LAS VEGAS—At ISC West, the Security Industry Association (SIA) introduced its Homeland Security Advisory Council. Aside from being the association’s voice on homeland security, the council will help guide SIA’s Homeland Security Industry Group. As part of its activities to advocate and recommend sound policy and legislation to the U.S. Congress on homeland security issues, the council has issued its first policy advisory on standardizing ID systems.
Former Brink’s Home Security President and CEO Peter Michel, who is also on SIA’s board of directors, chairs the Homeland Security Advisory Council. SIA Associate Executive Director Dave Saddler says, “We are essentially giving an identity to the activities in which we were already pursuing. We will provide information and assistance to anyone we can, from Governor Tom Ridge and those designated within the federal government to local agencies and individuals.”
According to the policy advisory, the Homeland Security Advisory Council recommends to the U.S. Congress to enact legislation designed to secure, standardize and modernize existing technology and practices used to identify and authenticate individual identity, specifically state and federal IDs. The council will also develop a sound policy to drive this standardization to keep citizens safe without infringing upon their freedoms.
SIA says a U.S. House representative from California has already introduced legislation on this issue. SIA is now dealing with various organizations to develop a model legislation that can be recommended to Congress.
Other issues SIA’s council plans to address include airport and border security, congressional response, and infrastructure security.
