About Us
Our Experience as School Security Consultants
GuardianCall was designed by the school security consultants at Critical Intervention Services (CIS) to address weaknesses in the real-world performance of existing school panic alert and mass notification systems.
CIS is a security consulting firm founded in 1992 for the purpose of developing effective solutions to complex risk situations. Over the past 28 years, CIS has assisted hundreds of corporations, schools, and government agencies in developing strategies for managing risks of mass homicide including terrorism, workplace violence, and active shooter risk in schools.
School Security & Safety Experience
Following are some highlights of our experience as school security consultants.
In response to the public need for an effective strategy for reducing the risk of school violence, Critical Intervention Services launched the CIS Guardian SafeSchool Program® in 2013 as a holistic, integrated program employing a multi-layered strategy to reduce risks of violence.
Since the program’s inception, our consultants have aided dozens of schools and post-secondary institutions in improving their security and emergency readiness in alignment with Guardian SafeSchool Program® methodology and standards.
Some examples of our clients include Academy of the Holy Names, Admiral Farragut Academy, American University in Cairo, Calvary Christian High School, Hillel Academy, Kingswood Oxford School, LCC Day School, National Aviation Academy, North Cobb Christian School, Metropolitan Ministries, Sayre School, Shorecrest Preparatory School, St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg Christian School, The Diocese of St. Petersburg, and The College of New Rochelle.
The CIS Guardian SafeSchool Program® was peer reviewed in 2014 by John Jay College of Criminal Justice and hailed as a ‘model for national best practices’ in school security.
The Guardian SafeSchool officer training course, developed by our school security consultant team, was adopted in 2014 as the training model for Newtown Public Schools‘ new armed security force in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
Due to the expertise and experience of CIS school security consultants, our experts served as committee members in the development of the new active assailant supplement for the revision of ANSI standard “Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention” (ASIS/SHRM WVP.1-2011).
Our school security consultants have trained thousands of educators and security professionals at workshops and conferences conducted nationwide in school security and emergency readiness topics.
Beyond School Security
Although our consultants are well recognized for their work with academic organizations, school security is only one facet of our reputation.
Over the past three decades, CIS has earned unique recognition for achieving success in situations where traditional approaches to security and public safety have failed. When addressing complex and difficult security challenges, knowledge alone is often insufficient. Effective solutions often require an artful combination of expertise, holistic vision, and innovative mindset.
Click the button below to learn more about our unique accomplishments over the past three decades.
In the early 1990’s, CIS pioneered a unique methodology for protecting residential communities. The success of the program in reducing crime and increasing community quality of life has been extensively documented by police, news media, and academic institutions and is the central theme of two criminal justice textbooks.
Since 1994, CIS has successfully utilized its community-based methodology in over 1,000 Florida communities.
In 2014, CIS was awarded a contract by MetroWest in Orlando to create the first Private-Sector Led Public Safety Program in the United States based on the CIS model in a community of over 45,000 residents and businesses.
As experts in the field of managing security risk, CIS has provided a diverse range of consulting assistance to companies and government organizations for improving security and emergency readiness. As consultants, CIS has provided expert services in matters including the design and development of comprehensive risk management strategies, vulnerability assessments for compliance with regulatory or industry requirements, security program evaluation and improvement, physical security analysis and design, emergency response planning, and training.
Some examples of our expert services clients include the US Capitol Police, US Central Command, US Department of Justice, US Special Operations Command, Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Interior of Iraq, European Central Bank, European Commission, European External Action Service (EU), European Parliament, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe, Internal Security Service of Oman, Saudi Arabian National Guard, and UAE Critical National Infrastructure Authority. Our clients also include private corporations such as the American Automobile Association (AAA), GuideWell Group, Florida Blue, TECO Energy, and more.
Since 1998, over 12,000 security and public safety professionals have graduated courses presented by CIS subject matter experts in over 30 nations.
In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, CIS created the Anti-Terrorism Officer (ATO) program for the specialized mission of protecting domestic critical infrastructure. For over a decade, CIS ATOs provided round-the-clock protection for critical Tampa-area power stations and control facilities. As testimony to the effectiveness of the program, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recognized the CIS ATO program in 2005 as “…a model for critical infrastructure protection.”
Through our sister company, the S2 Safety & Intelligence Institute, the CIS ATO training program developed into a global standard. The program has been officially adopted by numerous government organizations worldwide and is the basis for the IACSP Certified Anti-Terrorism Officer (cATO®) certification body-of-knowledge.
As expert witnesses, our consultants have provided decisive testimony in multiple court cases. CIS consultants have been qualified by Florida courts as experts on premises liability, physical security, risk management, and emergency management.
The success of our unique and innovative approaches to security problems have gained us worldwide recognition through news media outlets. The success of our work has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, ABC World News Tonight, BBC, CNN, Fox News Network, The Detroit News, Spiegel Television (Germany), Courrier International (France), and every news affiliate in the Tampa Bay area.
In addition to stories about our accomplishments, CIS staff members frequently provide expert commentary for news media organizations on matters related to school security, urban crime, targeted violence, and terrorism.
Our unique methods and operational philosophy have been studied and endorsed by numerous criminal justice and government research institutes. The success of our strategies has been studied and documented by organizations including the Independent Institute, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the US Government Accountability Office.
Multiple CIS staff members are also advisory board members and contributing instructors for multiple universities, regulatory advisory groups, and professional associations.
Contact us to explore how GuardianCall can make your school a safer community.
Call us at (800) 247-6055 to speak with a representative or use the following form to request more information.