The Quarterly PIRSAC meeting was held in Tampa, FL on December 13, 2007 and the following topics were discussed.

-    Division of Licensing just went through a Sunset Review Audit and was impressed with the fact that the PIRSAC meets regularly and is working well.

-    Private Investigative Training Bill will begin its first phase effective 1/1/08. This bill will require new Class C, M and MA applicants to pass a test that was reviewed by the Division of Licensing. The contents of the test will include information on Chapter 493 ONLY and will not pertain to specific investigative techniques. Only schools that are Dept. Of Education certified will be permitted to administer the test.

-    Effective 9/1/08 the forty (40) hour training course for new CC Licensees will be effective.

-    The State of Florida is asking for a 4% cut across the board including the Division of Licensing. The State is attempting to gain control of the Division of Licensing's 20 million dollar trust fund which we need to protect. We may be asking for your assistance in speaking with legislators to deter this action.

-    The Div. of Licensing is in need of additional staff but there is a hiring freeze on all State employee positions. If the DOL does not get additional personnel, a decline in service will be felt by the industry.

-    Firearm Instructors (K) Instructors currently do not need any CEU's to renew their license every 2 years. It was brought up that there is a need for K Instructors to show their NRA Recertification Card or other DOL approved certification status when renewing their license. Also, CJSTC standards have changed and the DOL needs to keep up with the changes to allow new K License applicants the ability to receive the appropriate/required training. DOL will look at this in the future.

-    The 24/16 Class D Training Curriculum involving Terrorism Training needs to be reviewed now that the 16 hour course is required within 6 months of applying for your Class D license. Need to get the Training Committee together.

-    It was brought up that the DOL should get to the point where applicants for Licenses can apply on-line instead of mailing an application. The Division Director stated that this process is on their very long list of items to look at in the future but is not possible now.

-    Firearm Safety is extremely important in the Security industry. A proposal was made to allow security officers who are on duty, able to carry their weapon on their person when going from location to location. It was brought up that removing the firearm from the holster and locking it up when running into a store for a drink, etc. is far more dangerous than leaving the firearm in the holster. If S/O's act inappropriately, they should lose their license.

-    PIRSAC Chairman requested that we have an American Flag present at our meetings and that we say the "Pledge of Allegiance". All Council members agreed.

-    Meetings for 2008 will include the following cities, Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

PIRSAC - June 7, 2007

The Private Investigative, Recovery and Security Advisory Council met in Orlando, FL and discussed the following topics:

- HB 1197 passed - Distance Learning for the Recovery Industry - Effective 7/1/07, recovery agents will be able to obtain required training for licensure via the internet, correspondence or face to face as approved by the State of Florida. Limited training facilities across the State of Florida prompted this request for a legislation change.

- Private Investigation Bill passed- Applications for a Class C License will have to pass an Examination provided by the State of Florida prior to issuing the license. Cost for exam can not exceed $100.00. CC Licensee's will have to attend a forty (40) hour course similar to the D license Course (Part A 24 hours initially and Part B 16 hours within 180 days).

- HB 707 - SB1780 (FASCO Bill) passed - Effective 7/1/07, Agency owned/leased vehicles can now display 50% Amber, 50% Green lights on their vehicles. This new legislation does not mandate that agencies switch to this light combination but allows agencies to distinguish their vehicles from other emergency vehicles.

- Seaport Security Bill - The Division of licensing is working with the Department of Education to establish a training program to meet legislative requirements. Committee meetings have been held to discuss the curriculum and the contents of the program. A total of 258 hours are required for this program. Outline from the DOE should be completed in January 2008.

- Tiered Licensing - The PIRSAC Board discussed the possibility of having a tiered licensing structure as initially introduced by John Russi, former Director of the DOL. More discussions on this program will be conducted in future meetings.

Next PIRSAC meeting will be held in West Palm Beach on September 6, 2007 at the Marriott West Palm Beach, 1001 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL (561) 833-1234.

