USTASC Company Update

To All Personnel:

First I would like to welcome the new officers that have come aboard recently:

• Stacy Daniels - Eastern Shore Operations
• Shania Pinder - Eastern Shore Operations
• Laura Koller - Eastern Shore Operations
• Kathryn Saathoff - Eastern Shore Operations
• Ronnie Richardson - Eastern Shore Operations
• Joshua Shew - Eastern Shore Operations
• Larry Shew - Eastern Shore Operations

We would also like to thank Ofc. Andrew Wilkinson for his continued support of COVID-19 in deployment with the Maryland National Guard.

We would like to welcome back an Officer on the Western Shore Cannabis Operations Security Team that has recovered from COVID-19. Unfortunately, by law, we cannot specify who the officer is but we are glad the officer has fully recovered.

For new officers, if you have not done so yet, you must take the basic security officer's series online at www.targetsolutions.com/tasc. You will get a username and password shortly if you have not already. Also, please sign up for the employee website at www.ustasc.com by going to MORE then click on staff portal. 

The company remains financially stable during this time. We have giving out PPE to all staff members. All staff members should have been issued masks and a protective face shield by this time. Filters for the masks are being released as they wear out but should be replaced once a week. So four filters should last you for a month.

COVID-19 is still on the rise in Maryland. Do not be fooled by the government opening up stores, etc. The infection rate is still climbing. Just a reminder to always use social distancing, wash your hands frequently, and ALWAYS wear a mask and face shield when dealing with the public.  This goes double for Cannabis Industry Protective Officers. I want to make sure you'all are doing everything possible to protect yourselves from this infection. Please be safe.

For Eastern Shore Officers, unfortunately, the summer is getting off to a rocky start and college housing was scaled back due to COVID-19 however, things are starting to move in the right direction. As things progress in Ocean City, hours will be picking up. 

I would like to thank the Cannabis Officers that provided emergency coverage for the burglary that took place. Some of these officers spend nights there and we very much appreciate the hard work. 

As always, I have an open-door policy. If you have a personal issue that you need to discuss that affects work or have a serious concern, you can always contact me directly. If it is a scheduling issue or issue with other personnel please go through your chain of command by calling headquarters.

I will be calling in personnel one at a time the headquarters to touch base with them and see how things are going and if they have any problems, questions, concerns, or suggestions. For those on the Western Shore, we will be setting up remote meetings in order to accomplish this if I cannot meet with you in person. 

In-person training for firearms, baton, pepper spray, firearms simulator, and professional development will be restarting shortly. I will send out a separate memo for these training classes.

Please remember the 5 rules for success here:

1. Come to work on time, every time

2. Do your job, whatever is asked of you in a security aspect

3. Go home safely at the end of your shift. Don't do anything to place yourself in harm's way. Call the police if needed.

4. Don't do anything stupid - we all know when we are doing something we shouldn't be doing. So, just don't do it. You will save us both time and negative energy by just avoiding stupid issues you can get caught up in. For all personnel, ESPECIALLY cannabis protection officers, only engage in professional discussions. Avoid discussions about religion, sex, guns, politics, sexual orientation, asking employees of clients out om dates, or anything else of a provocative nature. If it's not professional related to security, do not discuss it. Make sure your uniform looks professional. Iron it. Tuck your shirt in. Don't look like a  soup sandwich. 

5. Take promotional exams. You are eligible to take promotional exams after 30 days. You can take them from the employee website. 

Please remember, we are lucky to have been employed all this time. A lot of others are not so lucky. 

Suicide prevention is an important topic that's out there in the ether, especially during this time of COVID-19. If you are anyone you know is feeling suicidal, please reach out to someone for help. A good video was posted by USCCA: https://youtu.be/Rp48Pnl5fUA

I wish all of you the best. Please be safe out there.

-Chief E. Avnet