ASIS PSO GDL (2004)

Private Security Officer Selection and Training Guideline

The Private Security Officer (PSO) Selection and Training Guideline has been written for both proprietary and contract security but is not intended to cover all aspects of selection and training criteria for private security officers. It is intended to set forth minimum criteria that regulating bodies and companies in the United States can use to assist in recommending legislation and policies for the selection and training of private security officers. ASIS International has long been a proponent of professional standards for private security officers, including participation in the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration National Advisory Committee on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals in 1976.
The PSO Selection and Training Guideline was identified by the ASIS Commission on Guidelines as a critical need for the security industry and was selected for development in 2001. A comprehensive review of existing guidelines, reports, and other significant ''milestone'' documents was undertaken in the fall of 2001. Research and development continued and culminated in October 2003, when the guideline was placed on the ASIS International Web site for public review and comment.
Private security officer selection and training has been a topic of interest and much debate over the last 25 years. Various studies and research efforts have been undertaken to better define the role of a private security officer and also provide agencies with information needed to adequately select and train such officers. One of the earlier studies of interest on this subject was the 1972 work by Kakalik and Wildhorn entitled ''Rand Corporation, Private Police in the United States.'' This report provided one of the first descriptions of private security in this country and continues to be referred to as the baseline research on this subject.