Seattle-area job questions

[LPGuy]

I'm wondering if there is anyone here from the Seattle area that can tell me anything about the following companies:

Whatcom Security Agency
Western Washington Merchant Patrol, Inc.
Interstate Protective Security Services, Inc.

I'm interested in typical hourly salaries, if anyone has any good/bad experiences with them, etc.

I currently have a very good job in retail loss prevention but I'm interested in working in armed security (and making a little more money) until I finally get hired as a police officer. If anyone knows any large corporations in the Seattle area that have their own in-house armed security (such as Boeing), please let me know!

Thanks!

[N. A. Corbier]

I KNOW that Lawson can tell you about WWMP. Do a search for the name on the forums, its pure comedy.

[wackenhut hickey]

Give paragon a call they are in need of peopleright now they are are armed and start out at 16.69hr

[Lawson]

I dont know about the other two... But Like NA said, I can talk your ear off about the WWMP... but in a nutshell, bad choice. If you want details, feel free to let me know!

[FDG06]

LPGuy,
I know that WWMP has a great catch line about the services they provide: K9, Narcotics, Special Ops..lol) yet they advertise a starting pay of $8-$9 hr. Cant speak for the companies operations, the pay steered me away, I can make more at Home Depot pushing carts..
I know IPSS is paying better, but it is a joke of an operation when you get down to it (Trina is VERY Unprofessional in her dealings with applicants), they hire out on armed & unarmed gigs or what ever. If your looking to cut your teeth, might not be a bad start with better then entry level pay till something "good" comes along, but I woudlnt look for anything beyond that and you can probably do better with them not on your resume. My 2 cents.
Yoda

[LPGuy]

Thanks for the info, everyone!

Is this the correct Website for Paragon? http://www.parasys.com/

They do some government contracts, right?

[wackenhut hickey]

Thanks for the info, everyone!

Is this the correct Website for Paragon? http://www.parasys.com/

They do some government contracts, right?

That is the website. And to my knowledge all the they do is government contracts.

http://www.trissecurity.com/?p=paragon

A little bit more info on paragon.

[Lawson]

LPGuy,
I know that WWMP has a great catch line about the services they provide: K9, Narcotics, Special Ops..lol) yet they advertise a starting pay of $8-$9 hr. Cant speak for the companies operations, the pay steered me away, I can make more at Home Depot pushing carts..
I know IPSS is paying better, but it is a joke of an operation when you get down to it (Trina is VERY Unprofessional in her dealings with applicants), they hire out on armed & unarmed gigs or what ever. If your looking to cut your teeth, might not be a bad start with better then entry level pay till something "good" comes along, but I woudlnt look for anything beyond that and you can probably do better with them not on your resume. My 2 cents.
Yoda

The WWMP to me, was a joke of an operation. I went in there and interviewed on July 11th 2003 (my 18th birthday) and was in uniform and on duty July 12th 2003 without any formal training from the company. They just handed me a temporary guard card and a sheet with directions to the site.

I also saw it rather unprofessional that the security company was ran out of a house.

When I worked a port site, they had me in an older model GMC Jimmy which a bunch of the port residents saw as a real joke.

I had a trespasser detained once at 0300 and while I was talking with him I had another S/O come over whose site was also on the port, about 100feet ( He was still probably still on his site) from where my contact was. Once the Co. found out, they proceeded to tell me that I should have contacted someone else for cover, even though most the road officers were at least 20 miles away in another county. :rolleyes:

When we had some legal issues come up, they advised me they were not liable whatsoever for anything I did on duty and they will not be providing me any sort of legal aid, even though they only gave me 20 hours a week at 7.50 an hour.

During my entire time there (about 3 months) I never once saw a K-9.

This company was a complete waste of my time.

[LPGuy]

Thanks, everyone, for the replies.

After some research and the additional insight that you all added, I think I'll look primarily at in-house security departments rather than contract security companies. I worked unarmed uniformed security for a while as well and had some less-than-pleasant experiences with the company...

