The International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Tampa, FL. Established in January 1988 to help address the training and certification needs of Security / Protection Officers and their Supervisors in North America and the UK.
The IFPO offers several distance delivered and traditional classroom training programs that can result in certification if completed successfully. Members of the IFPO then benefit from having an independent verification of the competence of those that obtain certification. The most widely known are Certified Protection Officer

Certified Protection Officer

The IFPO Board of Directors established and maintains a voluntary certification process based on current and valid standards that measure competency in the practice of private security for Security Officers...

(CPO) and Certified in Security Management and Supervision (CSSM).

IFPO publishes a quarterly newsletter called "Protection News". Its circulation includes all IFPO members and candidates enrolled in either their CPO or CSSM programs. "Protection News" is designed to keep security professionals current on trends within the security industry. It contains information about physical security, life-safety, as well as personal and property protection.