"Back To School" Days For Security Officers

The American Bankers Association announced the creation of a week long school for financial institution security officers to be held at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.

Designated as The ABA National School for Bank Security, the program is designed to introduce bankers to the basic responsibilities of a security officer, as well as cover other related topics.

Bankers who attend the school will be accredited with over 35 hours training time.

Qualified instructors from the banking community, and representatives from the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC, the OCC, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will participate in the week long school.Cost, which includes registration, room, meals and school materials, is $975 for ABA members and $1,450 for nonmembers. The school is open to all persons, and there is no qualifying test, position or requirement.

For those interested in continuing on and qualifying for certification by sitting for the Institute of Certified Bankers test, ABA's Gregg Broomfield, coordinator of the school, said, "Attendees should leave with all the skills necessary to sit for the exam."

Gregg pointed out that the school is also meant to be a refresher course for experienced security officers.

The American Bankers Association National School for Bank Security adds another excellent training opportunity for the country's security officers. The Mosler Anti-Crime Bureau is still offering its "SOTS" and "ASOTS" (Security Officer Training School-SOTS, and Advanced Security Officer Training School-ASOTS). Bob Rosberg, Director of the Mosler Anti-Crime Bureau school, based in Cincinnati, OH, reports over 500 security officers have graduated from the SOTS and ASOTS programs. Of the new ABA school, Bob said, "There is plenty of room for both schools-we have a lot of security officers who can use our help."

Boris Melnikoff, chairman of the school's advisory board, agreed. "There is no substitute for a well-trained security officer-no matter the size of the financial institution," he said. "We're glad to be able to fill the need by helping to educate bankers in the area of security."

Copyright © 1993 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 3, No. 8, 1/93