Kent School District Security Officer opening

[Patrol64]

Just looking to see if anyone applied for the position?

[Patrol64]

For anyone interested if they applied or for future openings, its a great job with awesome benefits! The pay is good and lots of OT... If anyone has any questions regarding the position, please feel free to ask me.

[SpecialAgentKC]

Hey there, Patrol64: I agree. School security is a good gig. I work off-duty for Highline Public Schools on occasion. I've been to your district several times back when I was with county arson.... I remember HH. She's one of your patrol officers. You're not her, are you? Stay safe. --K.

[tanko]

For anyone interested if they applied or for future openings, its a great job with awesome benefits! The pay is good and lots of OT... If anyone has any questions regarding the position, please feel free to ask me.

I'm guessing I already know the answer, but is the job unarmed?

[Swifty]

I'm guessing I already know the answer, but is the job unarmed?

Kent actually has a few armed positions but you will not start there. Their patrol people are armed as well as the boss and they have a full time Kent PD officer that is a liason between the security and the LEO's over there. They seem like a very good department and the guys over there were amazingly easy to get a long with. The perks of the job are mon-fri, better than average training and a very intellegent and professional staff. The only possible con is the still lingering bad press from a lawsuit from a few years ago that NAACP filed against the school district, although being thrown out of court. The suit stated that security for the district was being biased by handcuffing and escalating use of force based upon the race of the student they were dealing with (much like the Bon Marche/Macy's lawsuit you LP guys will probably remember). Overall I think the lawsuit was unfounded and lacked any reasonable evidence. It probably didn't help that Mr. Garrett, the NAACP's lawyer, repeatedly did not show up or arrived late to court dates and scheduled meetings with the governor, Seattle schools superintendant, etc.

I applied there about 2 years ago and passed all the testing, got picked for the position put in my 2 weeks at my then present employer and then got screwed in the background process by my employer for "violating a non-compete agreement":mad: that specifically stated I was not allowed to take any other contract security position. The letter I got with my termination paper work stated that since the position with Kent was a 9-month position it qualified as contract per the companies standards:confused: and therefore I was terminated :eek: (after putting in my 2 weeks) and all future references provided by them would reflect that, including the one to Kent schools. Kent shortly after rescinded their job offer and two weeks later I was asked to come back to the guys who fired me, obviously I turned that one down.

I have been thinking about applying there again but am afraid I would be turned down based upon the earlier problems alone.

[SpecialAgentKC]

Tanko: Armed? Depends on the district and assignment. I carry a .45 at Highline as a patrol officer. Patrol requires a police academy (reserve or regular). Campus security officers are unarmed. Tacoma school patrol officers (campus security is not) and Auburn school police are also armed.... --K.

[Patrol64]

KC: I am not HH, but she is still here and doing a great job!

Our department has Campus Officers at every high and middle school as well as a 24/7/365 patrol unit. Three of our officers are armed and hopefully soon the rest of patrol will be too. The only ones currently armed are our PD Officer and two supervisors. Line patrol staff carry OC, baton, cuffs and radio. Campus staff carry OC, cuffs and radio.

The training is good, in fact I am former LE and besides the academy, I have been through more training with them then anyone else!

As far as the law suit goes, that is well behind us!! Just my thought and from experience, but when you are doing your job, some people just dont like it. Thats why they are criminals and you have to act accordingly and lawfully to that behavior. Then there are some just looking for $$. No complaint or suit against our department has ever been founded.

In all, if you are looking, it is a very good job and highly rewarding! :)

[tanko]

Tanko: Armed? Depends on the district and assignment. I carry a .45 at Highline as a patrol officer. Patrol requires a police academy (reserve or regular). Campus security officers are unarmed. Tacoma school patrol officers (campus security is not) and Auburn school police are also armed.... --K.

I was guessing that this was armed, or had the possibility of being armed due to the 21 age requirement. The reason why I ask I would hate to work at a school that didn't arm, at a very minimum, some of it's officers.

[Patrol64]

Some of the powers at be are in denial... Nobody thinks it will happen to them! It is sad to see any school without an armed officer but there are tons! Its the law that there is a fire detector in every school and room, but when it comes to an armed officer, no way! too many affraid of liability... There hasnt been a report of anyone injured in a school fire in over fifty years! Shootings are on a weekly basis...

[tanko]

Some of the powers at be are in denial... Nobody thinks it will happen to them! It is sad to see any school without an armed officer but there are tons! Its the law that there is a fire detector in every school and room, but when it comes to an armed officer, no way! too many affraid of liability... There hasnt been a report of anyone injured in a school fire in over fifty years! Shootings are on a weekly basis...

Finally some common sense. Unfortunately, it seems academia doesn't have common sense when it comes to this issue.

[SpecialAgentKC]

Finally some common sense. Unfortunately, it seems academia doesn't have common sense when it comes to this issue.

You're so right. But, consider the source (many) in academia. Who needs common sense when you have feeeelings. Don't be confused with the facts, even if they're staring you (or shooting you) in the face. --K.

[Swifty]

Most everyone here can appreciate this.
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/btw2004/articles/0726sheep.html

[LPGuy]

KSD Security is a great place to work. As others may know, I worked there in the not-too-distant past. Not only is the pay well above average, you can't beat the hours and having all vacations (and summers!) off. The training is excellent and they do a great job in their hiring--the other security officers are all great people to work with. There's also a close working relationship with the Kent Police.

[FDG06]

I'm currently dating a Kent School teacher...she informed me of this job before it came up to the public...it does sound pretty good, although its not a slow gig watching lil kids in the halls all day by any means, sounds like your hoppin most all day with a multitude of issues.
It is unarmed, not sure if your even carring any defensive tools or not and they do have a small gang problem/element which your dealing with.
Lets not forget about the "we dont need security" element of most any school system administration these days...thats enough to drive any professional away eventually, but it might be a great gig for someone willing to put up with the BS.
Yoda

[LPGuy]

it does sound pretty good, although its not a slow gig watching lil kids in the halls all day by any means, sounds like your hoppin most all day with a multitude of issues.
It is unarmed, not sure if your even carring any defensive tools or not and they do have a small gang problem/element which your dealing with.

Campus officers carry OC while patrol officers carry OC and batons. The two patrol supervisors carry firearms.

It is a pretty busy school district to work for, with gang issues, fights, assaults, robberies, thefts, weapons, etc. It is not a "hall monitor" position. There's a heavy emphasis on investigations and when appropriate, reports are written with recommendations for criminal charges.



Lets not forget about the "we dont need security" element of most any school system administration these days...

The administration seems fairly receptive to a strong security presence. It helps that a Kent Police school resource officer works out of the security office and patrols the campuses. He also partners with the security admin to handle training, policies, etc.

It's a pretty solid department to work for. Great pay and benefits as well, plus a good amount of overtime was always available. It helps being a state employee instead of working for a private company.