IFPO Security Certification

Security Certification

A nationally recognized certification program for high school and community college students.
Sponsored by:
The International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO) and The Law and Public Safety Education Network (LAPSEN)

Background and Program Development

IFPO has been a leader in helping organizations and nations develop their security forces for more than 30 years. The security career field has expanded greatly over the years and now offers well-paying and diverse career opportunities in multiple fields and industries. LAPSEN chose the CPO program because it offers a challenging introduction to security that can be offered at both the secondary and post-secondary school levels. LAPSEN encourages the development of career programs that provide professionally recognized certifications that can provide jobs and thus funding for college. The CPO course can often be developed as a dual credit course. During 2008 and 2009 pilot sites in Arizona, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and two from New York developed lesson plans and began introducing the CPO program. Lesson plans have been aligned with the Security Pathway of the Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security Career Cluster.  In 2018 the IFPO entered into an articulation agreement with Purdue Global University, and upon successful completion of the CPO and CSSM Programs, our graduates will receive five credits each towards one of their degree programs.  Additionally, substantial enrollment discounts are available as well.
Typically, security organization partners provide enhanced starting salaries for high school graduates with CPO certification.

Certified Protection Officer (CPO) Program

The Certified Protection Officer Training Manual is a comprehensive guide and instructional text which covers all of the subjects essential to the effective training of protection officers. There are 12 training units with each unit broken into chapters written by leading security trainers and educators. Included in the manual are self-quizzes at the end of each chapter and hundreds of diagrams and illustrations. The Certified Protection Officer Training Manual is published by Butterworth-Heinemann and consists of 43 chapters authored by some of the security industry’s leading professionals.
Units of study include such topics as:

  • Public Relations
  • Investigations/Report Writing
  • Physical Security
  • Crime Scenes
  • Emergency Procedures
  • Safety Procedures
  • Workplace Violence
  • Environmental Crime Control Theory
  • Defensive Tactics & Officer Safety
  • Traffic & Crowd Control
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Effective Communications
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction ” Apprehension and Detention Procedures
  • Fire Prevention
  • Strikes/Labor Relations
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Bomb Threats
  • Professionalism and Ethics
  • Police Security Liaison
  • Operational Risk Management
  • Foundations for Surveillance
  • Use of Force
  • Legal Aspects
  • And much more

Learn More

To get a better overview of the process visit – https://lapsen.org/certified-protection-officer/