ASIS International Joins Department of Homeland Security and FBI on Information-Sharing Project.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- ASIS International (ASIS), the world's leading organization for security management professionals, has been named a private sector partner in a new, national terrorism information-sharing and alert-notification program. The announcement was made today by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge in Dallas, TX during the launch of the Homeland Security Information Network--Critical Infrastructure (HSIN-CI) Pilot Program. ASIS will provide Mr. Ridge's department with access to more than 27,000 security professionals in the U.S., many of them responsible for protecting life and property in private corporations and other institutions that are parts of our national critical infrastructures.

This fully operational, cross-agency, cross-sector, cross-discipline program is based on a system developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), another partner in the venture. It is being deployed in four pilot communities. Dallas and Seattle are the first; Indianapolis and Atlanta will follow in August and September, respectively. ASIS members will not only participate in information exchange with federal authorities; some will be named to "governance boards" overseeing the system's operations regionally and locally. "We in ASIS view this program as one of the 'crown jewels' in our productive and growing relationship with the US Department of Homeland Security," said Shirley Pierini, ASIS President. "It is the kind of public-private partnership that we have espoused for a long time, and we particularly appreciate the fact that it links DHS directly with the people in the private sector who most need, and can best act upon, information regarding terrorism."

The system uses readily available technology, including telephones, computers, faxes, and the Internet. ASIS members in pilot communities will be sent alerts and information on terrorism-related incidents and issues directly through multiple channels depending on the urgency of the threat. This does not mean that every ASIS member will receive every communication; the system is able to target information to recipients in specified critical infrastructures and geographic areas. As one of its priorities, ASIS has over the past two years reconfigured its membership database to make it more responsive to DHS's needs. ASIS members in areas outside the pilot programs will be integrated into HSIN-CI as quickly as other areas are added to the network.

ASIS International (ASIS) is the preeminent organization for security professionals, with more than 33,000 members worldwide. Founded in 1955, ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials that address broad security interests, such as the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits, as well as specific security topics. ASIS also advocates the role and value of the security management profession to business, the media, government entities, and the public. By providing members and the security community with access to a full range of programs and services, and by publishing the industry's number one magazine -- Security Management -- ASIS leads the way for advanced and improved security performance.