NIGHT WATCHMAN MAKES WAY FOR NEW TECHNOLOGY

Gone are the days of a sleepy night watchman guarding industry and business. He has been replaced by an elaborate system of high-tech equipment and smart planning.

Corporate and institutional security is a growing field, says Doug Richards, director of public safety at Southeast Missouri State University. Richards has also served as a corporate security consultant for the past 12 years, working with local businesses and industries.

"Private security is a brand new area and it's wide open. This area is continuing to explode," he said.

The growth, he said, stems from several roots. A sluggish economy prompts industry to tighten up. Richards said: "When profits are low, companies will actually increase their expenditures for security. They can't afford to lose money."

Also, he said, competition is growing in business.

"Years ago you might have had one company making a product, now you have 10, all vying for the same dollars."

Technological advances have opened new avenues for ambitious corporate spies and thieves.

"Computers opened up a whole new area," Richards said. Other innovations, like fax machines and even conference telephone calls, can be potential security risks for companies.

"Industrial espionage is a big concern," Richards said. "We don't want to tell our competition anything."

Using any number of means, unscrupulous competitors can gain millions of dollars in research and development data and marketing studies and use that information against the company, Richards said.

"They even take forecasting data to beat a company on the market with a new product," Richards said. "I've seen it happen."

Security managers must worry about espionage and also outright theft, Richards said.

"It's everything from making sure the adding machine stays on the desk to millions of dollars in coupon fraud," Richards said.

Elaborate telephone systems, which corporations have developed, open a path for phone service thieves.

"Hackers find a way to access the phone system and run up thousands of dollars in phone bills."

While huge corporations may stand to lose the most in corporate espionage or theft, Richards said every company needs to be security conscious.

"The smaller the company, the less profits are," said Richards. "They have got to guard their facilities even more."

To protect against these corporate losses, Richards said, companies take a variety of safety precautions.

"There is the actual uniformed security guard," Richards said. "The old concept of going around and checking that doors are locked and people are where they should be is still important."

But he said security guards are just a first line of defense.

"There are all types of devices," Richards said. "The technology is unbelievable."

For example he said, "The day of the key is a thing of the past." Companies are now utilizing computerized key cards.

A card, similar to a credit card, records a visitor or employee's identity, time of arrival and time of departure. Access is monitored by a computer.

"Closed circuit TV is an important tool in private security," Richards said. "Video doesn't lie."

"And you can monitor the whole facility from one location. You can concentrate on shipping areas and entrances."

He added that closed circuit television systems may even reduce insurance rates. "If you monitor the grounds 24 hours a day, you will catch safety problems fires or chemical spills earlier."

One of the simplest security tools, Richards said, is a paper shredder that works.

"So many people who gain access to a facility can look through trash cans. I know it sounds far-fetched, but it really happens."

He said fax machines can be a security problem when "faxed" documents get misdirected.

Even copy machines and printers can be security hazards.

"If you type an important letter, you should destroy the typewriter ribbon," he said. "Someone could take that ribbon and reverse the type and learn what you wrote.

"I know this sounds more like a television show," Richards said. "But it happens. It happens right here in Cape Girardeau, and it affects us all.

"It's happening in Cape Girardeau," he said. "The bottom line is that we have some major industries here and this affects us all.

"If a company is losing thousands of dollars because of security leaks, we'll be out of a job."

In response to the growing need for corporate security, the university expanded its criminal justice program to include corporate and institutional security. The three courses in the security option are taught by former Cape Girardeau Police Chief Henry Gerecke.

Gerecke explained that more people are employed in private security than in law enforcement.

Richards, a former policeman, said he now suggests that students carefully examine private security as a career option.

"The hours are better and the money is better," Richards admitted.

"Security is prevention," Gerecke said. "It's proactive, not reactive. Most police departments will do this too, so it fits in with the criminal justice program."

His classes focus on how security fits into management of businesses and other institutions.

The introductory course touches on different aspects of security including hospitals, businesses, industry, department stores and museums. "We cover the gamut," Gerecke said.

The course also deals with some hardware aspects of corporate security like camera systems and locks.

Another course offered deals with loss prevention and control. "We delve into why people steal," Gerecke said.

Primarily this course focuses on internal thefts by company employees.

"We are directing the course toward people who will be in management. We discuss the management of security and the legal aspects of it," Gerecke said.

The third course is called security management and covers nuts and bolts of contracting for security services or developing a security force for a company, Gerecke said.

"Security management is not law enforcement oriented," he said. "It is how to get security into management, how to show management where security fits into the picture.

"Security needs a better image," Gerecke said. "The image of the average security person is overaged, underpaid, overweight and undereducated.

"That's not the case. Private security is responsible for millions of dollars of technology and it's a growth area for the future."