[FDG06]

LP Guy,
I wish you luck on your search for a good Co., your far from alone. I am former DOD & GSA Federal Protective officer & cant catch a break in this section of the protection industry in the western Wa. area for anything. I am trying to slow down a bit in life, my hi-speed days mostly behind me.
Those sec co's that would hire me if I stripped my res down to pre-college days, I wont work for, like the two previously mentioned Co.'s. and a few others like Loomis Fargo (Tacoma,WA. location is also ran out of a house & a garage 2 blocks from the house..what the H#!! is that about..??!!)
Alot of what I am finding, is you need to look at the Co's ownership/excecutives, I've found that many were never Mil/Leo/Sec, but got into the biz purely for the $$ after thier dry cleaning biz went belly up (jk). These types have NO clue, I dont care how many college degrees one may have in biz management, if you havent done street time in some fashion, your clueless in how or what you ask others to do in that same role, or being able to lead, support & task others in this field effectively.
If you search Co's out this way, that can reduce your pool of perspectives to a narrow group of Co's with good leadership that might work for you.
Corporate level in house Sec depts seem to be a good bet & are often lead/staffed by former officers of some sort & usually pay better, thats were I am looking latley anyway..
Good luck!
Yoda

[hisownhero]

I've got a quick Seattle area job question as well if anyone might know the answer to. Does anyone know what company has armed guards around Seattle that wear grey pants with an all black shirt?

[OccamsRazor]

I've got a quick Seattle area job question as well if anyone might know the answer to. Does anyone know what company has armed guards around Seattle that wear grey pants with an all black shirt?

Securitas federal guards.

[Just_Some_Guy]

In the same Seattle area, can someone tell me about these companies?:

Star Protection Agency
Northwest Security Services
Puget Sound Security
ACSS
And in-house for Bellevue Square, Seattle Public Library, and any school campus security

[Lawson]

Star will hire just about anyone it seems. We fired someone for Sexual Harassment and Star picked them up as a site supervisor :rolleyes:

Northwest seems to have its ups and downs. Lots of sites, but they seem to be very warm-body. When we took over a site from NW when I was with TWC we took in a few incumbents, most of which I was particularly unhappy with. They seemed to be VERY observe/report only.

Not to sure about ACSS...

Puget Sound Security seems to have their stuff together, though I dont know much about them.

I looked into A Lutheran College in Seattle, Security really seemed to be proactive and squared away. I was not hired, but I wouldnt mind working there. Pay was pretty decent if I remember correctly.

[Book Cop]

In the same Seattle area, can someone tell me about these companies?:

Star Protection Agency
Northwest Security Services
Puget Sound Security
ACSS
And in-house for Bellevue Square, Seattle Public Library, and any school campus security

Hello, I like the Seattle Public Library for reasons beyond that I'm paid as that City department's security manager... Our security officer job description is posted on SPL.org. No opening currently with only a staff of only 10. -Regards

[LPGuy]

In the same Seattle area, can someone tell me about these companies?:

Star Protection Agency
Northwest Security Services
Puget Sound Security
ACSS
And in-house for Bellevue Square, Seattle Public Library, and any school campus security

I'm only familiar with Puget Sound Security, as I've worked with some of their officers before when we've contracted them for security duties. I was extremely unimpressed by the quality of the people that they hire, to the point that I would never apply with that company. Of course, I only saw five different officers, but each one happened to be extremely incompetent.

One officer arrived with his uniform shirt tucked into a pair of jeans, then sat in his car for approximately an hour-and-a-half when his assignment involved patrolling a parking lot. Another officer worked an overnight shift in our building, keeping an eye on some construction contractors we had hired. Her report read something along the lines of this:

0200: I can hear a jackhammer now on the other side of these walls. That thing sure is loud. Those guys must really be working hard.
0300: It sure is getting cold in here! I'm really glad I have this jacket.
0400: It's so dark in here once the lights turned off! I'm glad I have this flashlight that the manager gave me. I hold on to it for dear life.

...three pages of that. I couldn't stop laughing while I read it. :rolleyes:

[Investigation]

The Seattle area, let alone Washington State, is a hard market to find a good job in Security. It would be in your best interest to obtain as much training as you can since the good paying, and respected, jobs around here have highly qualified applicants filling them. Any L.E. training (Reserve/F.T. academy), corrections, Associate degree in Criminal Justice, etc… will help. Here are a few professional proprietary (in-house) agencies that you should look at:

Harborview Medical Center (very busy)
City of Seattle - Seattle Center (used to be commissioned)
Washington State Convention and Trade Center
Seattle Central Community College (very busy)
Bellevue Community College
Highline Community College
Shoreline Community College
Kent School District
Federal Way School District
Boeing
Hanford Patrol (Eastern Washington)
Department of Reclamation Security (Eastern Washington)

Try and stay away from contract security in Seattle. I have yet to see a professional operation around here that trains and compensates their officers well.

