CIS and S2 Institute Launch Free ‘Proper Crime Deterrence and Safety Training’ for Compliance with Florida Statute 768.0706(2)(c)

CIS and S2 Institute Launch Free ‘Proper Crime Deterrence and Safety Training’ for Compliance with Florida Statute 768.0706(2)(c)

Training Now Available On-Demand at www.HB837training.com 

Clearwater, FL, September 12, 2024 — Critical Intervention Services (CIS), in partnership with the S2 Institute, proudly announces the launch of an on-demand Crime Deterrence and Safety Training program, available now at www.HB837training.com. This comprehensive training is free to the public until January 1, 2025, and is designed to help organizations comply with Florida Statute 768.0706(2)(c). 

A major benefit for management companies: CIS clients who have undergone a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) assessment will receive unlimited, no-cost access to this training for their employees — permanently. This unique offering ensures management companies can provide continuous safety training without incurring additional costs, enabling them to stay compliant with Florida Statute 768.0706(2)(c) and protect both current and future employees. 

Starting January 1, 2025, the training will be available to non-CIS clients for a fee of $35.00 per employee. 

Comprehensive Crime Prevention Training

The training program, based on the proposed curriculum developed by the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute (Department of Legal Affairs), covers critical strategies to prevent and respond to crime. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate of completion, providing proof of their commitment to safety and preparedness. 

CIS, known for its expertise in specialized security and safety solutions, including CPTED assessments, designed this program to deliver practical crime deterrence techniques that enhance safety and awareness across multifamily environments. 

Exclusive Features for Management Companies

For management companies, the training comes with enhanced benefits, including an online administrative portal for streamlined oversight. This portal allows management teams to monitor employee progress, ensuring full compliance with training requirements. Additionally, it provides on-demand access to training records, simplifying the retrieval of important documents as needed. 

Through this administrative portal, management companies can enjoy complete transparency in tracking training progress, ensuring accountability and timely completion of required courses. 

Enroll Today

The Crime Deterrence and Safety Training is available now at www.HB837training.com. Enrollment is open to all multifamily management companies, their employees, and the general public. Take advantage of this free offer before it expires on January 1, 2025.

New Guide to Compliance with Florida Statute 768.0706 (HB 837)

New Guide to Compliance with Florida Statute 768.0706 (HB 837)

In May 2024, CIS published a comprehensive online guide to assist property owners in developing an informed strategy for compliance with Florida Statute 768.0706.

The new guide presents a complete roadmap to compliance beginning with cost-benefit analysis and initial considerations, conducting a preliminary compliance assessment, CPTED assessment, implementation and documentation of improvements, “proper crime deterrence and safety training” for employees, and maintaining ongoing compliance moving forward.

The new guide also explores a number of ambiguities in the statute, strategies for demonstrating “substantial compliance” as required by the law, and approaches for reinforcing defensibility against future court challenge.

Click here to view the web version.

Click here to download the PDF version.

FacilitiesNet Interviews CIS about Active Shooter Training

FacilitiesNet Interviews CIS about Active Shooter Training

In March 2024, Dan Hounsel of facilitiesnet.com interviewed CIS VP of Special Projects, Craig Gundry, about preparing facilities to minimize risks of active shooter violence.  Some of the topics explored in their discussion included active shooter training for employees in workplace settings and essential infrastructure to ensure reliable response during active shooter attacks.

Click here to read Dan’s article “Strategies for Successful Active Shooter Drills” on Facilitiesnet.com.

Click here for information about our services in managing risks of active shooter violence.

CIS: Elevating HB 837 Compliance and Reporting Standards in Florida

CIS: Elevating HB 837 Compliance and Reporting Standards in Florida

TAMPA, Fla., March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In a landscape where safety and compliance are more critical than ever, Critical Intervention Services (CIS) stands out not only as a leader but also as the largest HB 837 compliance consulting firm in Florida. With a steadfast commitment to mitigating risk, CIS delivers on this promise through a blend of unmatched expertise, a comprehensive approach to security and legal compliance, and a dedication to excellence that spans over three decades. Specializing in multi-family housing security, CIS has made its mark by working in thousands of communities, offering unparalleled protection and strategic advantages to property owners and operators throughout the state.

