Correspondence on the subject of contract security guards needing radios
E-mail communications between James Herms, STALCOMMPOL partner, and Jay Phillips, the director of building maintenance and operations at Harvard College; Robert Iuliano, the vice president for police and security (and general counsel) at Harvard University; Francis Riley, the chief of police (and director of security) at Harvard University; and Elisabeth Theodore, staff writer at the Harvard Crimson, on the subject of “Guards Needing Radios,” 17 Mar. 2003 - 6 Apr. 2003.
“SSI”: Security Systems Incorporated (Malden, MA), a contract guard agency employing 140 security guards on the Harvard University campus; subsequently acquired by Allied-Barton® Security Services.
From: James Keeth Herms [mailto:herms@fas.harvard.edu]
Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2003 3:31 PM
To: [Crimson Staff Writer Elisabeth Theodore]@fas.harvard.edu
Subject: FW: Guards needing radiosLizzy: Before I contacted Bob Iuliano (General Counsel & Vice President for
Police and Security) on March 19, 2003, I’d been repeatedly communicating
with Jay Phillips and with several HUPD officers—including Henry
Doherty—about SSI guards’ having to “work with no radios.” More than two
months had elapsed. And neither FAS nor the HUPD had taken any steps to
help those guards. Jake
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [Chief of Police] Francis D. Riley [mailto:——@harvard.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2003 11:24 AM
> To: herms@fas.harvard.edu
> Cc: Henry Doherty
> Subject: FW: Guards needing radios
>
> Mr. Herms;
> This email is in response to your message to Mr. Iuliano regarding
> security guard issues. As Chief of Police and Director of Security at
> Harvard University I appreciate your taking the time to bring these issues
> to our attention. I have instructed Henry Doherty of my staff to contact
> all the parties involved to ensure that security guards are properly
> equipped to perform their function. I would suggest in the future that you
> contact my office or Henry Doherty (617-495-1762) regarding any security
> related matters. Thank you.
>
> Francis D. Riley
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: James Keeth Herms [mailto:herms@fas.harvard.edu]
> > Sent: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 6:52 PM
> > To: [VP for Police and Security Robert Iuliano]@harvard.edu
> > Cc: Jay M. Phillips, Henry Doherty
> > Subject: Guards needing radios
> >
> > March 19, 2003
> >
> > Dear Mr. Iuliano:
> >
> > Some of the contracted security guards working on our Cambridge campus
> > have been serving without radios. Security Systems, Inc., provides no
> > radios to its Security Officers stationed at DeWolfe Street Housing and
> > a number of other sites.
> >
> > According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (July 2002),
> > “terrorist attacks have been shown to overload nondedicated telephone
> > land lines and cellular telephone connections.” According to the
> > President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board (February 2003), a
> > lack of compatible communications systems during a terrorist incident
> > “can seriously impede close collaboration [between] security personnel
> > [and] first responders.”
> >
> > Neither the Director of Building Maintenance & Operations for FAS
> > Physical Resources (Jay Phillips) nor the Supervisor for SSI on the
> > Cambridge campus (Bill Sears) has succeeded in addressing this
> > potential communication problem. I must add that SSI does provide an
> > exemplary quality of security services to the Schools on our Longwood
> > campus.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > James Herms (CSS ’05)
> > 14 Lawrence Street
> > Cambridge, MA 02139
> > herms@fas.harvard.edu
> > 617-835-2922 (c)
> > 617-547-0858 (f)
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Jay M. Phillips [mailto:——@harvard.edu]
> > > Sent: Monday, March 17, 2003 5:47 PM
> > > To: James Keeth Herms
> > > Cc: Henry Doherty
> > > Subject: Re: Do all guards have radios?
> > >
> > > James,
> > >
> > > I concur with your feeling that all security guards should have radios
> > > and that is one of the many requirements that we solicit from SSI.
> > > Thank you. Jay Phillips
> > >
> > > Jay M. Phillips
> > > Director of Building Maintenance & Operations
> > > Harvard University, FAS Physical Resources
> > > 60 John F. Kennedy Street
> > > Cambridge, MA 02138
> > > T - (617) 496-5595 F - (617) 495-8989
> > >
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: James Keeth Herms [mailto:——@harvard.edu]
> > > > Sent: Monday, March 17, 2003 5:09 PM
> > > > To: Jay M. Phillips
> > > > Subject: Do all guards have radios?
> > > >
> > > > Dear Mr. Phillips,
> > > >
> > > > […] The fact that some SSI security officers on our Cambridge campus
> > > > end up working with no radios suggests to me that there is a continuing
> > > > problem which should be investigated without delay.
> > > >
> > > > […] All of our security personnel do need access to radios. A
> > > > security guard present at the scene of a major emergency can then
> > > > convey information to first responders (and patrol officers can convey
> > > > orders to that guard) without having to leave the scene.
> > > >
> > > > Sincerely,
> > > > James “Jake” Herms
> > > > 14 Lawrence Street
> > > > Cambridge, MA 02139
> > > > herms@fas.harvard.edu
> > > > 617-835-2922 (c)
> > > > 617-547-0858 (f)
> > > >
> > > >
Published by the Student-Alumni Committee on Institutional Security Policy. General Editor: James Herms
Last updated 01/05/2005. Permissions. http://www.stalcommpol.org/radios.html