Allied Barton

[security steve]

I heard two rumors that I am looking to verify. First, it has come down the pipeline that Allied Barton Security Services (the company which I work for) has acquired New York City. This means that we provide all the security for every public building in the city.

Also, it has been rumored that we are going to buyout Wackenhut and become the largest security group in the US. Apparently the Wackenhut deal is going down very soon. Can anyone validate this?

[GCMC Security]

Wackenhut was bought out by Group 4 Falckes a long time ago, allied barton must of forgot about that, or is rich enough to buy the second largest company in the world

[N. A. Corbier]

To put in perspective... Group4 owns Securitas, Securicor, Wackenhut, and a bunch of other companies.

Hint: If anyone's being bought, its Allied Barton.

[Echos13]

To put in perspective... Group4 owns Securitas, Securicor, Wackenhut, and a bunch of other companies.

Hint: If anyone's being bought, its Allied Barton.

You should look at G4S's website. Over 400,000 employees all over the world and growing. To be honest, it worries me. The logistics, communications and operational momentum is going to get grid locked sooner or later. TWC here is still in the dark ages and is stagnant in moving forward. Ether because they want it that way or they are waiting to see what G4S is going to do. Rumors are flying all over the place. None of it is taken seriously but it still concerns a lot of us.

[HotelSecurity]

Is Garda growing in any of the member's area? They are eating up companies like crazy here in Canada & I believe they have started in the US. I think they are going mostly after armoured car companies but I also read that they took over Vance International.

[security steve]

See, I heard that they were going to purchase the Wackenhut division. I could be wrong, but that is the rumor I heard. We are owned by Spectraguard and are supposedly the top security company as far as training goes.

I hope we don't get bought out because I think that Allied Barton is one of the best security companies out there.

[Lawson]

You should look at G4S's website. Over 400,000 employees all over the world and growing. To be honest, it worries me. The logistics, communications and operational momentum is going to get grid locked sooner or later. TWC here is still in the dark ages and is stagnant in moving forward. Ether because they want it that way or they are waiting to see what G4S is going to do. Rumors are flying all over the place. None of it is taken seriously but it still concerns a lot of us.

The thing is, the only thing that Securitas or TWC really sends to G4S is a check. Logistically, things are still the same as they always have been before the buyouts. Even though TWC and Securitas are G4 owned, they are still there own seperate entities, thats why your check still says "Wackenhut" and why they can't use a local Securitas S/O if you need coverage.

I dont forsee any form of gridlock so long as g4s does not try to merge everybody into one big company, which Im sure it is written in the buyout contracts that they cannot.

[GCMC Security]

if G4S tries to take complete operational control of TWC/WSI they will lose all the govt contracts, it's already been happening even though they don't have control now. There was a post a while back about WSI losing DHS facilities.

[Echos13]

The thing is, the only thing that Securitas or TWC really sends to G4S is a check. Logistically, things are still the same as they always have been before the buyouts. Even though TWC and Securitas are G4 owned, they are still there own seperate entities, thats why your check still says "Wackenhut" and why they can't use a local Securitas S/O if you need coverage.

I dont forsee any form of gridlock so long as g4s does not try to merge everybody into one big company, which Im sure it is written in the buyout contracts that they cannot.

That is perhaps true. But TWC here seems to be stagnant on any forward movement in regards to improvements though. So yea, TWC will stay the way it is in regards to operations. Shame, was hoping G4 would put a fire under some TWC people and get the ball rolling into the 21st century. As you stated you got an offer that was better both in the wallet and in materials. Also TWC has lost a few of DHS, DOC and NPP contracts. Why is not clear. According to a BIG rumor the Wackenhut family has made it clear they want the name removed with in a certain time. Which I believe was something like three to five years transition aggrement. And G4S has also wanted to change it but it's been nothing but rumors as to where that's going. BOA dropped a few TWC accounts in Tampa in the last few months along with at least one federal site. Dispite CPO's getting paid better than most SO's in the area we are getting short handed all of a sudden. Sign of things to come?

[Lawson]

That is perhaps true. But TWC here seems to be stagnant on any forward movement in regards to improvements though. So yea, TWC will stay the way it is in regards to operations. Shame, was hoping G4 would put a fire under some TWC people and get the ball rolling into the 21st century. As you stated you got an offer that was better both in the wallet and in materials. Also TWC has lost a few of DHS, DOC and NPP contracts. Why is not clear. According to a BIG rumor the Wackenhut family has made it clear they want the name removed with in a certain time. Which I believe was something like three to five years transition aggrement. And G4S has also wanted to change it but it's been nothing but rumors as to where that's going. BOA dropped a few TWC accounts in Tampa in the last few months along with at least one federal site. Dispite CPO's getting paid better than most SO's in the area we are getting short handed all of a sudden. Sign of things to come?

