Safeguarding America: Public Private Partnerships

On Friday, November 8, 2013 I attended a full day seminar titled Public Private Partnerships: The New Era of Information Sharing hosted by the ASIS International Western New Jersey Chapter.

The event included presentations by the FBI, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security & Preparedness, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and security professionals representing physical security, school safety and global communications technology.

As addressed in my presentations and writings for many years, this unity of effort between the public and private sector is critical to safeguarding our nation:

JCPD Waterfront Security Meeting: Promoting Public/Private Partnerships-November 19, 2008 Blog

On Tuesday, November 18, 2008, thanks to the leadership of Captain Brian McDonough and Officer Dina Reilly of the Jersey City Police Department East District, the monthly Waterfront Security Meeting was held at Goldman Sachs in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Aside from the public sector attendees which included the Jersey City Police Department, the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management and the New Jersey State Police, private sector representatives included security and human resource representatives from the following organizations:

• Advanced Integration Security
  
• Allied Barton Security Services
  
• AXA-Equitable Life Insurance Company
  
• Barclays Capital
  
• Brookfield Properties
  
• Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
  
• Care Security Systems
  
• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
  
• Fidelity Investments
  
• Goldman Sachs
  
• John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  
• JPMorgan Chase
  
• Hyatt Hotels
  
• McRoberts Protective Agency, Inc.
  
• Mulligan Security
  
• Pershing
  
• Professional Security Technologies, LLC
  
• Risk Protective Services
  
• Securitas
  
• Spartan Security Service Inc.
  
• TD Ameritrade
  
• The Bank of New York Mellon

As the invited keynote speaker, I was privileged to present When Domestic Violence Spills into the Workplace.

AGENDA

• Why are we Here?
  
• Domestic Abuse and Violence
  
• One Life
  
• Domestic Violence and the Workplace
  
• Overview and Impact
  
• Warning Signs
  
• Awareness and Action
  
• Lessons Learned: Virginia Tech Tragedy
  
• Violence Prevention In The Workplace
  
• American Military Tribute
  
• Conclusion

Although the statistics on the negative impact of domestic violence in the American workplace are staggering, I stressed the ethical standard we must have when it comes to violence prevention:

"When it comes to even one life, we must do what is right—not what is convenient, politically expedient, or the most cost effective.

"In simplest terms, we must learn to care for one another in our time of need."

It is caring, vigilant and proactive people, not sterile policies and procedures, that is the key to violence prevention in the workplace. By fostering leadership principles to create a culture of respect and unity of effort, employees are more likely to respond appropriately when they see warning signs.

After the presentation, Listen To Their Cries was available to participants. A donation from the proceeds was made to assist the Jersey City Police Department East District initiative for providing Thanksgiving turkeys and meals for needy families.

The Jersey City Police Department is to be commended for their leadership and commitment to the principles of community policing expressed through unity of effort and public/private partnerships cultivated through these Waterfront Security meetings. A special thanks is deserving of Goldman Sachs for hosting the event.