By Garinder Grewal, Service Delivery Manager

ASP Supervisor Hazel Jocson was recognized by GTAA for a Toronto Pearson Safety and Security Tier 3 Eye on Safety (EOS) Award -“Unsung Hero” for coming to the aid of 79-year-old female who fell down an escalator at the Infield Concourse.

Hazel quickly stopped the escalators and provided support to her until paramedics arrived, which took some time. The wound was large and bleeding profusely, so Hazel applied pressure and kept the injured female calm throughout. Hazel remained with the injured female until the fire department arrived, even assisting to lift her onto the stretcher.

Hazel previously assisted another injured passenger who fell in a similar incident. In response to this second incident, she followed up with a report of this hazard and explained that wheelchairs must be made readily available for passengers who require mobility assistance at the Infield Concourse (IFC).

Hazel Jocson shows off her “Unsung Hero” Award

The GTAA and ASP extends their appreciation to Hazel for her outstanding contribution to safety and security and for going above and beyond her day- to-day duties to ensure Toronto Pearson is a safe place to be.


ICTS continues to strengthen its position as leaders of the Italian aviation security sector, with two new important contracts that started in October 2018.

At the beginning of October ,2018, our ICTS Italy team commenced the Check Point security services at Pisa International Airport, following the award of the contract by the Airport Authority of Toscana. ICTS has been providing security services to Pisa Airport for several years.

“The expansion of the cooperation is testimony to the high quality and professionalism of our team at Pisa”, said Monica Salomoni, Aviation Manager, ICTS Italy. “We are delighted that the Airport recognised our commitment and capabilities”.

Later in the month, aviation security services started with Kuwait Airways at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. The ICTS Europe Group already secures Kuwait Airways at Paris Charles De Gaulle, Frankfurt and Munich airports.

“We welcome Kuwait Airways to our client base and are proud to have been chosen to secure their flights to Kuwait City”, commented Monica Salomoni. “ICTS looks forward to a long business partnership with the Airline”.

Established in 1987, ICTS Italy operates from its principal office in Rome, with additional operational centres at the main airports of Rome, Milan, Venice and Pisa. ICTS Italy specialises in the provision of security services to airports, airlines, corporate, private and public – sector clients. We are able to offer a national cover and a comprehensive range of security services.

Contact us:
ICTS Italia S.r.l. Piazza dellaLiberta 10 00192 Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 06 65011053 Email: ayelet_it@icts.co.uk www.ictsgeneralsecurity.it


By Mark Burnett, Explosive Detection Canine Trainer

The Canine Unit has been busy with the increased holiday traffic and special events taking place with both Pearson Airport and Commercial Divisions.

The Commercial Division has provided EDD coverage for some special events, including visits from Bill and Hillary Clinton, and several Cirque du Soleil shows, in addition to the busy concert and Leafs/Raptors schedules.

The Pearson Airport Team has managed the increased volume of unattended bags and suspicious items that come with the busy time of year, with the added responsibility of being primary response to these calls for service.

Members of the team met recently with the St. John’s Ambulance therapy dog team to welcome them to Pearson Airport and to tell them about our duties and responsibilities for providing explosives detection canines to the GTAA. The meeting went very well and we look forward to seeing the therapy dogs doing their important work in the new year.

Members of ASP Canine from both divisions are continuing to work with Transport Canada in the development of national standards for the EDD screening of air cargo, with two visits to Ottawa to work dogs in trials designed to test their processes and procedures. The ASP Canine teams are representing ASP very well in Ottawa and are continuing to perform an important service to the development on these national standards.

The Canine Unit members extend season’s greetings and best wishes in the New Year to all of the ASP team and their families.


By Lisa Marsan, Employee Development Manager

We are pleased to announce that starting in January, 2019, Use of Force and Standard First Aid/CPR/AED, along with several other courses, will be delivered in-house at ASP’s downtown Toronto office.

This past November, the following people were certified as Use of Force Instructors through Life Safety Specialists Training Group (http://www.lsstg.com):

  • Lisa MARSAN, Employee Development Manager
  • Asad ABBAS, Service Delivery Manager
  • Henry CHANTHANONG, Senior MPS
  • Ryan KARAKIAN, Security Specialist, Union Station
Left to right: Kevin Vandeyck, Ph.D., Henry Chanthanong, Ryan Karakian, Lisa Marsan and Asad Abbas

Many thanks to LSSTG Master Trainer, Kevin Vandeyck, Ph.D. for partnering with ASP to certify our trainers. We are very grateful to Kevin for sharing his wealth of knowledge gained through many years of teaching Use of Force in the security industry. The instructor course was very comprehensive, challenging and fun!

Standard First Aid/CPR/AED will also be offered in-house starting in January as members of our team complete their instructor certifications with Rescue 7.

Other training courses being offered include
Tactical Communications, Customer Service and Edged Weapons. Please contact Lisa Marsan for a training calendar and to register for courses.


By Paul Walker, Service Delivery Manager

On December 12th, 2018, our K9 Unit Steve Coulcher and his K9 partner Boetie responded to an unattended item on the public side of Terminal 1, Departures Level.

Boetie immediately identified the suspicious package and Terminal 1 departures area was immediately evacuated by Peel Regional Police. During this time our ASP officers, Supervision, and specialists stepped in to assist in crowd control and securing the evacuated area.

Our staff dealt with the entire situation very professionally. Some staff volunteered to help and stay back from their shifts to assist the airport in becoming fully operational in as short a timeframe as possible.

I would like to personally thank the following employees for their efforts during this situation and for your professionalism and assistance. Employees such as you are why ASP continues to grow into one of the leading Security Service providers in Canada.