[Just_Some_Guy]

Hello again everyone. I recently hit my 21st birthday, legally (and hopefully) opening up a lot of opportunities. I'm interested in transferring to an armed company and being an armed officer, as the increase in pay would definitely help out with tuition. Two questions:

1. What are some of the Seattle-area companies that are armed? I'm aware of NWP, IPSS, Paragon, FR, and KHP. Are there any more, or any in-house opportunities?

2. It seems that most of the armed companies are looking for officers that already have an armed license. I was previously under the impression that I could only get an armed license if I was with an armed company, but I just reviewed the DOL site again, and it seems the only requirements to upgrade to armed is to have an unarmed license, be 21, and be certified by WSCJTC. Can someone confirm that it's possible for me to obtain an armed license while I am still with my unarmed company?

[LPGuy]

1. What are some of the Seattle-area companies that are armed? I'm aware of NWP, IPSS, Paragon, FR, and KHP. Are there any more, or any in-house opportunities?

Securitas holds a federal contract(s) in the Seattle area, and their officers for those sites are armed. Boeing (in-house) is obviously armed, as well. I would greatly recommend that you apply with them. Either the Highline or Shoreline (I can't remember which) School District employes armed security officers, but you must hold a police academy certification to be hired.

I would also recommend that you research some of the companies that Investigation listed just above your post. Not all of them are armed, but most of them probably pay comparably, if not more. I now work unarmed for a large school district in the area, and the pay, benefits, and hours are excellent--probably far better than any armed contract company.

[SecTrainer]

Securitas holds a federal contract(s) in the Seattle area, and their officers for those sites are armed. Boeing (in-house) is obviously armed, as well. I would greatly recommend that you apply with them. Either the Highline or Shoreline (I can't remember which) School District employes armed security officers, but you must hold a policy academy certification to be hired.

I would also recommend that you research some of the companies that Investigation listed just above your post. Not all of them are armed, but most of them probably pay comparably, if not more. I now work unarmed for a large school district in the area, and the pay, benefits, and hours are excellent--probably far better than any armed contract company.

Are you a member of NASRO, LPGuy, and if so, what do you think of that organization? What I've heard of them sounds very impressive.

[LPGuy]

Are you a member of NASRO, LPGuy, and if so, what do you think of that organization? What I've heard of them sounds very impressive.

I'm not a NASRO member; however, I attend WSSO (Washington School Safety Organization; http://www.wsso.us/) meetings, which is quasi-affiliated with NASRO.

I've also heard good things about NASRO, but I couldn't really give you any details about the organization besides what can be learned from their Website, http://www.nasro.org/.

[SecTrainer]

I'm not a NASRO member; however, I attend WSSO (Washington School Safety Organization; http://www.wsso.us/) meetings, which is quasi-affiliated with NASRO.

I've also heard good things about NASRO, but I couldn't really give you any details about the organization besides what can be learned from their Website, http://www.nasro.org/.

Yes, I've visited the site, during the course of some other training research I was doing. I guess they have a certification program going. Have you thought about jumping into that?

[OccamsRazor]

Securitas holds a federal contract(s) in the Seattle area, and their officers for those sites are armed. Boeing (in-house) is obviously armed, as well. I would greatly recommend that you apply with them. Either the Highline or Shoreline (I can't remember which) School District employes armed security officers, but you must hold a policy academy certification to be hired.

Securitas no longer has that federal contract as of 01 June; it went to Paragon with the low bid.

IIRC, Highline is the armed district.

Boeing is hiring right now.

[SecTrainer]

Securitas no longer has that federal contract as of 01 June; it went to Paragon with the low bid.

IIRC, Highline is the armed district.

Boeing is hiring right now.

