SOs who don't know basics

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  • EMTGuard
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2005
    • 1375

    SOs who don't know basics

    Have you ever worked with someone who made you think, "How could they not know that?"
    I have a new partner I work nights with. He started a couple of months ago. One of the things that I learned the first week working with him was that he didn't know how to work a portable radio. Sure I'm a radio geek with years of keying up on everything from public safety to ham radios but this guy is in his mid 20s and a National Guard veteran who has been to Afganistan. I figured that after training for a week on day shift, by the time I started working with him he'd be up to speed. Wrong.
    He went out on patrol one night while I manned the front gate desk. About halfway into his patrol I had to call him for something. I called several times over the radio but failed to get an answer from him. "Darn, he must have his radio turned off for some reason." Nope. Upon returning to the guard shack I asked him if he had heard me which he answered, "Yes but I couldn't figure out which button to push to answer you." Our cheap little Motorola UHF business Band plant radios had confused him.
    Two months later and I STILL have to check behind him when he puts the portable radio in the chargers. It seems that he will stand the radio up in the charger but will not ensure that it is slotted properly to guarantee that it is being charged.
    Another SO, a woman we hired to work days, came to work on her first day and I had to show her the proper place to put her badge on her shirt. Instead of being over the left breast pocket as it is supposed to be worn she had pinned her badge to the center of her right pocket.
    The lesson here is Don't Assume Anything. Teach everything when training a new person because what makes perfect sense to you may be alien to them.
    Anyone else have any similar tales to tell? Let's hear them.
    Hospital Security Officer
  • aka Bull
    Member
    • May 2006
    • 309

    #2
    EMTGuard, having officers who don't know the basics is a regular occurance here with our contract officers. Heck, it's so normal it isn't even mildly worth a chuckle anymore.

    This goes for a couple of the latest in-house officers we hired. One was out of the military and it was painful to realize he couldn't operate our hand radios.

    Not to mention his tactics in trying to handle hostile patients/individuals. He's only, I am afraid, going to figure out what he is being repeatedly told about his tactics after he gets laid out once.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." -Aristotle

    Comment

    • jimmyhat

      #3
      New guy's present experienced Troops with a great opportunity to shape and mold the S/O, possibly for the rest of their lives. Remember when we were new? Charging into fist-fights alone, and walking into bad situations with no back-up! You won't catch me doing that crap anymore!

      Imagine if you can take someone under your wing, and teach them a few thing's that might save their life somewhere down the road. It's a great feeling when someone remembers you as one of their first mentors, ten or fifteen years into their career.

      I say, take your time and bring em' up to speed the right way. But certainly, identify the weak ones, those who just shouldn't be doing this job, and kick em' to the curb. Hard!

      Comment

      • Mall Director
        Member
        • Jul 2006
        • 518

        #4
        As The Bull puts it...

        "Its not uncommon these days in the Contract Security Field". I too agree, but I think this one goes deeper..LOL! In todays day and age, almost all of these young new officers have the basic concepts to the point they can program your picture phone to speed dial the Nasa Space station, LOL! I would assume that a good week of training in specific areas will be adaquate enough, but then I also have been fooled. I have had the luxury of dealing with both ends!

        On one hand, when I took over this current mall, the staff that was pre-existing, had blown my mind. One guy in particular really sticks out. This guy was in his late 40's, and "worked" security for over 20 years in his job history, but I am still not convinced that a raisin could've outsmarted him. As said before, as leaders, we take these new Officers, or any Officers and put them under our wing and teach them right. Sadly though, he had heart for a while and I tried so hard, and had him retrained "8" times officially, and unofficially I lost count.