The enactment of Florida House Bill 837 (HB 837) in March 2023 has introduced new benchmarks for apartment and multifamily property owners, mandating stringent crime prevention measures. CIS leverages its unparalleled expertise and the largest team of specialized consultants in the state to ensure that compliance extends beyond mere adherence to standards. “We solidify our clients’ liability protections by meticulously preparing their certifications to meet HB 837 requirements,” emphasizes the service’s anticipatory nature, designed to meet and surpass the needs and challenges of compliance and legal defense.

“Our philosophy, ‘Discover the Critical Difference,’ is woven into every aspect of our work,” said KC Poulin, CEO & President of CIS. “This means not just achieving compliance but crafting a strategic shield that protects properties against both crime and future legal challenges. Our extensive experience and proactive approach ensure our clients’ peace of mind, knowing they’re fortified against potential risks.” CIS’s strategic foresight in preparing reports and certifications, designed to withstand legal scrutiny, sets a new industry standard. This attention to detail and preparation underscores the critical difference CIS brings to its clients, offering an unmatched level of protection and assurance.

For property owners and operators seeking to navigate the complexities of HB 837 with confidence, CIS’s proven track record and the promise of discovering the critical difference make it the go-to consulting firm in Florida. Detailed information on how Critical Intervention Services can support your community in leveraging HB 837 for enhanced safety and legal protection is available on our resource page: CIS HB 837 Assessment and Crime Prevention.

About Critical Intervention Services (CIS)

For over 30 years, Critical Intervention Services (CIS) has been at the forefront of security and safety consulting for multi-family housing environments. As the largest HB 837 compliance consulting firm in Florida, CIS boasts an unparalleled team of specialized consultants, offering in-depth solutions for property owners and operators aiming to enhance their safety and legal protection.

Free Webinar on HB 837 for Multifamily Property Owners

Residential Community Crime Prevention

Free Webinar on HB 837 for Multifamily Property Owners

Florida House Bill 837 (HB 837) was signed into law in March 2023, offering strong liability protections for apartment and multifamily property owners who implement specific crime prevention measures as defined by new statutes. These measures include ensuring the presence of physical security conditions defined in F.S. 768.0706(2), having a documented CPTED assessment conducted by a law enforcement agency or a Florida Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Practitioner (FCP), and training employees in crime deterrence and safety measures beginning in January 2025.

While the requirements of HB 837 may seem straightforward, there are a number of issues that warrant informed consideration and rushing to comply can inadvertently create new liability conditions.

On July 25, 2023, CIS is hosted a free webinar exploring the requirements of HB 837 and presenting a strategy for compliance that considers future developments and enhances defensibility against potential court challenges.

Click the play button to view the video.

Play Video

Fox News Interviews CIS about Armed School Employees

Armed Teachers in Schools

Fox News Interviews CIS about Armed School Employees

On May 2, 2023, Fox News Channel published a story featuring an interview with CIS VP of Special Projects, Craig Gundry, discussing armed teachers as a protective strategy in schools.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/school-districts-across-america-consider-arming-teachers-aftermath-nashville-school-shooting

Unfortunately, some of the most valuable points we discussed in that interview were omitted from final publication.

As a first point, arming teachers is not a reliable strategy for response to active shooter attacks. As one source of support for this perspective, a team of researchers at Purdue University evaluated armed school employees during an analysis of alternative response models and concluded that employees carrying concealed weapons were far less effective than a school resource officer and performed only marginally better than police dispatched in response to 911 calls.[1]

Our position on this topic is clear. If schools wish to authorize teachers to carry concealed weapons, armed school employees should only be regarded as an additional readiness measure to supplement the existing presence of a professional armed responder (SRO or properly-trained armed security officer). And if schools decide to allow employees to carry firearms, they should approach this idea in a manner that is responsible, effective, and defensible from a liability perspective.

As a starting point, measures should be implemented to ensure that armed school employees are properly trained in safe firearms handling and marksmanship skills. There’s a major difference between shooting at paper targets on a firearms range and engaging a moving aggressor in an environment dense with students. To address this matter, states such as Virginia and Florida mandate specialized training and certification for security officers and school employees assigned in armed capacities.[2][3] However, many schools and districts adopting this measure overlook the importance of training standards.

