Thursday, October 12, 2028

Lieutenant Governor Burbank Announces New Private Security Initiative Aimed at Safer Workplaces and Public Venues
— Private security industry is often the ‘front line’ against terrorist activity or crime —

BALTIMORE, MD (October 12, 2028) – Governor Edward M. O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today announced a new program called the Private Crime Prevention Practitioner (PCPP) certification program. The PCPP program will train and certify professionals in the private security industry in the area of crime prevention and terrorism prevention.

“Public safety is of paramount importance to both the private and public sectors,” Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank said. “This new initiative will make the State of Maryland a national leader in putting more specially trained ‘eyes and ears’ in venues served by the private security industry to detect and prevent crime, and potentially, terrorist activities.”

The Maryland State Police Department consulted with private security industry professionals and law enforcement crime prevention specialists in the design of PCPP. Research showed that more and more businesses and corporations were hiring an increasing number of private security professionals to make workers safer in the workplace.

“Many people don’t stop to realize that private security professionals in our business places, our public gathering sites, and our corporate environments are truly first responders to every conceivable calamity from crimes to natural disasters,” said Maryland State Police Secretary Terrence Sheirdan. “We are excited to partner with this valuable industry on this project to keep Maryland safe.”

The PCPP program is modeled after the successful Maryland Crime Prevention Specialist program for law enforcement officers. It will produce a better trained and qualified private security workforce that will act in conjunction with law enforcement officers and other first responders to both prevent crime and to mitigate its impact in Maryland’s retail, corporate and public places.

The requirements for the PCPP program involve both training and experience. MSP will administer and operate the program. Certification will be awarded based on successful completion of 48 hours of crime prevention and instructor training; a national fingerprint-based criminal history records check; and at least one year of experience in the private security field.
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