welcome
I would like to welcome all of you to the 1st Tricon Security newsletter devoted to providing topics of interest in the world of security including news, products, training courses, and new developments within Tricon Security.
As the new President & CEO, I hope you find the newsletter to be both informative and educational.
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Violent Crime Up For Second Straight Year
A surge in violent crime that began last year accelerated in the first half of 2006, the FBI reported this week, providing the clearest signal yet that the historic drop in the U.S. crime rate has ended and is being reversed.
Reports of homicides, assaults and other violent offenses surged by nearly 4 percent in the first six months of the year; compared to the same time period in 2005, according to the FBI's latest Uniform Crime Report. The numbers included an increase of nearly 10 percent for robberies, which many criminologists consider a leading indicator of coming trends, The Washington Post reports.
While no one is certain of the causes, experts cited an increase in the number of young men in their crime-prone years, diminished crime-fighting assistance from the federal government, fewer jobs for people with marginal skills and the ongoing growth in methamphetamine use in some places.
Source: Security Beat
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The Enemy Is Not Us: Unexpected Workplace Violence Trends
Researchers from the universities of Kentucky and Illinois conducted a workplace violence survey of 868 full-time employees at a Midwestern municipal government, and their research produced some unexpected conclusions. The employees who were surveyed consisted of 50 categories of employees, ranging from clerical office workers to emergency responders. Five percent of those surveyed said they had been sexually harassed or abused, compared with 15 percent who were physically harassed or abused, and nearly 50 percent who were verbally harassed or abused. Surprisingly, only 13 percent and 11 percent of verbal threats came from coworkers and managers, respectively, while 65 percent of the verbal threats came from customers. But the study found that customers were responsible for just 1 percent of sexual assault incidents, while coworkers accounted for 16 percent of such incidents and managers accounted for 83 percent. The researchers found strong correlations among verbal, sexual, and physical abuse and also determined that employees were more likely to be exposed to violence when in high contact with the public. Many HR departments have policies aimed at preventing violence from employees, but the researchers advise companies to also take steps to address the threat of violence posed by customers. These steps should include a safe office layout; a bell/buzzer that sounds when customers enter the main entrance; conflict negotiation/avoidance training for employees; and a system for removing volatile customers from the premises.
Source: Public Personnel Management (Quarter 4, 2006) Vol. 35, No. 3, P. 229 ; Hoobler, Jenny M.; Swanberg, Jennifer
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Airports Offering Alternatives for Banned Items
In a bid to calm passengers and enhance security, several big airports have launched programs that allow passengers to ship, for a cost, items banned from carry-on luggage to a secure location at their destination rather than have them confiscated. Chicago's O'Hare in mid-December launched a 60-day program that lets passengers choose between mailing items home or sending them to a Hilton at their destination airport. Under Mail Safe Express, computerized kiosks instruct passengers how to proceed. Those choosing to send items to a Hilton are charged $9.99 for each item, which is blue-wrapped to protect against breakage. Postage costs for home delivery start at $10 and can range to $45 for prohibited items like lighters, knives, and bottles. Payments must be made using a credit card. The program was off to a slow start, logging just a dozen transactions in the first two days, as compared to the 200,000 or so items confiscated at U.S. airports each month since the liquid ban took effect in August. New York's LaGuardia and Houston's Intercontinental also offer programs similar to O'Hare's, while Chicago Midway is waiting to see how the program works before launching its own.
Source: Consumer Affairs (12/29/06) ; Schlossberg, Dan
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