        Besides getting lost in a mall he worked for over a year, loosing subjects all the time and stopping the wrong subjects, locking the patrol car keys in the car every time he was assigned patrol, going out onto the floor unprepared in not having a charged radio, hair messed up, uniform in an array of a mess, showing up dirty, hurting himself with his own hat (please dont ask!), and to top it off, you never dispatched him to a call or you would regret it as you were at the scene immediately due to him calling in for help on the littlest of things. The last things he screwed up was a call to a drunk and disorderly female, in which he showed up in front of the store and started making alot of "duhherr" sounds and acting scared, but the one that topped it off, was he followed a young male subject (10-14) who had a skateboard attached to his backpack. He followed this kid for over twenty minutes, until the child mother stopped and asked why. Needless to say, the child was with the mother the whole time, and no violations took place. Even worse.... get ready for this... when the mother confronted him, and left shortly after, I get a message on my voice mail from this mother. During the phone call to her I made, she stated she felt her and her son were being harrassed, and that when she confronted the "guard" he started stuttering and drooling blue stuff from his mouth at her. I asked other witnesses and they confirmed the blue frothy delight emitting from this guy! Besides the fact I have never had this strange dilema, the officer, when being counseled wanted to blame his lack of ability on the training and that he would do better if he was promoted. I let him walk out that day jobless. It wasnt until a week later I found out the blue stuff was from a large amount of candy he consumed while on duty, which was a big relief, as I want sure if I needed to contact animal control on this one!

        After getting rid of these types of individuals and starting over, I interviewed the best condidates, and sent them through several interviews, and had them complete an application exam prior to being hired. Once hired, these "new hires" will not touch the floor or lot for the first few weeks of their start, and then afterwards they are still assigned to a senior officer for another 30 days. By this time, they should have all the basic concepts and advanced concepts down to the point of when I do a "cook off" of new Officers. This "cook off" (as I call it) is when I set a new Officer up for the hottest shift of the week and at night. This is where more things go on and get a little wild. This new Officer is subjected to an extreme amount of action and calls and is "cooked" alive in performing their duties. Once that first week of cooking gets over with, I end up with a real shinny and pressed new Officer that is capabile of handing more serious things later on. Of course we still conduct weekly and monthly training to ensure we all stay fresh. I will end up with people who go through this whole process and either fail halfway through and not work out, or the ones that come back afterwards and decide this job isnt for them, which is good. It weeds out what we dont need.

        I do however, prefer the non-experienced applicants, as they dont carry over bad training schemes from the last job, or get the mentality of "I worked gate security at an abandon site for the last few years, and I know everything so I will determine how things are done regardless of what anyone says". These types are just as bad as the ones that cant find the button on their radio after being showed several times. Many of my staff are college students, as they know about computers, and have self advancement goals. The rest I will supply them with!

        I think that people that cant learn or remember these meanial tasks, such as the button after several attempts to train, really dont take the job serious, and are dangerous to themselves and the other Officers.

        I will say, in defense of a couple of the Officers that I kept from the begining (as I was mislead by the old director about them, and there were only two), is that sometimes we do need to take a moment and examine them more in depth. One Officer in particular, when I took over, was a short quiet guy, who was told to me by the old director I was replacing, for good reason, that "he is good for driving around in the lot, but dont put him in the public areas, as he is not smart, and does not speak english and cant handle anything". This Officer was russian, and was very reserved. Come to find out, it wasnt an issue of him being dumb or lacking ability, but that he was pushed into the dark as a hot body because no one wanted to take the time to understand him. He picked up on this, and of course didnt care enough to try to overcome the stereotype. Once I jerked him from his quiet state, and allowed him to operate freely, i was amazed! I landed a gold mine of an Officer. The Officer not only spoke english, and well, but also had "balance" and was extremely intellegent. The Officer had a 4 year degree in computer repair and programming, was a black belt in martial arts, and very in tune to his environment. Once I set him loose, he was out there making things happen, then i gave him additional duties such as getting ou department up to speed with the computers and programs. Now the police department even comes to our office to use some of our advanced technology in their issues. Needless to say, this Officer is no longer an Officer, but my Assistant Director. And it has worked out great.

        I guess my point is, some people do not need to be in our field, and some people need to be motivated and given challenges to show us and themselves they can do well!
        Deputy Sheriff

        Comment

        • N. A. Corbier
          Senior Member
          • Aug 2005
          • 7369

          #5
          BEST STORY EVER. We're gonna go with this one point by point...
          Originally posted by Mall Director
          "Its not uncommon these days in the Contract Security Field". I too agree, but I think this one goes deeper..LOL! In todays day and age, almost all of these young new officers have the basic concepts to the point they can program your picture phone to speed dial the Nasa Space station, LOL!
          That's easy. They actually want to learn how to use their cell. It brings communciation, entertainment, and social status to them. The security job only brings money.