TRAINING COMMITTEE PUBLIC MEETING - June 6, 2007

The Division of Licensing brought the training committee together to discuss the G License curriculum. During the meeting the following issues were discussed:

- Division of Licensing can not change the number of hours currently required by statute

- There are 444 K Licensed instructors in the State of FL. Approximately 10% of these instructors were in attendance.

- Currently, K licensee's are not required to provide a copy of their recertification training to the Division of Licensing prior to receiving their renewal. The Director is going to review the current procedures.

- K Instructors in attendance along with the committee members felt that the transition from revolver to pistol is necessary in the training curriculum.

- K Instructors in attendance felt that additional range time is needed and that the eight (8) hours on the range is not sufficient. Can not increase time on the range due to statute.

- Eliminate the 25 yard line for firing as 15 yards is sufficient and is the new LE standard. The committee and attendees were split in their support.

- Possibly include night/low light firing, shooting while moving, discretionary shooting, concealment, weak hand firing, survival and weapon retention in the curriculum.

- Revise test questions. It was mentioned that instead of having a test after each section, the instructor conducts one final comprehensive test at the end of the course.

The Training Committee will be meeting again in the future to continue discussing possible changes in the curriculum. The Division of Licensing is review the suggestions made during this meeting and they will be putting together some proposed changes to be reviewed with the training committee in the future.

FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF SECURITY COMPANIES (FASCO) MEETING - June 6, 2007

During the quarterly PIRSAC meeting held in Orlando on June 6, 2007 the board discussed the following proposed changes:

- 2007 has shown an increase in membership over 2006 but we need to grow our membership to include additional business partners.

- In 2007 FASCO began issuing membership certificates to our members so that they could proudly display the certificate in their office. We will continue this procedure for years to come.

- 2008 membership dues will be increased in order to assist with costs associated with our hired Lobbyist, Scholarship, website, etc.

- Over the past three (3) years, the FASCO lobbyist, Ben Pointevent, has been working very hard for FASCO in assist us with legislation which will enhance the professionalism of the security industry. We will need his assistance in 2008 as FASCO proposes legislation which will allow security officers detention powers pending Law Enforcement on the scene. Ben Pointevant and Alan Lamarche worked on this legislation in 2007 but due to some committee issues, the legislation was placed on hold until the 2008 session. We will need your help and support during this process.

- FASCO is asking for company contributions to assist our organization with the costs associated with our lobbyist.

- In the future, FASCO will be looking into providing our members with a list of preferred vendors where reduced costs for goods and services can be offered to FASCO members.

We welcome your input and suggestions on ways we can improve our service to you, our members... If you are interested in serving on the board, please attend the next FASCO meeting which will be held in West Palm Beach in September. Check the website in the future for the exact time, date and location.

PIRSAC Meeting 3/22/07

Jacksonville, FL

The quarterly PIRSAC/FASCO meeting was held in Jacksonville on March 22, 2007. Below you will find the details of the meeting:

2007 Legislation

HB 93 - SB 1952 - Investigative Industry Education

- The Division of Licensing sponsored this bill which would require a PI Intern to take a 40 hour course (Part A and Part B), similar to Security Officers. The course will consist of distance learning, correspondence and/or face to face participation. The bill also requires an individual to pass an exam, provided by the State, in order to get a C license (fee not to exceed $100.00).

Recovery Industry/Distance Learning - The Division of Licensing also sponsored legislation which would allow distance learning for Recovery Agents in lieu of classroom training. Currently, there is not a sufficient number of schools that offer the required course for Recovery agents causing hardship to the industry. Input from the industry for the required Curriculum is being sought and the DOL will be be administering the training and testing.

HB 707 - Security Light Bill - Ben Pointevent and Alan Lamarche have worked very hard in obtaining support for this bill from the House and Senate. To date, there has not been any opposition to this bill and we are expecting the legislation to pass this year. This bill will designate 50% amber - 50% Green lights to be used by security companies in an effort to better identify security vehicles during an emergency situation. The bill is specifically for company owned/leased vehicles and is optional for security companies to implement. More to come on this bill...

