Author: Robert J. Fischer
ISBN No: 0-7506-7600-0
Review date: 14/12/2025
No of pages: 570
Publisher: Elsevier
Year of publication:
Brief:
An American publication easily achieves what its title promises; an introduction to the work of the US security industry. From the February print magazine.
Being an American publication brings with it certain benefits and issues: the benefits, an invaluable insight into the USA security industry’s current thinking, particularly post-September 11. A number of the subjects covered in the book should be of especial interest to readers of Professional Security, for example drugs at work and workplace violence, especially employee-on-employee attacks, as the expression if ‘America sneezes the UK will soon catch a cold’ is often found to be accurate. Further the opening chapter, which addresses the changed position of the industry, highlights the introduction of the Department of Homeland Security and the development of Federal control over areas of security previously managed by the private sector. No current American publication on the subject of security would fail to have a specific input on terrorism and chapter 20 provides a useful overview of the main areas of interest to security professionals. As for the issues, the reader will unfortunately have to pick their way through references to US legislation and regulatory frameworks. Notwithstanding, this is a most useful publication for anyone new to the industry, doing an undergraduate course or, I would presume to suggest, a company seeking to better understand the US security market.
The main areas covered include: physical security, with chapters on building and perimeter protection, interior and exterior security, intrusion and access control and fire protection; individual based risks, with specific chapters on internal theft, drugs in the workplace and personnel policies (a most useful chapter); and specific security risks, including chapters on retail crime, workplace violence (again very interesting), e-security and transportation security.