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          I would assume that a good week of training in specific areas will be adaquate enough, but then I also have been fooled. I have had the luxury of dealing with both ends!

          On one hand, when I took over this current mall, the staff that was pre-existing, had blown my mind. One guy in particular really sticks out.
          That's one way to put it... A reason for everyone BUT him to be armed is another...

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          This guy was in his late 40's, and "worked" security for over 20 years in his job history, but I am still not convinced that a raisin could've outsmarted him. As said before, as leaders, we take these new Officers, or any Officers and put them under our wing and teach them right. Sadly though, he had heart for a while and I tried so hard, and had him retrained "8" times officially, and unofficially I lost count.

          Besides getting lost in a mall he worked for over a year, loosing subjects all the time and stopping the wrong subjects, locking the patrol car keys in the car every time he was assigned patrol, going out onto the floor unprepared in not having a charged radio, hair messed up, uniform in an array of a mess, showing up dirty, hurting himself with his own hat (please dont ask!)
          I have to... Smokey Bear hat with badge attachment?

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          , and to top it off, you never dispatched him to a call or you would regret it as you were at the scene immediately due to him calling in for help on the littlest of things. The last things he screwed up was a call to a drunk and disorderly female, in which he showed up in front of the store and started making alot of "duhherr" sounds
          You hired Beavis come back from the future in a time paradox?

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          ... and acting scared, but the one that topped it off, was he followed a young male subject (10-14) who had a skateboard attached to his backpack. He followed this kid for over twenty minutes, until the child mother stopped and asked why. Needless to say, the child was with the mother the whole time, and no violations took place. Even worse.... get ready for this... when the mother confronted him, and left shortly after, I get a message on my voice mail from this mother. During the phone call to her I made, she stated she felt her and her son were being harrassed, and that when she confronted the "guard" he started stuttering and drooling blue stuff from his mouth at her. I asked other witnesses and they confirmed the blue frothy delight emitting from this guy!
          Woah, you DID hire Beavis from the future! Did he pull his uniform shirt over his head and start screaming about TP?

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          Besides the fact I have never had this strange dilema, the officer, when being counseled wanted to blame his lack of ability on the training and that he would do better if he was promoted. I let him walk out that day jobless. It wasnt until a week later I found out the blue stuff was from a large amount of candy he consumed while on duty, which was a big relief, as I want sure if I needed to contact animal control on this one!

          ... This "cook off" (as I call it) is when I set a new Officer up for the hottest shift of the week and at night. This is where more things go on and get a little wild. This new Officer is subjected to an extreme amount of action and calls and is "cooked" alive in performing their duties. Once that first week of cooking gets over with, I end up with a real shinny and pressed new Officer that is capabile of handing more serious things later on. Of course we still conduct weekly and monthly training to ensure we all stay fresh. I will end up with people who go through this whole process and either fail halfway through and not work out, or the ones that come back afterwards and decide this job isnt for them, which is good...
          Congratulations, you run an FTO program. That puts your site above 90% of most security companies who believe FTOs are site supervisors who give the new guard 1 hour of training before they work their first shift.

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          I do however, prefer the non-experienced applicants, as they dont carry over bad training schemes from the last job, or get the mentality of "I worked gate security at an abandon site for the last few years, and I know everything so I will determine how things are done regardless of what anyone says".
          "I've been a security guard for 30 years, and you can't wear any of that crap. Only a police officer can wear that fancy flashlight, or those handcuffs, or that stick, or that mace. The only thing you need out here is your gun and a belt. And you don't need no stupid cop belt, just stick your gun in its holster on your regular belt. And we ain't supposed to be tellin these kids to leave, we're supposed to be calling the police, that's their job. You're gonna get arrested."

          Tampa Police: "Um, Corporal, where'd you get this guy?"

          Me: "I don't know, but I'm thinking of sending him back."

          Tampa Police: "I'll stay in the area in case you need me. I think you're going to with him..."

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          These types are just as bad as the ones that cant find the button on their radio after being showed several times. Many of my staff are college students, as they know about computers, and have self advancement goals. The rest I will supply them with!

          I think that people that cant learn or remember these meanial tasks, such as the button after several attempts to train, really dont take the job serious, and are dangerous to themselves and the other Officers.
          That is the long and short of it, right there. "I thought I'd just sit on my ass all day and eat donughts. This security guard thing is too hard. Oh, well, it doesn't matter, it isn't like I'll be doing anything anyway. Stupid radio, how do I break this one? The ones at Target were so easy to break."


