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Businesses beef up security
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July 31, 1996: 7:37 p.m. ET
Recent high-profile bombings make corporations think twice about security
From Correspondent Casey Wian
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LOS ANGELES (CNNfn) - From Oklahoma City and Saudi Arabia to Atlanta, corporations are taking a close look at security and what they can do to prevent terrorism.
The heightened awareness is providing business opportunities for companies in the security industry but it's also putting their performance under more scrutiny than ever before.
This increase in demand is illustrated by the ever-busy operators (27K WAV) or (27K AIFF) at Pinkerton's Inc., the security giant that guards everything from the Olympics to the Oscars.
Since the explosion of TWA flight 800 and the bombing at Centennial Park in Atlanta, corporate clients are asking how to protect themselves.
The process of security begins right at the top, according to Pinkerton CEO Denis Brown.
"First of all, it starts with the board of directors of a corporation. I think the board has to ask the management of business 'Do you have a security plan in place? Is it well thought out? Is it well funded?'"
Cutting corners on security
Both Pinkerton's and Wackenhut Corp., another giant security firm, expect more business in the wake of the Centennial Park bombing. Both are fighting the tendency of many companies to pinch pennies on security.
The business is highly competitive, with many security firms paying guards barely more than minimum wage.
Alan Bernstein, North American president of Wackenhut, said that attitude is changing over to a concern for quality. (172K WAV) or (172K AIFF)
Security concerns were raised
The bombing at Centennial Park came as no surprise to some. Pinkerton's issued a press release just before the Olympics calling the games a window of opportunity for terrorists.
Another warning came as early as July 6, when a former employee of Borg-Warner Security resigned from the company's Olympic force, citing several security problems.
The 27-year army veteran's resignation letter stated he quit with the hope that it would help rid Atlanta officials of what he called "the potentially-fatal delusion" that they were capable of meeting any security contingency during the games.
While Olympic officials may have not listened as well as they should have, other corporations are trying to learn the lessons of that warning. 
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