ASSIST - Associated Security Services and Investigators of the State of Texas

3300 Bee Caves Road ï¿½ Suite 650-119 ï¿½ Austin, TX 78746 ï¿½ Phone (832) 274-1079

The Success Story Continues as members of the El Dorado/ASSIST Workers’ Compensation Purchasing Group earn dividends for the 6th consecutive year

The Success Story Continues as members of the El Dorado/ASSIST Workersï¿½ Compensation Purchasing Group earn dividends for the 6th consecutive year!
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Fallen Officers
Fund

Goal $150,000

Currently $43,699.50

THE ASSIST BOARD

President
Dan Flores

Exec. Vice President
Walt Roberts

Vice President
Jeff Moore

State Treasurer
Belinda Woods

State Secretary
Michael McGregor

Regions Coordinator
Ruben Amaya

Past President
Dave Parker

Central Texas Region President
Alan Trevino

El Paso Region President
Jessie Ruelas

Gulf Coast Region President
Kevin Galloway

North Texas Region President
Kathy McReynolds

Rio Grande Valley Region President
Jaime Ochoa

South Texas Alamo Region President
Pete LaBonte

News & Events Committee Chairman
Dave Scepanski

Member Services Director
(contact)

Webmaster
Dave Scepanski

Home

Emergencies/Disasters - Companies Available
Updated Nov-16-06

By-Laws - Ethics - Mission
Updated Mar-28-06

ASSIST Board Members
Updated Oct-9-07

History of ASSIST
Updated Feb-1-06

Assault of a Security Officer
Updated Dec-27-04

Fallen Officers Fund
Updated Jun-17-08

Companies Operating Illegally
Coming Soon

Managing Security Today
Updated Jun-17-08

Lobbyist for ASSIST
Updated Jun-17-08

Past Conventions
Updated Mar-5-08

Help Wanted
Updated Apr-25-06

Texas Mutual Insurance
Updated Dec-27-04

Lifetime Members
Updated Dec-20-07

Honorary Members
Updated Oct-8-04

Online Member Database

Articles & Press Releases
Updated Jun-17-08

Regional Roundup
Updated Jun-17-08

ASSIST MEMBERSHIP

Member Services

Who Has the Trophy?

TPSB Updates
Updated May-30-07

Dave's Corner
Updated Dec-19-05

Discussion Board

Featured Sponsors
Updated Nov-16-06

LEAPS Chapters:
-Dallas
-El Paso
-Houston (Coming Soon)

Helpful Links
Updated Jan-14-06

The Director's View

News From the State

Now more than ever TCPS needs the cooperation of the regulated community in order to fulfill its mission. During my association with TCPS the agency has always been required to ï¿½do more with lessï¿½ but the reduction in current fiscal year budget and the reduction projected for the next biennium creates the greatest challenge so far.

We all understand the relationship between licensees and their regulatory authority.

The agency can be the most wanted resource to help you or it can be the big brother that you really donï¿½t want to see today. We at TCPS hope you understand that we have a mission to accomplish as it relates to public safety that may at times bring us into conflict with you. However our desire is to maintain our regulatory authority while at the same time performing the functions that help you to advance your business goals and obligations.

I want to share with you some important issues you can address in your business that will benefit both you and TCPS.

One of the most important issues that we are facing is raising the level of the quality of the applications and fingerprint cards that are submitted to TCPS. There are periods when up to seventy percent of then applications or renewals are rejected because the fee submitted is incorrect. Fingerprint cards are rejected by the Department of Public Safety, sometimes as high as 80%, due to the poor quality of the fingerprints. These are issues that can be corrected. Both TCPS and the industry benefit when the application and fees are correct and the fingerprint cards are accepted the first time. The cost associated in postage and employee time it takes to return items can much better be spent in processing applications and issuing cards.

TCPS is currently operating with a staff of 23 employees. The agency regulates an industry of approximately 130,000 active and renewable individuals and approximately 4,500 active and renewable companies. Staff processes about 440 pieces of mail a day and answers about 540 telephone calls and receives about 80 faxes per day. Do the math. Our employee to licensee ratio may get even worse in the future.

Be sure the person(s) you have assigned to completing applications know how to do it properly. Create a checklist for them to use that includes the proper fee for each category and circumstances. Donï¿½t forget about late fees, they are a major cause of the returns on renewals and original applications. The time spent reviewing the paperwork prior to submission is well worth the effort. Consider how much time is wasted by your staff having to redo the application, write another check or obtain another money order. Our staff is forced to waste time returning an improper application. Check over the fingerprint cards before you submit them. Compare your cards to the examples on our website. It is much better to take the time to roll another set than it is to submit a set that is marginal.

Do not suggest that your individual employees call the Commission about registration card issues. Direct them to the agency website and tell them how to use the search options to check their status. Remember that every minute a TCPS staff member has to spend on the telephone takes time away from data entry and application processing. Our technology people are continually adding new features to the website. This is a very economical way for TCPS to communicate with our licensees and we encourage you to use it to your advantage. We also encourage you to provide us with your e-mail address. We plan to use this form of communication more and more in the future.

I am aware that A.S.S.I.S.T is developing continuing education courses that will address important issues such as proper completion of Commission paper work and the proper technique for rolling fingerprints. These are subjects that will help you to run your business in a more efficient way and enable TCPS to provide better service to you.

Faced with the current budget cutbacks TCPS will strive to accomplish its mission and deliver quality service to the citizens of Texas including our licensees. However, smaller government means fewer employees for TCPS and we will appreciate your understanding during this period of adjustment.

Cliff Grumbles
Executive Director, TCPS

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