The "Guard" of years gone by were more often then not, a well intentioned individual trusted to do the right thing. He walked the business after hours in the "Night Watchman" mode. Stereotypical flashlight in hand with a ten pound clock over his shoulder and a ring full of keys any jailer would be proud of. These under paid often under respected men of the watch have walked post since the time of Cesar and Queen Anne. First defense against trespass and crime.
At times the lack of respect was justified, as some of these "Watchman" were more professional sleepers then security. Even the Bank Guard of years gone by was seen as an elderly, over weight poorly equipped, under paid figure, more of a facade then an actual deterrent.
You'll notice these characters are no longer with us.
Later the Guard was replaced by the Security "Officer" these men and some times women were better equipped and trained to enforce policy and had a procedural manual to help them better cope with an ever changing scope of responsibilities. Respect was still in short supply as they were often looked upon as wanna bes, a nasty slang for those that dreamed of being in law enforcement but lacked the skills to achieve the position. Although this was not always true, a few I have met did think they were Starsky and Hutch or Crocket and Tubbs. This did not play well with their employers, or me for that matter.
I worked as a Security Officer for most of my adult life. I believe I was smart enough to sponge up the real world aspects of the job and learn from my contemporaries as well as those professionals that I came in contact with, Law Enforcement and other Emergency Responders, Dog Handlers, Alarm Systems Installers, Locksmiths, CCTV Installers, Self Defense Trainers, Legal Eagles and a host of others that one might never think of in a security capacity yet were critical to the work.
Most men and women working in the industry over the last few years fall into this category. Better trained and equipped both mentally and materially to accomplish the security mission. Deter, Detect, Observe, Report and Respond.
These days and particularly after the attacks of 911, the nomenclature has changed to include Security Professional instead of Security Officer. Blazers or suit and tie replaced the polyester police type uniform of days gone by. This "soft" look enables the professional to ware more hats as I like to say. Tea carting (Polite business escort) Desk post (reception/direction work) usher-ticket taker (access control) all without the para military look that alarms some people. As if the Kevlar coated, H/K toting, knee and elbow pad waring, helmet clad storm troopers walking the streets of New York, L.A. and Chicago as well as many other U.S. cities do not alarm people.
I digress.
Unfortunately there exists a branch of security that all too often falls short of the mark set by an ever evolving and improving industry. The "Guard Service"provider. These puppy mills for security staff are popping up all over the place and for all the wrong reasons. Insurance and state regulations have mandated that some types of businesses have a security component in their charter or operations plan. To feed this need some "schools" or worse yet providers take on the task of seeing to it that prospective security personnel meet the minimum requirement set forth by state mandate and then go so far as to employ these minimally trained neophyte staff as "Guards". Don't get me wrong there are a hand full of security companies out there that have always set the bar of requirement and expectation very high indeed, but these few are just that....few!
The puppy mill guard employer tends not to last very long, move or change names or get closed down by lack of work or litigation and in some cases due to low bidding and employing poor candidates that do not foster confidence. Most spend more time reviewing their LLC or brushing off their "sales suit" then their training program, if they even have one. These "providers" tend to be store front cookie cutter businesses that provide low cost/low quality service instead of the type of security professional we would like to employ or have staff emulate. Guards in their employ know that should they have an issue or just not fit in, they can be reassigned to some other post within the spider web of contracts. Worse yet, some just are! Guards are bounced from one site to another like porta potties on a construction site. No loyalties, familiarization, intimate knowledge or staff recognition. These are the traites not only preferred by business but are paramount to security, yet very often absent.
Security staff that make a poor judgement call are let go rather then counseled. It is a disposable environment for most contract security guards. It is easier for the service provider to claim they have "handled the issue" by letting the guard go then invest time nurturing good team involvement and cross training that might have avoided the poor judgement call. These things take time and time is money. What this leads to is guards that fear making decisions, take no initiative, focuses on self instead of the team or serving others. In short not a security person at all, just what appears to be for the sake of state regulation, insurance mandates or union contract. This leads to very poor public relations for the company that hires the service and at times litigation, loss of assets and a damaged reputation. Businesses must remember that a person that has a bad experience with security will remember YOUR name not the name of the contact service you hired.
Of those that do walk the walk I can say, Good luck brothers and sisters. Yours is an up hill climb. The puppy mills are tainting your good names and when they can , stealing your thunder.
RJ Mosca
