Officers from the University of Maryland Department of Public Safety and George Mason University in Virginia participated in an introduction to BPR offered by New Age Security Solutions (NASS). They join key law enforcement agencies at Boston's Logan Airport and in New York City, as well as the Statue of Liberty, who have already taken the training.
Behavior Pattern Recognition focuses on the observation of people and suspicious behavior, including what visitors are wearing, bags they're carrying and any mannerisms that don't fit the environment. Unusual behaviors lead to closer scrutiny of these individuals.
Universities are host to major public events with high attendance, many are home to chemical and biological agents, and all must protect visiting dignitaries.
"his training helped open our eyes to new threats around us, and gave us ways to help mitigate the threats and act on them in a more effective way," said Major Jay Gruber, University of Maryland Department of Public Safety.
About 50 officers from the University of Maryland, Department of Public Safety, attended the course. And another dozen or more are expected to attend a follow-on intensive 5-day program.
"These institutions understand what it takes to maintain security in today's post 9/11 world," says Rafi Ron, president of NASS. "Training police to notice suspicious behavior and irregularities can be the most important element in any security system." Ron has more than 30 years of security related experience, including Chief Security Officer, at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.