There's a pretty long lead time for Boeing, isn't there? I think most of their jobs require current secret or top secret clearances, no? The catch is, short of someone coming out of the military with a clearance, how do you get a clearance before someone who requires a clearance hires you and requests the clearance (which obviously can take months, they're so far behind on them...)?

[LPGuy]

Yes, I've visited the site, during the course of some other training research I was doing. I guess they have a certification program going. Have you thought about jumping into that?

I haven't heard of any talk of certification through my department. It would be interesting, but I'm currently in the hiring process with several police departments, so...

As far as Boeing goes, they do have a lengthy hiring process (they are slow to even get back to applicants in the first place), but I believe they hire you on the condition that you are able to acquire a Secret Clearance within X amount of time after being hired.

I recently saw that Boeing was hiring for security officer positions in Seattle, but I no longer see the requisition on their Website.

[Investigation]

Securitas holds a federal contract(s) in the Seattle area, and their officers for those sites are armed. Boeing (in-house) is obviously armed, as well. I would greatly recommend that you apply with them. Either the Highline or Shoreline (I can't remember which) School District employes armed security officers, but you must hold a police academy certification to be hired.


That would be Highline, and they only hire ex-law enforcement. Tacoma schools, as well as Bates Technical College, are armed, but I am not too familiar with their requirements. Being public agencies, I would imagine that they are fairly selective on who they hire. Boeing requires that the person have a police experience or an academy within a few years of applying. The Highlands, a gated community near Shoreline, used to have in-house armed security many years ago. You might want to check them out.

You might want to try and armored truck company to get started. I always see them hiring in the Seattle area (Dunbar, AT Systems, and Brinks). The State will not issue you certification unless you are with an armed company. You may be able to obtain the required training on your own. This training is a mere 12 hours and, as I see it, not enough to work in the field.

[LPGuy]

Boeing requires that the person have a police experience or an academy within a few years of applying.

They will also accept military experience or a criminal justice degree.

[acrand]

Thanks for the info, everyone!

Is this the correct Website for Paragon? http://www.parasys.com/

They do some government contracts, right?

They were just awarded the Federal Contract in Seattle. Very nice pay for Armed Security. From sources that are transferring over from the Securitas, Starting looks to be around $18.00 / hour, plus health and welfare.

[acrand]

Hello again everyone. I recently hit my 21st birthday, legally (and hopefully) opening up a lot of opportunities. I'm interested in transferring to an armed company and being an armed officer, as the increase in pay would definitely help out with tuition. Two questions:

1. What are some of the Seattle-area companies that are armed? I'm aware of NWP, IPSS, Paragon, FR, and KHP. Are there any more, or any in-house opportunities?

2. It seems that most of the armed companies are looking for officers that already have an armed license. I was previously under the impression that I could only get an armed license if I was with an armed company, but I just reviewed the DOL site again, and it seems the only requirements to upgrade to armed is to have an unarmed license, be 21, and be certified by WSCJTC. Can someone confirm that it's possible for me to obtain an armed license while I am still with my unarmed company?

You are correct in that you must be employed by a Security Company to obtain an Armed Guard License in the State of Washington. It used to be that a company had to be classified as Armed or Unarmed. Recently, they have made the change that armed is an endorsement of the Security License, however, prior to anyone being armed with the company, the principle of the company must have the armed endorsement. Whether your company is endorsed or not, nothing is stopping you from taking the 8 hour armed certification, that is a requirment to obtaining an armed license. The certificates are emailed to the instructors now and by having this certificate, you may make yourself more valuable to a prospective employer since they know you can pass the course, and not having to pay you or the instructor for putting you through the course. The only thing about taking the course, is that you must qualify with the firearm that you will be carrying in the field. Some companies supply firearms to their employees, and some companies have their Officer's supply their own and lease them to the company. See the web address below. There you can find everything you need for the firearms certification course as well as a list of instructors in the area. For Licensing infomation, go to the Washington State Department of Licensing. Hope this helps.

https://fortress.wa.gov/cjtc/www/private_security/index.html

Additional Armed Companies in the area are Security Services Northwest and believe it or not, AlliedBarton is starting to get into Armed Work.

[Charger]

... and believe it or not, AlliedBarton is starting to get into Armed Work.

