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The Future of the Security Industry
And a Tribute to A.S.S.I.S.T. Members
 In only 4 short months, as
members of A.S.S.I.S.T., so far this year you and I have played a very significant role in passing state laws that have worked to improve the Security Industry throughout Texas; laws that will assist in improving the stature and role of Security Officers in the future �
and you can be proud to say that you were part of this great effort!
Together, we opened another Chapter on April 14th in Harlingen-Brownsville, called the Rio Grande Valley Chapter, and the new Chapter President along with his membership, I believe, will do an excellent job in representing A.S.S.I.S.T. all over the Greater Rio Grande area.
As many of you know, we are holding our �Convention 2003� in San Antonio this year, on September 25, 26, and 27. Our recently formed South Texas Alamo Area Chapter, headquartered in San Antonio, is working hard to arrange and organize excellent continuing education, special events and entertainment for all of you. I think it�s time for all A.S.S.I.S.T. Members to be role models: show-up and participate, not only in this up-coming �Convention 2003� but in each and every Convention to come! We
all need to show that we care about our fellow Chapters, and this can be done simply by showing up and not using old and tired excuses that other commitments interfered.
At this point, I would like to thank each of my Board Members for all of the hard work that they have done in the past 18 months; the time, money and effort they have spent to work hard for you and every A.S.S.I.S.T. Member.
And I would like to thank the Members who have been assigned to standing committees, and have done such an outstanding job in speaking and acting on behalf of A.S.S.I.S.T. and the Security Industry. Also, let me extend a �job well done� to all those Members and the exceptional job they did, by participating in Legislation Day on behalf of A.S.S.I.S.T. -- as you well know, this event showed great representation of both A.S.S.I.S.T. and the Security Industry in the eyes of many state representatives.
It�s important that I single out �special thanks� and let you know that Keith Oakley, our lobbyist in Austin, has lobbied
very diligently for us this year on legislation before the State Legislature, and �thanks� as well goes to State Representative Pat Haggerty, whom all of you know has been representing us for the past three years and is truly known as the �Champion Of Security�. Many thanks to both of you for your fine efforts on our behalf!
Here in Texas, I am quite confident that beginning September 1, 2003, the Security Industry will be under the supervision and regulation of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), and I can assure you that A.S.S.I.S.T. has taken important steps to see that there is as smooth a transition as possible for all of us. This change will require that all of us work hand-in-hand with DPS; that we maintain constant communications -- not only between us, but also with DPS. It will take the effort of all of us as Owners and Managers to brief our Security Officers of changes as they occur and to keep them up-to-date, which could sometimes be on a weekly basis for awhile.
Throughout America, in big cities and in smaller, rural communities, the Security Industry is changing in leaps and bounds � sometimes faster than some of us can keep up with. We are in a society; today, where �fast� is sometimes �just not fast enough.� For many Owners and Managers, in fact, for a great percentage of the Security Industry, we ALL need to come out of the Stone Age and �keep up with the times.� This means learning to utilize the many benefits of productivity brought-on by computers and the Internet. It is my belief that there will come a time � at some point in the future � where post offices will be an item of the past; at least as we now know the postal service.
For those of you who are not taking advantage of the Internet and E-mail, it�s time to catch up with today�s technology � before you get left behind with the industrial dinosaurs. Nothing has had a more profound impact on the way we run our businesses than has personal computers and the Internet. They have allowed us to streamline operations, improve efficiencies, increase productivity, change and improve the way we communicate, enhance our marketing efforts and, yes; perhaps� they�ve made our world a little smaller.
As an information source, the Internet is unparalleled� and it continues to grow. You can get up-to-the-minute news, research our industry and your competition, get the latest information from trade, social, and regulatory organizations like
T.C.P.S. and A.S.S.I.S.T., learn what is going on in state government, be able to make contact your state legislators, download required forms, shop and compare prices, and much, much more.
E-mail, itself, is no longer the wave of the future� the wave is here and it is huge! E-mail is fast, reliable, flexible, economical and it helps establish credibility. More than 74% of American adults have at least one E-mail address, and that number grows by leaps-and-bounds each day. Last year, more than 6 billion E-mails were sent throughout the U.S., compared to less than 1.5 billion letters handled by the U.S. Postal Service. E-mail allows you to send documents, pictures, files and data quickly and easily. It is an indispensable tool for the business owner who wants to foster good customer relations. It is quick, inexpensive, and it provides a powerful method to communicate with potential clients and stay in touch with existing clients.
Do you need an Internet presence?
Internet technology advances at a pace that boggles the mind. The Internet business environment of today is dramatically different from a year ago, and within a few months it will be different again. You don't need to be a computer expert but you do need to be aware of how these changes in technology affect your industry, and how those trends can quickly change your business. Internet business is very much a "go with the flow" endeavor.
The first question to ask yourself is, "Do I need a dedicated web presence?" Simple question. Well, consider the following:
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Did you know the Internet allows even the smallest businesses to establish a global presence and showcase their products and services worldwide?
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How do you want people to see your business? Your site must always be an up-to-date marketing expression -- a reflection of you and your business values, ethics, practices and service offerings.
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Are you able to invest both time and money to this project?
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Are you willing to come up-to-speed with and
stay on top of current technology trends?
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Will you be able to expend the money to hire a designer/project manager, or will YOU be able to learn the new software necessary to manage web operations?
Once (not �if�) you answer in the affirmative to all of the above, then it�s up to you and you alone, to either take the advise of the experts and follow the trend started by personal computers and the Internet, or hire the proper staff to do it for you. In today�s era of computerization, you do not have a choice -- it�s the way of the future� with or without you, it�s going to happen.
For the most part, many A.S.S.I.S.T. Members have taken that advice and are moving with the trend. We are finding more and more government agencies dispensing of the regular mail service and using their websites and e-mail addresses for communicating information and transacting business.
The future of the Security Officer, as an individual and as a competent professional, will change when they each have more education; specialization will become part of the Security Officer�s future -- along with better pay -- and they will be highly skilled in various disciplines of security. What you do today lays the groundwork for the future of not only your own business, but also the future of the Security Industry. You have no choice except to become a part of it, to improve your business position and to prepare the Security Industry for the social changes that will fall upon its shoulders in the Future.
My message for this year is �Stand Up and Be Accounted For� which translates our goal to increase membership, so attend Convention 2003 in San Antonio this year and make it a resounding success! This can only be done with your help and involvement. Working together, we
CAN reach our goals.
Dave Scepanski
President of ASSIST
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