TWC in a lot of areas seems to have no desire to move forward. This is why I left my Wackenhut office. When I was in LA, the NOLA office was so hard charging, trying to get good accounts and what not, when I got home I found our office kinda seems to just try to pick off high paying accounts regardless of anything. They made a lot of dumb moves, like bumped our account to a CPO account from a USO account even when they KNEW our area was on a shortage of CPOs as it was.

Everyone was nuding the office to try to advance with better weaponry/tools, we wanted to go from Tauruses to Glocks and we wanted to add ASPs handcuffs and spray... The office truly felt that it was too much of a liability

I heard a couple rumors about a name change, but I doubt "Wackenhut" is going anywhere for a long long time..

[N. A. Corbier]

Lawson. You had a Taurus .38 because its cheap, and because they can buy literally hundreds of thousands of them on the international level. Its a simple gun that any guard anywhere in the US can easily be trained to use. It's Florida compliant (Well, was, you can carry your Glock there now.) Ever wonder why Florida made it so you can only use .38s? Its because its a simple gun that even an idiot can use. It only holds 6 shots.

The liability of switching to a weapon that "contains high-capacity magazines," etc, is greater. Why is it greater? Retraining employees, finding new weapons, selling off the old ones, the fact you can now kill 10 people instead of 6 (I somehow doubt they'll use high-cap mags in those guns...), the fact it may jam if you don't hold it properly...

As to ASPs, Handcuffs, etc. The TWC contract calls for a security guard who has the ability to use lethal force against aggressors. It does not call for the apprehension of anyone, usually. The only level of force the contract requires is that you kill a man or woman who attacks you or someone else, and only if someone else can't kill them first.

Unlike OC and ASP and handcuffs, you're not going to readily use a firearm. So, the liability of having the firearm is minimal. After all, humans are programmed not to kill at close range. BUT, spraying someone with pepper spray, or hitting them with a baton isn't killing, and we're more ready to do this. Which increases the liability of giving you those things. It also means that you may use the tool instead of running away.

Take a look at the GSA schedule for TWC, it lists exactly what they sell. Unless you're a fully sworn or limited sworn "Security Police Officer," they're not giving you tools that make you more of a liability.

[Lawson]

Nathan, you have just about hit the nail on the head with that one. Its all understood, but it doesnt make it right.

[N. A. Corbier]

Nathan, you have just about hit the nail on the head with that one. Its all understood, but it doesnt make it right.

Nothing in this industry is right, I'm afraid. Unless you work for a small, local, company.

[Echos13]

Nothing in this industry is right, I'm afraid. Unless you work for a small, local, company.

Well, I'd say that sums it up into one package.

No sense at all. But then yea, it's not right.

I use to work for a small outfit for seven years and they had it all. Shame they got out of it. I liked the job and the fact they were 21st century.

[Darth_Andrea]

I work for TWC out of the Ashland Kentucky office. We are as back water as I think it gets. Our office doesn't handle any Tech stuff because TWC has a separate division for that stuff which requires a separate office. None of our guards are armed because our office doesn't deal in armed guards. I would like to point out that we have posts at the Ashland Oil refinery and other, what would be regarded as, High value targets and our people can't carry as much as pepper spray or handcuffs. That is because the way the people who run our office see it, if such isn't spelled out specifically in the contract then it's not allowed. And our pay system is crap, I don't know how it's done in other companies but with TWC, a guard's pay is set in the client contract, our wages are part of the over all contract cost covered by the client including any overtime and that is sent to TWC and though them we are paid. Raises, Vacation Time, any Sick Leave, is all part of the contract. Which leaves a lot of us in really crappy positions while other guards S/O's not USO's or CPO's get ton's better pay and hours and plus side benefits while the rest of us get jerked around. And recently I have heard of our office taking contracts that do not involve security in any manner. They are renting out their guards as plain clothed day labor. In once case that I am aware of they are sending guards in street clothes to work in a recycling center. Unloading trucks along with other non-security related tasks.

I also want to say that the company or perhaps it's just our office cares nothing for time served. Oh I got my little pin when I hit my 5 year mark but seniority stand for squat in their eyes. Try and request specific posts or shifts or what not and while they may try to accommodate you their as likely to give those posts/shifts to a new hire and cut your hours to boot.

As for the name change that was talked about, Since G4S took over all of our badges, uniform patch's and the like have been changed to the G4S logo. While we may still have Wackenhut on some things including our paperwork the G4S is the most predominate thing someone see's at a glance. That's something that's been happening slowly since 2003 that I have been aware of.

All in All I think TWC being bought out and either absorbed into a new company or restructured might just be a damned good thing.

And for those wondering, No the Ashland TWC office isn't unionized.