A special thank you to:
Steve COULCHER and K9 Boetie, Saad JAMIL, Noel MISQUITTAR, Andre SINGH, Amanpreet KOONER, Mohamed MOHAMED, Gurbir AAST, and Ahmed AKBARI.


By Cliff Sampogna, Regional Manager ES/CIC Division.

Within the security industry. there is always room for growth and new opportunities with new business and sites.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the ASP family for the growth within the Residential and Commercial division again.

In October, we were advised that we were awarded a new security services contract with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

This was a big win for us, as we are able to showcase our high level of service in an area that we would like to grow in. We started this contract on November 24, 2018 and we have been able to make an immediate impact at this location with the highly skilled new staff that we have placed at this site; we have also improved the incumbent staff through coaching and mentoring.

This contract was awarded to us due to our reputation and the hard work of our field staff over the last several years at our specialist sites. This is a testament of how important it is to always maintain a professional image and attitude.

This contract has provided us with a multi- layer service, as we will be providing security at the client’s gate houses as well as high-risk sites. We will also be providing a mobile component to this contract that will allow us to continue growing our mobile team.

I want to thank all of the incumbent and new staff at the TTC for all of the hard work and assistance they have provided to us. The team’s support and willingness to help has been a big part of the success we have had early in these contracts and transitions. The team we have at all locations are uniquely trained and dedicated to the organization and client.

We have several projects in the works and I am looking forward to the continued growth within our ASP family and to see where we can take this in the future.


By Cliff Sampogna, Regional Manager RIES/CIC Division

I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone in my division.

Over the last 18 months, we have experienced some extreme changes at levels from the senior management to the front-line team in the field. These changes have helped change the ASP image in the market and have elevated us to a level where we are a provider of choice.

The only reason we have been able to achieve this is because the team has worked tirelessly to make sure we maintain the high level of service that our clients have come to expect of us.

I want to send a personal thank you to Asad Abbas, Mike, Moledzki, Hardeep Khaneja, Henry Chanthanong, John Gangasingh and Lisa Marsan. This is the team that has sacrificed immensely over the last year to make sure we pushed through the difficult tasks and to make sure our team is supported. You guys have shown true dedication and passion and are an example of what true leadership and leading the vision through example.

I also want to recognize our supervisory and our front- line staff as well. The management team is regularly recognized for the successes of the organization but the supervisors and the front-line people are the reason we are all here. Without all of the hard work and dedication to what you do, we wouldn’t be able to have the reputation that we currently have in the marketplace. Every member of the ASP family on the front line has shown me that they not only care about their job, but also care about ASP and because of this, I am so proud of each and every one of you.

As the manager of this team, I can honestly say that I am the luckiest person, because I not only get to work with such amazing people, but I also get to be a part of a very unique team that shares the same vision at all levels.

I want to personally thank everyone one of you for everything you do and I sincerely appreciate all that you do. I am looking forward to an amazing 2019 with all of you.


By Mike Moledzki, Service Delivery Manager, RES/CIC.

When you ask for what the definition of dedication to your job is on Google, you should see these pictures of these two gentlemen.

I have had the great pleasure of working with Hardeep Khaneja and Henry Chanthanong for the past two years. I have seen them grow from hard-working site guards to the office professionals they are today. These two individuals put in countless hours calling and working on scheduling the residential/commercial sites. They put in 110% every day, working long into the late night to make sure everything is fully covered.

They are always ready to head to a site to lend assistance and guidance. These two deal with difficult decisions daily and always put in every effort to complete these tasks. They never complain about working late, even when it puts a strain on the personal lives. They work as a team, always being supportive to each other, leaning on each other in challenging times, always calmly answering the phones with the utmost professionalism and building their relationships with the guards.

I have heard many times when they call guards saying “Hey, I have this last-minute request for a guard, can you help us out and cover?” without a second’s pause, the guards say “Yes sir, of course, no problem for you.” This kind of rapport is not given freely; with months of dedication. they have been able to gain the trust and respect of not only the guards, but the entire management team.

I wanted to let you all know the importance of these two gentlemen and their contributions to the Toronto Residential/ Commercial sites of ASP

I say to you THANK YOU, Hardeep and Henry. Without the two of you putting in the efforts you do, we would not be able to enjoy the success we have had this past year. Please all join me in thanking these guys the next time you hear them calling. Keep up the hard work guys – you know it does not go unnoticed.


By Mina Khani, Training Coordinator

The year has brought significant changes and upgrades to our training tool box, from redesigned learning paths on our Learning Management System, to new teaching strategies and techniques for in-class training.

One of our newest OSR trainee classes gets into the holiday spirit at Toronto Pearson.

At ASP, education never stops for our trainees or our instructors and coordinators. We understand that the core of our service is the strength of our people and the investment in their training.

Looking forward to another successful year in 2019!


By Noah Thompson, Senior Manager, Customer Service.

In late 2017, we introduced Project Smile. Project Smile is a program that calls on Shift Supervisors and Shift Managers to nominate OSR Agents who are both opening and closing their passenger interactions with a smile.

Project Smile leads to other successful employee engagement programs such as the Perfect Attendance Challenge and the See It Reward It campaign.

OSR Agent Rina Viloria shows off her Motorola Verve with Supervisor Frank Owusu-Awuah.

Our first winner since the program’s return is OSR Agent Rina Viloria.

Rina wears a smile as part of her uniform every day. Since it’s the season of giving, Rina received a little something extra for putting her best foot forward every day. Well done, Rina!