University of California, Irvine, is teaching security guards how to spot terrorists.
The course, “Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Awareness for Security Professionals,” is backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Office of Homeland Security. It got under way last month and is the first of its kind in the U.S.
“There’s only so much the state’s police force can do,” said Jia Frydenberg, UC Irvine’s distance learning center director and project manager for the course. “There are 100,000 police officers but there are 400,000 security professionals. The governor’s thinking is that these individuals are on the ground and they are the people who notice who looks strange.”
California requires all security guards hired after July 1 to take the course.
Companies planning to offer the course to current and new workers include Sacramento-based California Security & Investigations Academy, Walnut Creek-based Securitas Security Services USA Inc. and Concord-based PMC Investigation.
“We expect the state eventually will require current security guards to take the course as well,” Frydenberg said.
The course won’t cost companies any money,it’s funded by the state. The four-hour course is on DVD and CD-ROM. Two hours of video are on the DVD, with other course materials on the CD-ROM.
Developing the course cost the state $125,000, Frydenberg said.
Frydenberg designed the course with Anthony Lukin, a consultant to the state of California in weapons of mass destruction. He is affiliated with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, an organization that has worked with UCI in the past.
Wayne Windman, a sergeant with the Redondo Beach Police Department, also helped develop the course, which teaches guards about terrorism.
“We train security people to watch out for unusual questions from people about things like air conditioning ducts,” Frydenberg said.
The course can be altered for other states that have international borders.
