Security Honor Roll Vince Nye of NEC Electronics

Sep 1, 1998 12:00 PM, KATE HENRY

           

It was a good day for crime prevention when former police sergeant Vince Nye, CPP, entered the fold of private security. A case in point: As a result of a high-tech crime task force involving law enforcement and private security that Nye has been part of, California has passed a bill that provides funds for other areas of the state to develop similar task forces. Nye, who holds a B.S. in police science and administration, took charge of security for NEC Electronics' Roseville, Calif., semiconductor manufacturing facility in 1991 after retiring from a distinguished 21-year career in law enforcement. He supervises 23 proprietary security personnel and 21 contract security officers at the 700,000-square-foot manufacturing site.

Fighting the good fight Nye operates under the specter of the enemy of any high-tech manufacturer - high-tech crime. To prevent theft and armed takeovers such as had befallen Silicon Valley manufacturers, Nye collaborated with three other security managers in the high-tech industry to convince chiefs of police and sheriffs from neighboring counties of the need for a high-tech crime task force, which Nye and his colleagues would assist. "It was a hard sell," recalls Nye, "because public entities have pretty lean budgets, but we were able to demonstrate to these law enforcement officials using data from the Bay area that if we didn't address the problem here in the Sacramento valley, a lot of their investigative time - whether they liked it or not - would be spent dealing with high-tech thieves." Nye pointed out the benefit of focusing on prevention and getting agencies to work together. "Essentially, they bought it, we assisted in putting the program together, and it has been very successful - to the point that state legislators have recognized the need for such a task force in other areas of the state, and have passed a bill that provides funds for the San Diego, Los Angeles and Bay areas to develop similar task forces," says Nye. The task force comprises 10 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and is managed and directed by the sheriff of Sacramento County. Nye and other local security managers serve as consultants, meeting quarterly with the task force in a roundtable discussion forum. "It has been a real benefit to the local companies involved and to law enforcement," he says.

Programs and systems bolster security efforts Nye is also on the forefront of workplace violence prevention. "NEC took a proactive position early on," he says. "I was asked by senior management to develop a site-wide prevention program. I worked with safety management, human resources management, administration, legal and production management to spearhead the effort. We developed a clear policy, and we meet quarterly to review workplace violence issues, corrective actions and training needs." Nye's other contributions to NEC have been many. When he joined the company, it was beginning a major production expansion. According to Nye, the facility grew about 300 percent in three years. With support from senior management, he expanded the security department to keep up. "Since that time, " explains Nye, "we - and I use the word 'we' because one person can't make an operation successful - have installed state-of-the-art equipment and developed a significant number of site security policies and procedures. We have created a mission and become more customer-service oriented, viewing employees, visitors and contractors as customers. We have also become more goal-oriented and have developed a positive relationship with line management." In anticipation of additional expansion, NEC's security staff is currently redesigning the security control center and specifying new equipment. Nye communicated to his staff that he wanted everyone to be involved in, and to contribute to, the process, and sub-committees have been formed accordingly. Security system improvements at NEC made under Nye's leadership have included a gate entry system, an internal and external audit program, a loss prevention program and a computerized report tracking system. He believes in "planning, looking toward the future and keeping goals on track, because things change fast" - and that's no mean feat for someone who oversees an estimated $2 million operating budget and a $200,000 capital improvement budget. Nye stays abreast of new technology by attending security industry conferences and seminars, and is a proponent of professional partnerships. He regularly benchmarks other sites to learn new ideas and share problems and solutions. "Don't isolate yourself," he says. "Establish alliances with security managers in your vicinity and throughout the industry you're in. Maybe five years ago it was difficult to get information from a fellow security professional because everything was considered secret and proprietary. But that's starting to change, and often, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. " In his free time, Nye enjoys golfing, the outdoors, continually changing the landscape of his home, and remodeling and carpentry work. He also likes to read nonfiction, is a former volunteer high school football and baseball coach, and he served as president of the high school sports booster club and of Babe Ruth baseball.

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