The next time you have a board meeting, how can you be certain no one's listening?

"Jackson is blessed with some pretty powerful businesses located here, or near here, and there's always a possibility of listening devices in the board room," said Charlie Saums, owner of Security Support Services, an international security equipment contractor based in Jackson. "When they hold board meetings in corporate offices, hotels, University Club rooms, or wherever, we make sure the room is swept, that side rooms are swept. Sometimes, we'll place a guard at the door and set up equipment to monitor the room during meetings for labor negotiations, buy/sell and mergers. We can even tell if someone comes into the room with a recorder."

Founded in 1987 by Saums, Security Support Services handles private investigations, corporate espionage, internal theft and other corporate security services. Saums had worked in law enforcement, first as an officer with the Jackson Police Department, then with a regional security contractor, before venturing out on his own.

"We're not in the security guard business," he stated emphatically. "Six to eight years ago, we made a management decision to move into the commercial market. At that time, several residential alarm companies, big players like ADT, were offering residential alarm systems for $100 or less. In turn, they wanted a monthly revenue of $20 to $25. I saw that coming, and we switched gears."

Installing and monitoring closed-circuit television systems, card access systems, fire alarm systems, hidden cameras and control systems, such as infant protection systems in hospitals where a baby might be stolen, is one aspect of the business, he said.

"We saw the need in the commercial marketplace for a security equipment contractor," said Saums.

Routine criminal investigations include employee theft, claims against companies and embezzlement, he said.

"A children's amusement organization came to us with concerns of a cash shortage," Saums said. "At first, the company thought competition was kicking them in the tail. What they learned was that their manager notated cash transactions, but at the end of the night, he'd get his records to balance and he'd pocket the difference. After $30,000, company execs became suspicious, had hidden cameras installed and caught him dead-to-rights. He received a felony conviction and was prosecuted."

And, of course, Saums gets plenty of calls for audio wiretapping protection.

"Husbands and wives are always trying to catch each other cheating," he said. "While we do some of that - wiretaps, telephone recorders, audio and camera taps - our use of wiretap devices is primarily commercial ... to make sure the board room is safe, that nobody's listening in board meetings, or in the chairman's office, and that nobody is planting bugs, wiretap devices or hidden cameras in the boardroom from companies trying to get a competitive advantage."

Security Support Services' work, including executive protection and contingency planning, takes investigators all over the world. Investigators recently wrapped up a job in Great Britain, Saums said.

"Keeping up with rapidly changing technology, finding talented technical people in the security equipment business, and finding talented investigative people - we have to grow our own - are the biggest challenges in this business," Saums said.

The employee roster at Security Support Services includes Dale Jones, formerly special agent in charge of the Illinois Central Railroad police, who runs the investigative unit; Bill Rives, a 29-year FBI veteran, and Tom Ward, recently retired chief of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol, both senior investigators; Ralph Scruggs, a former Entergy employee and manager of the technical unit; and Jim Williams, former contract security at Grand Gulf Nuclear System, who handles the firm's development work.

"I've been very fortunate in both aspects of this business," Saums said. "I've surrounded myself with some very talented people who I credit with our success."

Many recruits are college grads fresh out of school with criminal justice degrees, he said.

"Some wanted to work for a police department, but couldn't get the pay they wanted, based on their education, so they came to work for us," Saums said. Including parttimers, the staff consists of about 20 to 25 personnel.

"We're not big on titles," Saums said. "We're big on taking care of folks and working in a family-type atmosphere. We've been very successful this way."