Originally published on LinkedIn · August 2020.
As part of my Resume Bucket List Challenge, I have recognized how unstructured and excuse-filled my career growth has been due to my lack of planning and strategic focus. One of countless examples: a few years ago, I got to meet Sandi Davies at the ASIS International GSX conference and was intrigued by IFPO — the International Foundation for Protection Officers — and their training and certification program. Well, since April I worked through 90+ hours of their training, and a couple of weeks ago I passed their Certified Protection Officer (CPO) certification.
For someone who has been blessed in the security industry for over 26 years, I wish I had taken this course early on — even if I did not need to certify. But Jim, you are not a “mall cop,” right? Right. I have never been in those professional shoes. But I am a passionate converged security, all-hazards security professional who has had many occasions where my mission was a guard / protection officer / personal protection professional role. After this training, I realize the scope of this part of the security profession can be more comprehensive than TV leads you to believe.
I realized that if I am in the security industry — in a generic sense — I am a “protection officer,” regardless of whether I am protecting information, personnel, or facilities. This training is well-focused on the more classic boots-on-the-ground officer, but it does well in covering a wide variety of security basics — the same basics I cover when mentoring up-and-coming security professionals.
This past week I helped two young men through my “I want to get into Security” class. I will now be updating that class to include IFPO’s training in my recommendations.
It is far from the be-all-end-all of training — but it is a great foundation class. I also realized that when I influence, hire, or evaluate “guard” services, this training and certification will be a differentiator that I encourage my Level 2, 3, and 4 (Texas, USA nomenclature) service providers and officers to include in their standard onboarding.
For amazing military and law enforcement heroes looking to move into private sector security: evaluate this training early on as part of your Resume Bucket List.
Thank you Sandi and the IFPO team for your patience and continued support of the security industry.