          Originally posted by Mall Director
          I will say, in defense of a couple of the Officers that I kept from the begining (as I was mislead by the old director about them, and there were only two), is that sometimes we do need to take a moment and examine them more in depth. One Officer in particular, when I took over, was a short quiet guy, who was told to me by the old director I was replacing, for good reason, that "he is good for driving around in the lot, but dont put him in the public areas, as he is not smart, and does not speak english and cant handle anything". This Officer was russian, and was very reserved. Come to find out, it wasnt an issue of him being dumb or lacking ability, but that he was pushed into the dark as a hot body because no one wanted to take the time to understand him. He picked up on this, and of course didnt care enough to try to overcome the stereotype. Once I jerked him from his quiet state, and allowed him to operate freely, i was amazed! I landed a gold mine of an Officer.
          I've dealt with: Hatians, Russians, Ukranians, Bosnians, etc... As long as you treat them like an individual, and not as "lol ruskie go home," they make good people.

          The only problem I ever had with a Russian was this kid who used the "no speak english good" act a lot to get out of things. Trained him on a site, and he did the no good english bit. It was a construction site. We were to walk around or drive around and check inventory. After walking the guy around the mile or so... The supervisor arrived. The "no speak english good" bit dropped, and he started screaming and foaming about how $7.00 an hour isn't enough to be walking around, and he was told that he was to just sit in his car and that he didn't have to do paperwork, etc.

          Originally posted by Mall Director
          The Officer not only spoke english, and well, but also had "balance" and was extremely intellegent. The Officer had a 4 year degree in computer repair and programming, was a black belt in martial arts, and very in tune to his environment. Once I set him loose, he was out there making things happen, then i gave him additional duties such as getting ou department up to speed with the computers and programs. Now the police department even comes to our office to use some of our advanced technology in their issues. Needless to say, this Officer is no longer an Officer, but my Assistant Director. And it has worked out great.

          I guess my point is, some people do not need to be in our field, and some people need to be motivated and given challenges to show us and themselves they can do well!
          The people that need to be in our field are the ones who actually care about the job, understand the risks, and will do them anyway. I'll take a "wannabe cop" any day over a "disillusioned slacker emo kid who noted we pay a dollar more than Burger Hut." At least the wannabe cop can be reprogrammed. The Burger Hut Emo Kid is too busy being depressed and wanting to cut himself to actually care about the job.
          Some Kind of Commando Leader

          "Every time I see another crazy Florida post, I'm glad I don't work there." ~ Minneapolis Security on Florida Security Law

          Comment

          • Mall Director
            Member
            • Jul 2006
            • 518

            #6
            Lol Lol Lol Lol Lol Lol!

            I see your sense of humor is still around, after handling all the "finest of citizens"? LOL!

            I must say, I absolutley enjoy your ability to take the analytical perspective I have expressed, and turned it to a "real" world operation, LOL!

            People who lack sense entertain me just as much, thats one part of the job I thought would go away after dealing with so many of them. They dont surprise me, but amaze me every time!

            P.S.: Isnt amazing how this stuff isnt funny until you get rid of it and have a period of time away from such "excellence", then you can sit back and laugh!?!
            Deputy Sheriff

            Comment

            • EMTGuard
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2005
              • 1375

              #7
              I had a new SO start work with me this week. The first night we worked he made 2 patrols and was heading out on a third before I stoped him to make sure he knew how to work the portable radio. NOPE. Once again, here was a guy pushing the itty-biddy little Squelch Open button and even pushing on groves on the side of the radio opposite of the PTT button. I had to once again SHOW which button to push to key up the radio. It's nothing fancy. Just a Motorola PR-400, 16 channel HT like seen here- http://www.commusa.com/catalog.aspx/Motorola_PR400 .
              Never assume anything. I shutter to think what would have happened if one of us had actually needed to get ahold of the other on the first 2 patrols.
              Hospital Security Officer

              Comment

              • Mr. Security
                Senior Member
                • Sep 2005
                • 3373

