Safer Together: First FCCS Director of Safety and Security Selected

Adding another layer to the strategies designed to keep Franklin County Children Services staff and visitors to FCCS buildings protected and safe - and championing a new “Safer Together” approach to security - the agency has welcomed its first official Director of Safety and Security.

Robert Collins joined the FCCS Team in mid-November with more than 30 years of private and public safety, security, and emergency management experience. And he’s already been busy.

“It will take all of us to keep the agency safe and each other safe,” Mr. Collins shared.

“This position will be the lead on enhancing, implementing, and overseeing our comprehensive safety and security efforts,” according to FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning. “We want Robert to be the point-person in security-related discussions, for emergency and crisis planning, and as a liaison between FCCS and local first responders.”

Mr. Collins will also chair the agency’s Safety Committee and is in the process of meeting FCCS staff and the agency’s partners in private security and law enforcement.

A veteran of the Gulf War, Mr. Collins served 13 years in the Army as well as 10 years in the Ohio National Guard. He has a bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security.

Throughout his career, he’s led efforts to improve existing security measures and identify new technologies to bolster safety. He’s also trained and mentored teams of security professionals to maximize safety strategies across multiple buildings and with large organizations. 

He most recently served as the Director of Operations for Whitehall City Schools, with work previously as a leader in Safety & Security with Columbus City Schools and with Limited Brands. 

“I believe in trainings and Safety First, and I bring a vast knowledge of Columbus and local law enforcement to FCCS,” Collins said.

Developing a “Safer Together” approach to security, FCCS has invested in and deployed several new tools and changing strategies over the past year in a multi-layered approach to keep employees and visitors safe. 

For instance, in a transition from having deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, FCCS now partners with two private security firms and Whitehall Police to provide safety personnel at its buildings.

Also new, as visitors are welcomed into the agency’s buildings at 4071 East Main and 1919 Frank Road, security professionals conduct brief safety screenings with metal detector wands, like you might see at airports or sporting events. 

Additionally, the agency installed extra digital cameras and lights around the buildings to help monitor outside activity, added more easily-accessible panic buttons, locked entryways, and developed a quicker process to obtain secure transport for youth. 

FCCS is also collaborating with its service-provider partners to work directly with youth who might come into the building, including a unique partnership with National Youth Advocate Program to have trained clinicians available around-the-clock to work directly with young people to de-escalate a mental health or behavioral health crisis.

“Here in Franklin County Children Services, we truly are Safer Together,” Mr. Spinning often writes, “when we work together to prioritize safety, when we act together to protect each other, and when we speak out together about the need to improve safety throughout our organization and across our entire community.”