ASIS INTERNATIONAL HOUSTON CHAPTER

MEETING MINUTES: April 27, 2005

The luncheon meeting was held at Renaissance Hotel. Chapter Chairman Darin Dillon CPP presided. 93 members and guests attended.

Opening prayer and Pledge: Weldon Green CPP

Committee Activities:

Treasurer: Bob Cascino reviewed and distributed the report.

Newsletter: Tom Hamilton CPP stated the newsletter was mailed last week. Several copies have been returned with inaccurate addresses. If you did not receive a copy, please contact Tom.

Golf Tournament: The new location is Southwyck Golf Club in Pearland on May 16. 9:00 AM Shotgun start with breakfast served starting at 8:00 AM. Registration information was distributed. 32 out of 36 teams have registered to date. Detailed information can be found on our web page.

Certifications: A CPP Crash Review session will be held on Saturday June 4. The review will be held at Baylor Medical College from 9:00-13:00. This review is open to anyone meeting the CPP exam qualifications. For further information, contact Steven Bourg CPP at 832-824-2516.

Houses of Worship: Lewis Eakins CPP expressed a special appreciation to Matt Silcox for his conscientious commitment to the success of the program. The Committee will be doing 6-8 presentations this month to various churches around the community

Training:

o Locke Protective Services sponsored a free audio conference seminar on “Promoting a Safe Environment of Care on April 4, 2005. It was well received by those who attended.

o InfraGard and UHD are going to co-sponsor an exam course for a Certified Computer Investigator.

Legislation: Joe Olivarez announced:

o HB 1769, with the new amendments, was passed in the House. The amendment removes the requirement to have a PI license for in-house security managers conducting internal investigations.

o HB 896 passed the House, which allows employees with concealed handgun permits to bring their weapons onto company property.

Placement: Mike Mason CPP explained that he needs permission, in writing, before he can post anything. Please call him about positions that may not be posted.

Membership: Ross Johnson CPP described his extensive outreach program to 62 new or transferred members of the Chapter. A very small percentage has responded to his invitations to attend a meeting or participate in local programs. He plans to reformat the letter and revise his approach. We were pleased to have 4 new local members attend due to his efforts.

Social: Andrea Laughlin announced that eleven people attended the first “after-hours social” event. If you did not receive an invitation by email, please check with Bruce Rodriquez to be sure we have your correct address. Andrea welcomes new ideas to expand our networking capabilities.

Misc:

• Military Outreach at Astroworld on May 7. The Houston Chapter produced child I.D. kits. Several chapter members have volunteered their time to distribute them during the private event.
• RVP Neal Mulchrone CPP attended the Chapter meeting. He presented the Honorary Mention Award for Outstanding 2004 Website to Mike Crocker CPP. The Chapter was awarded a $75 prize.
• The Chapter directed a request to RVP Mulchrone for more regional support of our programs. Over a half million dollars in dues support the National organization, but none of those dollars are coming back to support local Chapter activities. We asked that Mr. Mulchrone voice his support of our Chapter to host some of National’s training programs. We would also like recognition for starting a Corporate Roundtable Committee, which has now been mirrored in other Chapters.

Law Enforcement Recognition Award: HPD Officer Gregory P. Countie

Officer Countie is a 25 year veteran of the Houston Police Department. During his career, he has become a Master Sharpshooter, Master Peace Officer, Crime Prevention Specialist and has earned a Lifesaving Medal. He was accompanied to the meeting by his supervisor, Captain A.H. Anderson.

On March 7, 2005, a dangerous suspect burglarized an apartment. Upon is escape, he was seen by maintenance personnel and was followed to an adjacent apartment complex. The maintenance personnel informed a man at the second complex who attempted to detain the suspect. The suspect pulled out a weapon and shot the man in the leg before fleeing through a vacant field into an industrial park. There, the suspect approached another man seated in his vehicle. The suspect demanded his vehicle and shot the man when he refused to comply. The wounded man managed to drive away from the scene to get help. Meanwhile, the suspect continued on foot where he approached yet another vehicle waiting at a traffic light. The driver refused to give up his vehicle by taking the keys and escaped on foot.

Officer Countie, while on patrol, heard a description of the suspect and proceeded to the location. The officer saw the suspect and pursued him into a driveway. There, Officer Countie saw the suspect pointing a weapon at the homeowner who was sitting in his vehicle. The officer attempted to talk with the suspect and dissuade him of his intent to steal yet another vehicle or hurt another person. However, the suspect responded that he was going to shoot his victim. Officer Countie ordered that he lay down his weapon and took a defensive position behind his patrol car. The suspect then discharged his weapon grazing the side of the man’s head. The officer stopped the suspect from further action by delivering a fatal shot from 63 feet away.

Officer Countie displayed courage in a deadly situation involving the safety of citizens. By his actions, he prevented further injuries or perhaps a fatality. The suspect was a 3-time convicted sex offender and was pending a 4^th conviction for burglary when he shot these victims.

Officer Countie was presented a plaque in appreciation of his service to the protection of our community. He responded by saying, as an officer, it was the best day as well as the worst day of his career, as he places an unquestionable value on human life.

2004 Law Enforcement Officer of the year: HPD Officer Selvada was invited back accept several donated gifts such as game tickets, invitation to play in the Golf Tournament and hotel/dinner reservations.

Speaker: Keith G. Medford, Special Agent, FBI

InfraGard Coordinator

Topic: Findings from a recent investigation of Terrorist activities.

All information presented today is just prior to becoming unclassified.

InfraGard is a resource available to private security which may help in the prevention of the next terrorist act. Cyber-terrorism is number # 3 in priorities. “Information is the coin of the realm” and sharing information is critical.

Today’s topic focuses on a laptop that was seized from a Pakistani. It contained extensive and sophisticated surveillance photographs with detailed personal observations and suggestions for thwarting security measures. Information was gathered from several sources:

o Public source information, such as brochures, advertisements and articles

o Informants

o Surveillance photos

o Observation

Many of the photos were displayed to us during a slide presentation. The photos were taken of financial centers and some religious facilities in two cities. Comments and attached notes had been directly translated and not subject to “interpretation”. The type of information collected included:

• City maps
• Subway proximity and locations
• Police department proximity and locations; referencing back-up capability
• Location of day care centers or playgrounds
• Architectural floor plans
• Number of columns
• Size, location and photos of meeting rooms
• Type and location of fire systems
• Type and location of security cameras
• Engineering details of elevator systems
• Types of ceilings
• Types of barriers
• Restroom locations
• Air ventilation systems
• Transit information
• Timetables
• Number of pedestrians and vehicles per minute
• Location of heliports
• Traffic light sequences
• Employee phone lists
• Location of good observation areas, such as coffee shops or parks
• Location of good places to meet the employees
• Suggestions on how to develop a cover story; wear the appropriate clothing to blend in
• Actually “tested” several security measures by entering restricted areas and included recommendations based on those tests.
• Took a public helicopter tour and detailed photographs of the visitor process.

Mr. Medford closed his presentation by reminding us to be aware of the level of sophistication, methods of deception and motivation of these terrorists. He warned us to be aware of what we are posting on our websites. InfraGard holds an annual conference at the U of H to focus on cyber-crime. Last year’s keynote speaker was from Microsoft. Mr. Medford encourages us all to participate in this important training.

Mr. Medford was awarded a plaque in appreciation of his time and presentation.

The next luncheon meeting is on May 25. Our speaker is Richard Ward, Dean of the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. The topic is "Bridging the Gap: Improving Relationships between Public Sector, Private Sector, and Higher Education".