                #8
                He would have had a difficult time at one site that I worked at. We used the 2-way to open the gates while away from the guardhouse on tour. In addition, the desk telephone was forwarded to the radio and required a code entry in order to answer or make any telephone call. Using the PTT button was the least of the skills required to use that radio.
                Security: Freedom from fear; danger; safe; a feeling of well-being. (Webster's)

                Comment

                • SecTrainer
                  Senior Member
                  • Nov 2006
                  • 7110

                  #9
                  Originally posted by N. A. Corbier
                  The "no speak english good" bit dropped, and he started screaming and foaming about how $7.00 an hour isn't enough to be walking around...
                  A little off the point, but he was right about this! We generally find that we (and hence our clients) get about what we pay for...regardless of what the "job description" says.

                  Even if they "perform" the duties assigned, how well do they do it? Every job in the world, just about, has aspects that are "employee-discretionary" in terms of the speed or quality of the employee's performance, and it is the pay scale that to a great extent determines whether you get an employee who not only performs their duties but does them well...or not.

                  This is particularly true in the field of security as well as law enforcement, where many "duties" are officer-initiated. For instance, does the officer actually notice hazards (or speeders, loitering gangstas, municipal code violations, etc.) in his patrol area and then report them (ticket them, or do something else if needed)...or does he just drive around doing as little as possible and ignoring as much as possible? I've managed officers on both sides of the "thin blue line" who wouldn't notice a train wreck if it happened 10 feet in front of them. They answered their dispatched calls (barely - and as long as it wasn't within a half-hour of the end of their shift, when they would make themselves scarce), and that was about it. When in situations where they had any discretion (for instance, whether to make an arrest or not), you could count on them to do little or nothing...leaving the problem festering for someone on the next shift to handle. In the case of law enforcement, such "problem employees" as a percentage of the force dropped dramatically as pay scales and selection/training requirements improved. (Pay scale and requirements, by the way, tend to move in tandem, which is why I preach that we must raise our employment/training standards if we are ever to see better wages.)

                  Bidding jobs at rates that won't let us pay for even the most basic description of a "decent" security officer will usually guarantee that we'll get something less than that. Your company, IMHO, has only itself to blame when it pays $7.00/hr and expects to get much more than a bum lying around. I think unemployment would pay him better in many states.

                  Yes, on a philosophical level you can say "Well, he hired on for this and if he didn't like the pay...blah-blah", but let's live in the real world, shall we? Because at the same time, we very often "sell" applicants on how easy the job will be, that they'll have "time to study" for their college classes, that "you hardly ever see a soul on your shift", "this post is quiet as a cemetery", etc., etc. in order to INDUCE people to take these wages, so it still comes right back to us. Pay shameful wages, expect shameful results...it's just that simple - and we need very much to begin to "uneducate" our clients about what they'll get when they accept bids that don't factor in a proper wage for officers.
                  Last edited by SecTrainer; 12-04-2006, 09:12 AM.
                  "Every betrayal begins with trust." - Brian Jacques

                  "I can't predict the future, but I know that it'll be very weird." - Anonymous

                  "There is nothing new under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 1:9

                  "History, with all its volumes vast, hath but one page." - Lord Byron

                  Comment

                  • N. A. Corbier
                    Senior Member
                    • Aug 2005
                    • 7369

                    #10
                    Just to clarify, this wasn't my company. I wouldn't expect jack out of 7 an hour, yet in the Tampa Bay area, 6 was starting for unarmed security, and my former employer felt that a dollar an hour greater than the big company's starting wage was adequate.
                    Some Kind of Commando Leader

                    "Every time I see another crazy Florida post, I'm glad I don't work there." ~ Minneapolis Security on Florida Security Law

                    Comment

                    • SecTrainer
                      Senior Member
                      • Nov 2006
                      • 7110

                      #11
                      Originally posted by N. A. Corbier
                      Just to clarify, this wasn't my company. I wouldn't expect jack out of 7 an hour, yet in the Tampa Bay area, 6 was starting for unarmed security, and my former employer felt that a dollar an hour greater than the big company's starting wage was adequate.
                      By "your company", I meant "the company you were working for" - sorry. Obviously, your former employer was wrong. $1/hr or $40 a week, which translates to $30 or less after taxes, obviously was not a sufficient differential. $2/hr differential might have been what was needed to hire a better employee...and would have paid back most of the difference, because there's an enormous cost in employee turnover that many in security management do not understand so they pay more for the cost of turnover than it would have cost them to pay a decent wage in the first place.

