How Irrigation Districts Can Improve Security Practices in Every Field
Phil Ball and other police officers facilitate a protest march.
P
hil Ball is a longtime police officer and the founder and lead instructor of the Situational Awareness Institute (SAI), a security training company. In this interview, Mr. Ball covers the many facets of security preparation that irrigation districts should carry out, including crisis communication training, the installation of security cameras and panic buttons, the preparation of emergency plans, and the establishment of relationships with local fire and law enforcement agencies. Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background.
12 | IRRIGATION LEADER | December 2020
Irrigation Leader: Would you tell us about your recent experience with protests and what it teaches about crisis communications? irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PHIL BALL.
Phil Ball: I started police work about 27 years ago. Over my career, I have policed in four different states and have worked as a SWAT officer, a school resource officer, an intelligence officer, and an embassy security-personnel trainer for the U.S. Department of State. Today, in addition to being a full-time police officer, I run SAI, which
teaches active killer prevention, personal self-defense, crisis communications, incident command, servant leadership, and other safety-related topics to agents of law enforcement, government agencies, and private corporations. I consider myself a lifelong learner, and I have made a point of gathering information and knowledge that can keep myself and others safe. I became a member of the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) years ago because I saw it as the greatest resource of private security information, policies, and practices. Finally, I founded SAI to meet the demand in the private sector for security knowledge. It has been successful in preventing violence, saving lives, and lowering liability for my clients.
