It’s commendable that Pond Security is taking aggressive steps to prevent future security breaches. But a logical question is why Pond would not have taken the steps it now has implemented from the first day it was in business.

After all, Pond Security is a security firm.

Last month, the Moniteau and Grove City school districts ended their ties with Pond after learning that two of its guards had criminal records. One of the former guards is a felon and the other, a sex offender.

As a result of learning about the two guards’ pasts, Pond initiated a five-step process to ensure that that embarrassing — and potentially devastating to the company — situation is not repeated.

That beefed-up process involves such things as new reviews of personnel records and renewing security clearances and background checks; creating a compliance manager position to ensure that all guards have state child-abuse clearance, a state criminal clearance and an FBI criminal background check; and a three-step procedure for reviewing each clearance.

It would seem such measures would be standard for security companies, considering evolving challenges that school districts and other entities have been experiencing.

As the experience involving the two guards shows, Pond dropped the ball and must quickly implement new practices to rebuild its reputation.

CheerA plan of the U.S. Department of Transportation already is receiving mixed reviews, but there should be a middle ground on which vehicle manufacturers and most drivers can agree.DOT regulations, currently in draft form, would stipulate that cars be designed with the capability to refuse text messages, tweets or Facebook messages while the vehicles are moving.Initially, the regulations would apply only to systems built into cars by manufacturers, not mobile phones and other devices installed by owners. However, DOT plans to issue guidelines for those soon.Besides possible opposition to the regulations from automakers, the group FocusDriven, which was founded by the families of victims of distracted drivers, says there’s the danger of the regulations encouraging motorists to take some risks.If the various viewpoints are given adequate consideration, perhaps the final product will be regulations that most responsible motorists and the car manufacturers can embrace.It’s reasonable to presume that what DOT is proposing will add to the cost of new vehicles.Still, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood makes a good point when he says, “Distracted driving is a dangerous and deadly habit on America’s roadways.” And, it’s to be hoped that he’s right that the guidelines will be a step toward reducing distracted driving.But, as he well knows, they won’t be a cure-all, and distracted driving will continue to be a deadly highway danger requiring ongoing attention.

CheerPlanners for this year’s Bantam Jeep Festival already are demonstrating that this summer’s event — like the first such festival held last summer — will be well worth attending and, most of all, enjoyable.Although this year’s festival will not include a jeep parade, which last year involved 1,100 Jeeps passing through Butler, it will feature a Jeep car cruise.Other features this year that were not a part of last year’s event will include what’s being billed as the Jeep Team Challenge, which will have 50 Jeep owners attempt some entertaining driving challenges; a Mystery Road Rally, giving 200 drivers the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt in the county; and a pig roast.One carryover from last year’s festival will be the Moraine State Park trail ride.Meanwhile, it’s commendable that Jeep owners are being given an early opportunity to register for the event. The registration website, which went online last month, is available both to Jeep owners and people who want to volunteer for the festival.The festival will begin with the car cruise on Aug. 10 in downtown Butler. Festival activities on Aug. 11 and 12 will be centered at the Big Butler Fairgrounds along Route 422 west of the city.All thumbs are up for an exciting three days of fun. Now, if only the weatherman will cooperate.

JeerWhile it didn’t play a decisive role in the Michigan primary, Rick Santorum should not have approved a robo-call effort urging Democrats to vote for him in the hotly contested Republican primary.Any state with an “open primary,” in which people with any party registration can vote, is vulnerable to such problems. But Santorum should not have stooped to such tactics.Election coverage Tuesday evening suggested about 8 percent of Santorum’s votes in Michigan came from Democrats.Since Santorum did not defeat Mitt Romney, the “mischief vote” issue largely disappeared by Wednesday morning. Still, any such organized effort to try to disrupt a Republican — or a Democratic — primary election is wrong.The purpose of primary elections is for voters within the party to select the person to represent the party. That process should not be disrupted or contaminated by voters from another party.Despite the rough-and-tumble nature of national politics and the potential boost to Santorum if he upset Romney in Michigan, the mischief-vote effort should have been resisted.Romney was right to call Santorum’s robo-call campaign to Democrats a “dirty trick.”