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About NCISS – 45 Years of History

Ed McClain, President Emeritus

The prescient founders of NCISS (see History) saw the need for security and investigation businesses to keep
Congress and the Administration informed of their interests. They saw that without representation, our
government would at the minimum overlook us, or legislate against us without consideration of the
consequences.

The labor intensive nature of security operations put NCISS member’s interests squarely under the purview of
the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). And even more so today. It is the Council’s job to keep our
legislators aware of the interests of the hundreds of thousands of professional security officers and the
businesses which employ them.

A cornerstone of American jurisprudence is a court system with documented records open to inspection by
every citizen. NCISS is dedicated to keeping it that way. NCISS opposes record closure.

Records of motor vehicles and drivers have always been an essential tool for investigators. In 1994 two major
assaults on open DMV records occurred in both the Senate and the House. NCISS testified against the bill in
the House and ultimately negotiated what became the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) keeping DMV
records from being closed nationally. A major legislative victory.

In 1998, after Congress enacted amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which required
employers to get written permission from employees to investigate employee misconduct, NCISS went to work
testifying three times before congressional committees and after four years the FCRA was amended deleting
that requirement.

At about the same time, Congress enacted the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLB) severely restricting the
investigation of bank accounts. NCISS was able to obtain exemptions for child support enforcement.
Since the advent of Social Security Numbers in 1935 the SSN has become the universal identifier and
authenticator. Some would ban their use altogether and as Congress continually wrestles with the issue, NCISS
has so far been successful in arguing for their necessity. The most exhaustive study of their use occurred in
1975 with the Privacy Study Commission reporting in part:
“In any case, the question of the appropriate limitations on exchange of records would remain even if the SSN
were done away with altogether. The Commission finds that restrictions on the collection and use of the SSN to
inhibit exchange beyond those already contained in law would be costly and cumbersome in the short run,
ineffectual in the long run, and would also distract public attention from the need to formulate general policies
on record exchanges.”

NCISS agrees, and 45 years since its founding, actively
advocates for the investigative and security professions, with
the help and support of over 500 members nationwide.

You can learn more about the history of NCISS and private
investigation in Ed’s new book – Beyond a Reasonable
Doubt – True Stories of an L.A. Private Eye and his over 60
year career. (click image for details)

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