Eastern Kentucky University's Justice & Safety Center has been selected to receive a $150,000 grant from the American Society for Industrial Security International to research worldwide trends in private security.

The grant was awarded after a competitive selection process involving many qualified applicants, according to Dr. Pam Collins, director of the Center.

"We want to determine the current status of the security industry, how the events of 9/11 impacted day-to-day security operations, and identify emerging security trends," said Collins. "This research is significant because we will be producing a unique report that provides a global snapshot of the security industry.

"This research project, along with ongoing work of the Justice and Safety Center and the Assets Protection and Security Program, brings national prominence to EKU. The APS program has obtained a level of recognition equal to that of its benchmark universities, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Michigan State University."

In the past two decades, two notable research projects have been conducted concerning the trends of private security, according to Collins. The first, in 1985, emphasized the relationship between law enforcement and private security operations and their delivery of protective services in communities throughout the United States. The second study, in 1990, relied heavily on previously collected data in order to demonstrate trends.

EKU's research project is to be completed by September 2004. Collins will be assisted by two Police Studies colleagues, Dr. Kay Scarborough and Dr. Gary Cordner, who served the past six years as dean of the College of Justice & Safety before returning to the classroom. Several members of the Center staff also will assist, including Ryan Baggett and Heather Porter.

"We were chosen because of the reputation of our faculty and record of research," Collins said. "Because of our work with the U.S. Department of Justice, our research and our publications, we have built an international reputation as a center of excellence."

The Justice & Safety Center was established in 1998 when the College of Justice & Safety was designated as a Kentucky "Program of Distinction" to advance the justice and safety professions through research, information dissemination, testing, evaluation and technical support. Since its inception, the Justice & Safety Center has received more than $25 million in federal and state funding for various programs and projects that address state and national public safety issues.

Collins, who has been instrumental in the inception and development of the Center, directs numerous law enforcement and security technology projects and is an internationally recognized expert in public and private security and safety. She also serves as a professor of both undergraduate and graduate studies in Assets Protection and Security at EKU.

ASIS is the preeminent international organization for security professionals, consisting of approximately 33,000 members and 208 chapters worldwide. It was founded in 1955 to advocate the role and value of the security management profession to businesses, media, governmental agencies and the public.