September 17, 2003—In an effort to gain statistical information about the size and scope of the security industry, ASIS International and the ASIS Foundation have given Eastern Kentucky University’s Justice & Safety Center a $150,000 grant to research worldwide trends in private security. The grant will be matched with another $150,000 from EKU’s College of Justice & Safety. The project is to be completed by September 2004.
Since the events of September 11, 2001, the security industry has been under more scrutiny than ever before. However, information about the size, scope, and breadth of the industry has been spotty, says ASIS, with the last major study undertaken more than ten years ago.
Highlights of the report will include revenues and expenditures of the entire industry, plus those of eight different subsets of the industry: alarm companies, contract guards, private investigators, consultants/security engineers, locksmiths, manufacturers, high-tech security, and contract vs. proprietary security. Employment, security management, investigations, legal aspects (US, Canada, and UK), the protection of intellectual property, and the impact of security on other industries will also be examined.
