UC Irvine Develops Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Awareness Program
for Security Professionals
New Program Meets Governor Schwarzenegger’s Mandate
to Train Public Security Professionals
IRVINE, Calif. – May 19, 2005 – In
response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s initiative to provide training
to public and private security professionals, the University of California,
Irvine (UCI) has developed a new program called Weapons of Mass Destruction
and Terrorism Awareness for Security Professionals. Created by UCI’s
Distance Learning Center (UCIDLC), this is the only program in the
country that trains security professionals to prevent weapons of mass
destruction incidents and terrorist activity.
The
Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Awareness for Security Professionals
program will meet Governor Schwarzenegger’s four hours of mandated
training for public security professionals. Approximately 60,000 security
officers enter the work force each year and will receive the new training.
“With the advent of this new professional training program, Governor
Schwarzenegger has enlisted hundreds of thousands of professional security
officers into the war on terrorism,” Steven V. Giorgi, director
of the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services within the California
Department of Consumer Affairs, said. “California will be
a safer place because of this program..”
The program was a collaborative effort between the California Department
of Consumer Affairs (DCA), the California Office of Homeland Security,
the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST),
the security guard industry, the Military Department, and UCI. DCA
played an integral role in providing overall direction for the program.
“The creation of such an innovative and important program – a
program that is expected to change the way security professionals are
trained to protect California from the threat of terrorism - exemplifies
UCI’s ability to offer education programs that can be immediately
applied to situations,” Gary Matkin, dean of Continuing Education
at UC Irvine, said. “UCI is a recognized leader in the development
and delivery of distance learning programs. We welcomed the opportunity
to cooperate with California leaders in designing this significant program
that will allow security professionals to receive the most sophisticated
training available to date.”
The program was created as a cooperative effort by the UCIDLC along
with the direction of a committee of subject matter experts. The training
materials consist of a CD with a complete training facilitator manual,
student workbook, and a 2-hour DVD with narrated visual training reinforcement.
The program is designed to train security professionals in developing
the skills to help them do their jobs effectively. The program consists
of four chapters: 1) The Role of the Security Officer in Preventing an
Incident; 2) The Nature of Terrorism; 3) Weapons of Mass Destruction;
4) Coordination and Sharing of Critical Information.
“The program addresses issues of importance to a security professional’s
role in preventing terrorist activities; a responsibility that if not
handled properly can rob the public of its freedom and cause damage to
property and lives,” Dr. Jia Frydenberg, director of the UCIDLC
and project manager for this program, said.
The University of California, Irvine Distance Learning Center (UCIDLC)
provides the UCI campus and other strategically selected organizations
with distance learning services, including the development and delivery
of courses using online technology. UCIDLC is dedicated to high quality
instruction, employing professional levels of instructional design, the
appropriate use of technology, and the most qualified and best-trained
instructors. To learn more about The University of California,
Irvine Distance Learning Center visit the Web at www.learn.uci.edu.
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