That's a scary thought. :D

I used to work for First Response, but from the Portland office. They're about mid-level from the pay rates & whatnot guys are posting here. They (highly) prefer that you be a current reserve LEO, or retired LEO to do their armed patrol work. When I left, the armed positions started around $11/hr, but that was back in '01 so it's probably a little higher now. They're not too bad of a company to work for, so they're at least worth looking at.

[Michael Ledgerwood]

Been awhile since I last posted on here but if you are looking for a good job in the Seattle area then apply at Boeing.

Requirements for Boeing Security:

Minimum age 21 (were all armed)
Able to obtain security clearance after employment
High school / GED
Valid Drivers license
Valid Concealed Weapons Permit

For more info go to Boeing.com

As a security officer for them for over 2 1/2 years, I can tell you it is by far the best security job you will ever find in this state. Can't beat the pay (start out at 14.50/hr) or benefits. Can't go into much detail about that but when you top out your making a nice chunk of change. Its also proprietary so you would be a Boeing employee not contract. Worth looking into if you meet the requirements. We are currently hiring. PM me if you want more info.

[Investigation]

You might also want to check out Harborview Medical Center Public Safety (operated by the University of Washington). They are hiring right now and run a very professional department. It is a State job and has excellent benefits and retirement. Starting salary is $16.17 and the job maxes out at $21.56/hour. There is going to be a pay increase next month that will raise the maximum up to around $24.00/hour.

[SecTrainer]

You might also want to check out Harborview Medical Center Public Safety (operated by the University of Washington). They are hiring right now and run a very professional department. It is a State job and has excellent benefits and retirement. Starting salary is $16.17 and the job maxes out at $21.56/hour. There is going to be a pay increase next month that will raise the maximum up to around $24.00/hour.

I met a Harborview guy once when I was in Seattle...I think he'd been in the Federal security service previously. Very sharp individual and from the way he described the department, I gathered there were more like him. Harborview is one of, if not the, major trauma center for Seattle and I guess their ER is one of the busiest on the West coast.

Sounds like a class operation. Based on what you say about salaries, they should have no problem keeping up that high standard.

[SecTrainer]

Been awhile since I last posted on here but if you are looking for a good job in the Seattle area then apply at Boeing.

Requirements for Boeing Security:

Minimum age 21 (were all armed)
Able to obtain security clearance after employment
High school / GED
Valid Drivers license
Valid Concealed Weapons Permit

For more info go to Boeing.com

As a security officer for them for over 2 1/2 years, I can tell you it is by far the best security job you will ever find in this state. Can't beat the pay (start out at 14.50/hr) or benefits. Can't go into much detail about that but when you top out your making a nice chunk of change. Its also proprietary so you would be a Boeing employee not contract. Worth looking into if you meet the requirements. We are currently hiring. PM me if you want more info.

May I ask, what's the duty like when they have one of their strikes?

[Michael Ledgerwood]

May I ask, what's the duty like when they have one of their strikes?


during a strike, believe it or not you work more hours. Boeing doesn't shut down strike or not so in addition to working normal posts theres a lot more patrol time.

other advantages to Boeing Security:

Boeing is one of the few security agencies that gets to run red lights and sirens (Harborview does as well)

Job security

Security clearences (good if you want to work for feds someday)

Good pay and beniefits, etc.

[Just_Some_Guy]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've sent in applications and resumes to some of my top choices a week ago - haven't gotten a call back yet, but hopefully that will change.

Question though: For patrol positions, it seems that most agencies will be taking a look at my driving abstract. I have a single speeding ticket from almost exactly 3 years ago (61 in a 60 - that's not a typo). Will this disqualify me from most patrol positions?

[acrand]

Not generally.

[LPGuy]

haven't gotten a call back yet, but hopefully that will change.

Don't get too worried. When I applied at Boeing, it took them a long time to get back to me, but they eventually did.


Will this disqualify me from most patrol positions?

No.

As a side note, your driving record that a potential employer will receive from the Department of Licensing will not show "61 in a 60," only "Speeding" and the date, the court it was handled in, and the case number.

[N. A. Corbier]

Don't forget, in this day and age, companies are pulling more than just driving records. They may pull your FICO score, as well as contact a company like Choicepoint or UNICRU to pull a workup. This includes your consumer "credit report," and in most cases, a score of below 560 will disqualify you for employment for "failing to take financial responsibility."