Next, policies and procedures should be developed regarding approved methods of concealed carry and firearm storage and approved weapons and ammunition. Likewise, the role of armed teachers in responding to shooting events should be clearly defined so there is no implied expectation that an armed teacher is expected to seek out and neutralize a gunman. In other words, teachers are permitted to be armed for the protection of themselves and students in their immediate presence with no further expectations.   

For more information about this topic, see the video below. Our perspective about arming school employees can be found at 1:57:43.

Play Video

[1] Anklam, C., Kirby, A., Sharevski, P., & Dietz, J. “Mitigating Active Shooter Impact: Analysis for Policy Options Based on Agent/computer-based Modeling.” Journal of Emergency Management 13.3: 201-16, 2014.

[2] United States. State of Virginia. Administrative Code, Chapter 240. Regulations Relating to School Security Officers.

[3] United States. State of Florida. Chapter 30.15. Sheriffs – Powers, duties, and obligations.

CIS Presents at the 2023 BCBS Corporate Security Leadership Conference

CIS Presents at the 2023 BCBS Corporate Security Leadership Conference

On 1 May 2023, CIS VP of Special Projects, Craig Gundry, was invited to speak on the subject of planning and conducting enterprise-level risk assessments at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Corporate Security Leadership Conference. The aim of the presentation was to assist BCBS corporate security leaders in designing an effective approach for evaluating the effectiveness of their corporate security programs and avoiding problems often encountered when embarking on large-scale assessment projects.

Some of the topics included:

    • Compliance with Best Practices and Effectiveness in Risk Management
    • Differences Between Security Risk Assessment and Security Program Assessment
    • Planning Considerations for Enterprise-Level Risk Assessments
    • Defining the Objectives, Scope of Assessment, and Other Planning Topics
    • Assessment Methodology
    • Team Organization
    • Managing Potential Liability Conditions when Working With Consultants

To those that attended, it was an honor to meet you and we hope the information we discussed is helpful in improving the performance of your corporate security programs.

CIS Trains European Parliament Security Professionals

CIS Trains European Parliament Security Professionals

On 23 September, 16 security professionals from the European Parliament joined the ranks our global community of Anti-Terrorism Officer program graduates. The program was presented through our sister company, the S2 Safety & Intelligence Institute, by CIS VP of Special Projects Craig Gundry.

To those who attended, it was a pleasure working with you and we look forward to meeting your colleagues during our next session!

Normally we post a class photo to honor the graduates of our public programs, but for obvious reasons that would be inappropriate for this group. Instead we’ll settle for a pic of a happy instructor thankful to return to one of his favorite cities to teach an amazing group of professionals.

To others interested in the S2 Anti-Terrorism Officer program, we are working on a schedule of public courses for 2023. In the meantime, a new distance learning version is available through the S2 web site.

School Safety & Security for Parents

School Safety & Security for Parents

Are you one of the many parents today wondering about the safety of your child’s school? If so, the following video was made specifically for you.

On August 3, CIS presented a one-hour webinar exploring common questions parents have about school security and how everyone can contribute to creating safer school communities. Some of the topics include:

    • Is my child’s school safe? (Indicators of a safe school observable by parents)
    • Recognizing and reporting behavior of concern
    • Is my child a possible threat?
    • Understanding school reunification

See also our Expert Insights Blog for more information about school security topics.

Play Video

Attorneyatwork Interviews CIS about Security Matters and The Legal Profession

Attorneyatwork Interviews CIS about Security Matters and The Legal Profession

In response to recent increases in violence against legal professionals, lawyer and writer Ruth Carter interviewed CIS VP Craig Gundry about the threat landscape associated with the legal profession and practical measures for reducing risks of targeted violence.

In many interviews we provide for the media, our insight and advice is compressed into short sound bites suitable for TV. This interview was unique. Aside from Ruth’s excellent questions, the interview format allowed us to develop the subject in a very substantive way.

Ruth’s article is available online: Predicting and Protecting Yourself Against Violence: Interview With Craig Gundry, by Ruth Carter