Products, services, policies and procedures in the security industry have a direct impact on the safety and security of millions of people. They protect homes; harden schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure sites; and contribute to national defense. This means that members of the industry have a special duty — not only to those they directly serve, but to all of society, since, outside of the most remote places, virtually everyone encounters security devices.
To that end, the Security Industry Association (SIA), through its Ethics in Security Technology Working Group, has developed the SIA Membership Code of Ethics, a set of nine ethics principles designed to promote the highest standards of conduct among its members. These principles are more than just recommendations. As of July 1, all new and renewing SIA members will be required, as a condition of membership, to affirm that they will abide by the principles. If a member who has made that affirmation is determined by the SIA executive committee to have committed a material violation of one or more of the principles, that member may be subject to punitive action, ranging from a written warning to suspension of membership to expulsion from the association. All decisions by the executive committee concerning possible violations and SIA’s response will be final.