meeting to be held at the San Francisco Airport Museum. Ed Gomez, Director, Transportation Security Administration, San Francisco Airport to be the speaker.
   1. This will also be the installations of the newly elected Chapter Officers for the 2003.
   2. We will be collecting “Toys for Tots” with a representative from the US Marines to accept them.
   3. Also, we will continue our efforts at contributing to the food shelter serving the Three Counties represented by our Chapter.
3. Locations and Speakers for the January and February 2003 Meetings need to be determined.

The meeting was closed at 9:30am

Respectfully submitted by
Ken Fauth, CPP
SFBA Secretary

ASIS SFBA Membership

New Members since August 2002

By Cindy Doyle
SFBA Membership

Internet Interests

Elections Via the Internet

As our annual Chapter elections approach and we watch the national elections that occur in November, I can’t help but notice what an influence the Internet is having on elections at all levels.

There was a time when most Americans had only their local newspaper to turn to for information about elections and even then what little information they did receive, was usually tainted by biased opinion and only a partial disclosure of the facts. When radio became widespread, politicians were able to get their messages out to a wider audience and when television campaigns began, even people in remote regions could finally see and hear from the politicians themselves.

Studies are now showing that there has been a significant increase in voters who are using the Internet to research both candidates and the issues. At last, candidates are truly being able to get their messages out to the public and are being given the opportunity to present themselves the way that they want to be presented by operating their own campaign websites. Candidates have the ability to immediately provide press releases on any issues that need addressing and candidates can now provide in-depth information, effectively changing the way we think about our elections.

Examples of the kinds of in-depth research that are now possible include a candidate’s voting record, campaign contributors, event schedules, political endorsements, recorded speeches & transcripts, and biographies. In some cases, candidates can use their websites to show you the most recent (and usually only the most favorable) polls or election results.

Political websites are being used to gather campaign contributions and to gather voter opinions. Many politicians have recognized the power of these websites and they are reading their emails to find out what they need to do to get elected. They are sending out broadcast emails to keep their voting base loyal and to inform the undecided voters about what they stand for. They are looking at the poll results that are coming in from their websites and they are running campaigns that are more real-time with the hot issues.

Is all this information helping anyone? Apparently so; many voters now claim to be better informed about their choices and the politicians claim to be better informed about their constituencies. American voters are making more informed decisions these days and the Internet can claim a lot of credit for this. We are seeing less “slogan politics” and more of “substance politics” instead. The Internet is forcing our politicians to give us real solutions instead of just popularity contests.

Is the Internet going to soon become the next voting machine? There are many issues to be overcome first if it is. We will have to overcome hacker issues, vote duplication, and availability before this becomes a real voting alternative. But considering all of the rapid changes occurring to the Internet, it may not be too much longer before we can all have the convenience of being able to vote from home or office or PDA whenever and wherever it is convenient for us. It may even mean that we will finally have high voter turnouts for every election because of how easy we have made it for people to vote.

Yes, it is fair to say that the Internet has changed the political landscape of America and that it will continue to have a major influence on our politics for many years to come. The Internet forces politicians to come clean about their voting records and to clearly define their political stances and proposed solutions. The Internet’s new threshold of accountability is something that has revolutionized the face of American politics.

Respectfully submitted by Steve Duell
SFBA Chapter Webmaster
Send replies to webmaster@sfasis.org

ASIS International
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter
Treasurer's Report

October 2002

Respectfully submitted by:
Patrick Sharkey CPP
Chapter Treasurer

Featured CPP Profiles

Every month, we will be featuring one or two of our Chapter's CPP members in this forum.  We applaud their achievements and self-dedication to the Security Industry, and we would like to recognize their efforts with this special web page.

This month's Featured* CPP member is:
Richard Corr, CPP
     

Richard Corr, CPP
Sales Manager
ASIS Member since 1997
Earned CPP in 2000
      

2002 Chapter Officer Elections

NOTICE

Elections for Chapter Officers will be held during the November 21, 2002 Meeting.

The following candidates have been nominated by the Chapter Nominations Committee:

Chapter Chairman:
Brad Minnis, CPP, Juniper Networks, Inc.

Chapter Vice Chairman:
Patrick Sharkey, CPP, Guidant Corporation

Chapter Secretary:
Larry Reid, Strategic Security Services, Inc.

Chapter Treasurer:
Curtis Given, CPP, Symantec Corporation

Respectfully submitted by,
Dennis T. Haw, CPP