Which Training for New Security Officers?

[03CPO]

Are either of these two sources for training recognized in the industry, and will they benefit me and help toward education and moving up In the security field?

International Foundation of Protection Officers
http://ifpo.org/products/index.html

Stratford Career Institute
http://www.scitraining.com/Courses_US/Security_Police_Sciences/Course.htm

[SecTrainer]

IFPO, yes.

The great thing about SCI is that if you should find you don't like it in security, you can always slide over into flower arranging, dressmaking, fixing lawn mowers - or even astrology (note - not "astronomy"). 'Nuff said?

[OramSecurityConsultants]

IFPO is fairly good. I have been using their training products for years with my security officers. I earned my CPO in 1998. More than worth it.

[03CPO]

IFPO, yes.

The great thing about SCI is that if you should find you don't like it in security, you can always slide over into flower arranging, dressmaking, fixing lawn mowers - or even astrology (note - not "astronomy"). 'Nuff said?

I taking that as a "no way" for SCI?

[N. A. Corbier]

I got my diploma in chicken wrangling in just 6 short weeks through SCI, and you can too.

[03CPO]

I got my diploma in chicken wrangling in just 6 short weeks through SCI, and you can too.

Does chicken wrangling pay more than security guard, might be my worth looking into.:)

[03CPO]

How about this one?
http://www.uscareerinstitute.com/crimjust.asp

[SecTrainer]

How about this one?
http://www.uscareerinstitute.com/crimjust.asp

For security training, stick with IFPO. None of these proprietary "schools" have any credibility in the industry...and besides, you'll pay a whoooole lot more for nothin'.

FEMA offers free self-study courses in Emergency Management, and by completing a certain sequence of 6 or 7 of these you can earn a Professional Development certificate in EM. These courses are somewhat geared for someone working in a public EM agency, but have enough applicability to private EM to be relevant.

If you're looking for courses from a properly accredited college, check out Fox Valley Technical College, which is a legitimate junior college offering many security courses, certificates and an associate degree entirely online. They also charge in-state tuition for their online courses regardless of where you reside, which only makes sense when you think about it, but few schools are that generous.

Here's their Security & Crime Prevention (http://www.fvtc.edu/public/content.aspx?ID=1601&PID=1) page. Click on one of the certificates listed (for instance, "Security Specialist"), and when you get to that page, click on "View Required Certificate Courses" to get the details about that certificate. Naturally, you can't complete a college certificate program as quickly as you can complete something like the IFPO certificate.

Of course, if you live in that area, FVTC also has numerous on-site programs that might also interest you.

Whether IFPO, FEMA, Fox Valley or any other self-study program, the one thing you have to be prepared to do is read textual material until your eyes fall out of your head, and not only to read it but to GRASP it, because that's how instruction is delivered. If you have an aversion to reading, you won't like it, and even if you like reading, it can still be very boring and/or tedious at times. (What are the pro's and con's of chain-link fencing, what are the characteristics of mercury vapor lamps, blah...blah...blah.) CPO doesn't go into so much detail, but that's what you'll get in the FVTC Physical Security course, as an example.

[03CPO]

Hey that's great info, thanks! I checked and the GI Bill pays for several of the programs FVTC offers, and looks similar to Trident Technical College. If I don't use all my VA benefits up completing my A.A.S Criminal Justice @ Bismarck State College Online, I will be looking to get some certs with the remaining VA benefits.
Figure I'll get all the training the GI Bill pays for before I start dipping in the pockets, so for the next few years I'll be going with only training that's paid through my VA benefits.

[Charlie410]

Thanks for the tip about FVTC. I'll check it out.

[SecTrainer]

I got my diploma in chicken wrangling in just 6 short weeks through SCI, and you can too.

Can I be a C3 (Corbier Chicken Commando)? I could put it on my business cards and whump up a whole passel of business (that's wrangler talk).

[Charlie410]

If you're an officer working in the healthcare field, the training from the IAHSS is pretty good too. A lot of hospital security agencies require their security personnel to complete, at the very least, the basic training certification process. And others require potential applicants to have their IAHSS certification in advance as part of their list of qualifications in order to be considered for a position.

http://www.iahss.org

[SecTrainer]

If you're an officer working in the healthcare field, the training from the IAHSS is pretty good too. A lot of hospital security agencies require their security personnel to complete, at the very least, the basic training certification process. And others require potential applicants to have their IAHSS certification in advance as part of their list of qualifications in order to be considered for a position.

http://www.iahss.org

Correct on all counts. I'd rate the basic IAHSS certification to be on about the same level as CPO, except with an emphasis on the special security and safety issues that pertain to healthcare facilities, and the unique vulnerabilities of both patients and healthcare workers.