ASIS INTERNATIONAL HOUSTON CHAPTER

MEETING MINUTES: January 26, 2005

The luncheon meeting was held at Renaissance Hotel. Chapter Chairman Darin Dillon CPP presided. 110 members and guests attended.

Opening prayer and Pledge: Lewis Eakins

Committee Activities:

Treasurer: Bob Cascino was unable to attend. The invoices for local membership dues were mailed. The web-page advertising invoices have also been mailed. Prompt payment will be appreciated.

Newsletter: No new announcements.

Golf Tournament: committee activity will begin early in 2005. Please call Darin or Bob If you have a suggestion for a new course or would like to be on the committee. Prize donations are currently being accepted.

Certifications: Steve Bourg CPP announced our local review classes will resume in either February or March. Roger Piper CPP will host the meetings at one of his facilities. The tests are being revised for July testing, so it is advisable to study and take the current version. The have many new materials to support your success.

Houses of Worship: Lewis recently spoke to a youth group in Tyler. The committee recently completed their first survey of a church school, which was well-received. Lewis is also scheduled to meet with Ministers Against Crime, an organization sponsored by HPD.

Roundtable: Charles Hutchinson announced the local committee has joined the Texas Security Roundtable, a group that includes 46 companies. They have hired a lobbyist to meet with the Legislators to express our concerns and hopefully negotiate an amendment to HB 1769.

Training: Dr. Trey Williams reviewed the success of the last local seminar. His committee is looking for a less costly location for future seminars. Darin announced a scholarship for a training session on Asset Protection that will be held in Long Beach, CA, March 14-17^th. Please see him for information.

Web: Mike Crocker CPP announced our web-site won an Honorable Mention for ASIS International Group 6 Web-site of the Year (chapters with more than 500 members). Credit was given to Bruce Rodriguez for all his contributions to its maintenance. Sponsorships are greatly appreciated and valued. Please see Mike for information.

Misc: Three new committee chairs were acknowledged: Posie Clinton will be the Private Security Council Representative; Andrea Laughlin will chair Social Events; and Mike Mason CPP will oversee the Placement Committee (a job-search resource).

L.E. Award: Bill Hart announced HPD Officer Jose Selvera Jr was our 2004 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Bill stressed the difficultly in selecting a person from the ten exceptional candidates who were recognized this year and highlighted each of their accomplishments. Selection is based on outstanding skills that benefited the whole community and provided a positive reflection on the Police Department as a whole.

Mr. Selvera is a 25 year veteran of HPD and is currently a Sr. Investigator with the Homicide Division. He successfully pursued three suspects in a drive-by, gang-related shooting that resulted in the death of an innocent 5-year old boy. It took five years of diligence and patience to capture the last suspect, who was prosecuted and convicted of Capital Murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In addition to a plaque, Mr. Selvera was presented with two tickets to a sports event, dinner and an overnight stay in a local hotel, the entrance fee to play in the local Golf Tournament, and a one-year membership to ASIS International.

We were honored to have HPD Chief Hurtt; Kim Ogg, Director of Crimestoppers; and Captain Dale Brown, HPD Homicide Division in attendance.

Speaker: Chief Harold L. Hurtt, Houston Police Department

“How the Police Serve the Community in Houston”

Mr. Hurtt was named the 37^th Chief of Police for the Houston Police Department on 2/27/04 by Mayor Bill White. He was formerly the Chief of the Phoenix, AZ Police Department. A full biography is available on our web page.

Chief Hurtt’s first experience with ASIS International occurred in 1980, when he was the PAO for the Phoenix Police Department and worked with their version of the Crimestoppers Program. He expressed the importance of law enforcement to reach out to their security counterparts as partners in public safety. We all play a vital role in protecting our homeland. War is no longer confined to shores far away from America, but now under threat on our own soil. Law Enforcement and Private Security must work together to protect those American assets. We must all take advantage of the assets we each possess and dedicate ourselves to work together to keep “9/11” from happening again.

Houston is a prime target for terrorism and with that thought, he encourages us to reach out to them as well. Although there are a lot of Homeland Security directives from Washington D.C., there is not one program that funds additional officers. Private Industry has the money, technology and information to share with law enforcement to supplement that void. Prior to 2001, law enforcement was not approachable. The mindset was it was their responsibility to protect but now it is appreciated as a joint effort. We are all trying to be prepared. Terrorists are now looking at different types of targets and different methods to attack. Cyberspace is the key infrastructure to protect. We still have to worry about the physical security of our buildings, but the terrorists are better prepared to attack our computer systems than we are to protect them. It is that challenge to protect that encourages and must allow us to share training and knowledge.

Chief Hurtt thanked Investigator Selvera for the professionalism he displays on a day-to-day basis. He personifies that instinct, that drive to never give up and to bring justice to the victim or their family. Chief Hurtt thanked the Chapter for reaching out, honoring and recognizing our public servants for working hard to keep us safe.

After answering some questions about the HPD Crime Lab and Houston traffic issues, Chief Hurtt accepted a plaque as a token of our appreciation for his time and presentation.

Our next meeting is February 23. Our speaker will be Director Steven McCraw, Texas Homeland Security.