SB 1298 - Detention Bill - Unfortunately, this bill has been removed from the session this year due to a committee issue. There was no opposition to the detention bill from either the House or the Senate and had support from both the Florida Sheriff's Association and the Division of Licensing. This bill provides for licensed officers to temporarily detain and individual until LE arrives on the scene. More to come on this bill next year.

Seaport Security Act - This legislation was approved in last years session and the curriculum for the program is being designed by the Department of Education. Input is being sought by the industry, security officers and end users to determine the proper curriculum needed to accommodate the legislative requirements involving training.

DOL Field Administrative Complaints - The Division of Licensing is continuing to work on the Field Administrative Complaint process previously mentioned. The Division is currently testing their equipment and will be implementing this program in the near future. The industry will be notified in advance of the implementation of this program. The current appeals process will still be applicable when this process is upgraded. More to come...

Electronic Fingerprinting - The Division of Licensing is working on adding Electronic Fingerprinting in order to expedite the licensing process. Currently flat prints take approximately 60 days for the FBI to process, the new electronic process will take approximately 2 days.

On Line Application/Renewal Process - In the near future, the DOL will allow on line processing for applications for Concealed Weapons renewal and further down the road may include other industry application/renewal processes.

Tiered Licensing - Tiered licensing was brought up during the meeting and tabled until a future meeting.

The next PIRSAC/FASCO meeting will be held in Orlando in June. The day prior to the PIRSAC, the Division of Licensing will be holding a public meeting with the training committee to discuss the curriculum for the D and G license. FASCO encourages our members to attend this two (2) day meeting in an effort to get your input to the licensing curriculum. Hope to see you there!!!!

PIRSAC Meeting Update

December 7, 2006, Tallahassee FL

On December 7, 2006 the Private Investigation, Recovery and Security Advisory Council met to discuss issues relating to the Industries represented. The following topics were discussed:

Distance Learning for Recovery Agents will be sponsored by the Division of Licensing. This proposed legislation will allow Recovery Agents to take the required courses for licensure using established online training curriculum as approved by the division (This legislation does not pertain to Security or Investigation industries). The PIRSAC Council unanimously supported this legislation by motion.

Training for Private Investigation Industry will be sponsored by the Division of Licensing. This proposed legislation will require the DOE and DOL to create the outline. Will be approved by the Division of Licensing and the reviewed by PIRSAC. Distance Learning may be allowed for this proposed training requirement.

The Division of Licensing has been developing a process whereby the field inspectors for the Division can immediately issue a Field Administrative Complaint on the spot when detecting a violation. If the individual or company receiving the complaint wishes to contest the complaint, they can still utilize the same process that is currently established. This process should be online sometime in 2007.

The training committee will be asked to reconvene in the first half of 2007 to continue discussions on changing the 40 hour D Course curriculum to include a total of 8 hours of terrorism awareness. This meeting will most likely occur in June and will be held in Orlando. Division of Licensing will continue to work on the date, time and venue for this meeting and will make an announcement when the information is set.

A proposal was presented to the PIRSAC members and the Division of Licensing regarding the Security Industry to become accredited. It was determined by PIRSAC that this accreditation should be presented to Florida Association of Security Companies (FASCO) for discussion and implementation.

FASCO will be proposing legislation which will permit licensed security officers to have temporary detention powers while awaiting on Law Enforcement to arrive. FASCO has received support from the Florida Sheriffs Association on this issue.

FASCO will also be proposing legislation which will designate Amber/Green lights to security agency owned or leased vehicles. This designation will assist the security industry greatly when LE is responding to emergencies or during Disaster Recovery efforts. The Florida Sheriffs Association and the FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have no issues with this request from the Security Industry.

I would like to highly recommend that you attend these very important quarterly meetings so that your thoughts and opinions can be heard relating to the various industries represented. The Division of Licensing and PIRSAC will listen to your requests and opinions. You can make a difference in your industry by making your thoughts, ideas and recommendations heard.