Thomas Crawford

Tom Crawford began his security career upon graduating high school when he served as a U.S. Air Force Security Specialist for four and a half years. He graduated Air Base Ground Defense training conducted by the U.S. Army then was stationed in the U.K. There, he was assigned to two distinguished units and participated in the largest British / American military exercise since WWII. While at his second duty station he was given an opportunity to be his unit’s trainer. Training has subsequently been a large part of his resume. Tom then enjoyed a successful 17-year career with Publix Supermarkets. As a manager, Tom instituted programs that impacted entire stores. Challenged by a superior that he could not increase sales at his location, his team grew sales by 15% while also decreasing losses by 10%. Realizing the cost of employee injuries, he started a workplace safety program that resulted in nearly two years of incident-free departments. Tom understood that training was also critical for customer service and employee retention, so he enacted a training program and maintained 100% team completion rates. There began his motto: No Boring Training Sessions! Doors were opened to become a Sheriff’s Deputy, so Tom fulfilled a long-standing desire to be in Law Enforcement. He expanded his skill set to include de-escalation methods, medical and other emergency response, communications, incident management, situational awareness, and investigations. He contributed to the new deputy training Standard Operating Procedure and he was key to his shift’s training program. During this time, Tom went back to school and received his bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management with a 4.0 G.P.A. Tom then accepted an offer to manage security for a campus in Oklahoma. During his year there, the resident student population grew to nearly 300, with 150 staff members. Once again, Tom saw training as vital to team success and he began writing an in-depth training program. Topics included active shooter, emergency response, medical procedures, drug and weapon searches, severe weather, and he coached security officers to help them succeed. He was highly regarded during his stay. Realizing that he has a wealth of knowledge in safety, security, and emergency management, coupled with a passion for training, Tom started his company, Crawford Security Consulting LLC. Their mission is to ensure safer workplaces through quality training. Tom is a member of ASIS International, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), the Red Cross, and the Chamber of Commerce.