[Vision2020] Board OKs security addition

[Saundra Lund]

With many thanks to my offlist correspondent.

Why does it not surprise me to see Lloyd Mues in the thick of things
pleading that "all of the negotiation and all of that communication is
pretty private"?  Oh -- I suppose that might because the UI wanted me to pay
an astronomical amount for a public records request when the records didn't
exist.  The article below will at least save me the time & money . . . .

And, as Debbie Gray pointed out, it looks like the UI is paying REALLY big
bucks to observe & report rather than to act:
"Under the terms of the contract, AlliedBarton officers will patrol UI
buildings and locations, provide surveillance, staff a 24-hour safety and
call desk and focus on preventing crime and the loss of university assets. .
. . He said the privately employed officers will mostly take precautionary
measures to protect the assets of the university."

Noticeable to me is that property is clearly more important to the UI than
human safety.

Anyone care to join me in puking while the UI -- with the SBOE's blessing --
fritters away more than another quarter of a million dollars?

I've contacted the SBOE to inquire as to when the meeting Minutes might be
available, and I'll follow up here.

SL
___

Board OKs security addition
Under contract officers will patrol buildings, provide surveillance
By Holly Bowen Daily News staff writer

Posted on: Friday, August 13, 2010

University of Idaho officials Thursday defended their hiring of private
security firm AlliedBarton as being about protecting the facilities, grounds
and other physical assets of the land-grant university.

The Idaho State Board of Education unanimously approved the $385,291 per
year contract with AlliedBarton on Thursday afternoon in addition to
unanimously approving the UI's separate $937,715 per year campus policing
contract with the Moscow Police Department. The board met Wednesday and
Thursday at Idaho State University in Pocatello.

The combined cost of the two annual contracts is nearly $300,000 more than
the $1,028,000 the university paid the city of Moscow for MPD services
during the past fiscal year. The UI has contracted with the city for police
services since 1966.

University officials refused to comment on the AlliedBarton contract earlier
this week but answered questions from reporters Thursday afternoon following
the board's decision.

"There's confidentiality involved and potential vendors involved, and the
absolute best thing we can do in a process like this, as with any of them,
is all of that negotiation and all of that communication is pretty private,"
said Lloyd Mues, UI vice president for finance and administration.

Mues said nothing was wrong with the services of the MPD, but the university
wants to "re-energize" its general security and asked for bids in order to
be prudent.

"I will not speak for the city and the police, but you don't want police
doing things that aren't policemen work," he said, adding that's a sentiment
that would be shared by taxpayers.

Under the terms of the contract, AlliedBarton officers will patrol UI
buildings and locations, provide surveillance, staff a 24-hour safety and
call desk and focus on preventing crime and the loss of university assets.

Both the AlliedBarton and new MPD contracts begin Oct. 1 and last through
June 30, 2014, with options for renewal through 2020.

Moscow City Supervisor Gary Riedner said the MPD has provided the
aforementioned general security services "to some extent in the past" but
not at the levels the university is currently seeking. However, he said it's
likely the MPD could have provided that enhanced level of security for an
increased cost.

"It certainly would have affected the amount of the proposal that we
submitted," he added. "In other words, it would have taken additional
funding."

Mues said AlliedBarton will fill a "void" in general security on campus that
began "years ago" when the UI cut back on those costs. He said the privately
employed officers will mostly take precautionary measures to protect the
assets of the university.

For example, he said, "Every now and then, someone will decide they want to
drive across the Administration Building lawn in a four-wheel drive." He
said damage like that doesn't happen frequently, but is expensive to clean
up and could be prevented with more security.

Chris Johnson, UI director of contracts and purchasing, said the
AlliedBarton employees will primarily patrol the campus on foot, will not
carry weapons and will not have the authority to make arrests. Mues said the
private officers will likely have to avoid entering UI fraternities and
sororities on private property and instead leave that domain to the police.

The more than $385,000 per year the UI will pay AlliedBarton includes a
full-time account manager paid $26.04 per hour, a full-time shift supervisor
paid $17.14 per hour and part-time and full-time security officers working a
combined 342 hours per week at $15.82 per hour. The contract also includes
the costs of AlliedBarton employee medical benefits, for which the UI will
pay AlliedBarton about $101.54 per month per participating officer.

Johnson acknowledged additional overtime, holiday pay and special events
coverage could end up costing the UI even more than the contracted amount if
the university decides more security services are needed.

Mues said no single event triggered the discussion about a need for more
security on campus. He said students and their families will likely
appreciate the extra security element.

Associated Students of the UI President Stephen Parrott was present during
Mues and Johnson's phone conversation with reporters, but he did not comment
on either security contract or statements from UI officials.

Glenn Rosenberg, AlliedBarton's vice president for higher education, stated
in a news release Thursday that the company is "excited about the
opportunity to create jobs locally."

AlliedBarton is based in Pennsylvania and operates at a number of colleges
and universities, such as Stanford University, Yale University and
California State University-Northridge. The company's website asserts its
higher education security business alone would be the 12th largest security
company in the United States if it were a separate firm.

Holly Bowen can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 239, or by e-mail at
hbowen at dnews.com.