                      You mention "the big company" and this raises the question of whether they should "set the wages" for the industry. Frankly, there are usually opportunities in any market for smaller companies to differentiate themselves on the basis of quality, rather than price (and hence, wages)...if they will make the strategic decision to do so. Competing with big companies on the basis of price is a mug's game, IMHO...they have the economies of scale to beat you (even bidding at below cost if need be) every time. They have slick marketing campaigns and suave "suits" to sell their services with a line of glib fast talk. Their dog-and-pony shows aren't to be believed.

                      Of course, competing on the basis of quality means that we must educate potential security clients so that they understand the benefits to them of refusing to hire the "cheap brand names".

                      One strategy that smaller companies might consider in cases where they face a size, rather than a price, disadvantage is to form joint bidding cooperatives. These can be tricky arrangements, but there are models from other industries that have been very successful, so it can be done.
                      Last edited by SecTrainer; 12-04-2006, 09:46 AM.
                      "Every betrayal begins with trust." - Brian Jacques

                      "I can't predict the future, but I know that it'll be very weird." - Anonymous

                      "There is nothing new under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 1:9

                      "History, with all its volumes vast, hath but one page." - Lord Byron

                      Comment

                      • Andy Taylor
                        Member
                        • Oct 2006
                        • 434

                        #12
                        Originally posted by SecTrainer
                        A little off the point, but he was right about this! We generally find that we (and hence our clients) get about what we pay for...regardless of what the "job description" says.

                        Even if they "perform" the duties assigned, how well do they do it? Every job in the world, just about, has aspects that are "employee-discretionary" in terms of the speed or quality of the employee's performance, and it is the pay scale that to a great extent determines whether you get an employee who not only performs their duties but does them well...or not.

                        This is particularly true in the field of security as well as law enforcement, where many "duties" are officer-initiated. For instance, does the officer actually notice hazards (or speeders, loitering gangstas, municipal code violations, etc.) in his patrol area and then report them (ticket them, or do something else if needed)...or does he just drive around doing as little as possible and ignoring as much as possible? I've managed officers on both sides of the "thin blue line" who wouldn't notice a train wreck if it happened 10 feet in front of them. They answered their dispatched calls (barely - and as long as it wasn't within a half-hour of the end of their shift, when they would make themselves scarce), and that was about it. When in situations where they had any discretion (for instance, whether to make an arrest or not), you could count on them to do little or nothing...leaving the problem festering for someone on the next shift to handle. In the case of law enforcement, such "problem employees" as a percentage of the force dropped dramatically as pay scales and selection/training requirements improved. (Pay scale and requirements, by the way, tend to move in tandem, which is why I preach that we must raise our employment/training standards if we are ever to see better wages.)

                        Bidding jobs at rates that won't let us pay for even the most basic description of a "decent" security officer will usually guarantee that we'll get something less than that. Your company, IMHO, has only itself to blame when it pays $7.00/hr and expects to get much more than a bum lying around. I think unemployment would pay him better in many states.

                        Yes, on a philosophical level you can say "Well, he hired on for this and if he didn't like the pay...blah-blah", but let's live in the real world, shall we? Because at the same time, we very often "sell" applicants on how easy the job will be, that they'll have "time to study" for their college classes, that "you hardly ever see a soul on your shift", "this post is quiet as a cemetery", etc., etc. in order to INDUCE people to take these wages, so it still comes right back to us. Pay shameful wages, expect shameful results...it's just that simple - and we need very much to begin to "uneducate" our clients about what they'll get when they accept bids that don't factor in a proper wage for officers.
                        I couldn't have said it better myself.
                        You get what you pay for.
                        "Gun control, the theory that 110lb. women have the "right" to fistfight with 210lb. rapists. " Author Unknown

                        Comment

                        • Mr. Security
                          Senior Member
                          • Sep 2005
                          • 3373

                          #13
                          Originally posted by SecTrainer
                          A little off the point, but he was right about this! We generally find that we (and hence our clients) get about what we pay for...regardless of what the "job description" says.

                          Even if they "perform" the duties assigned, how well do they do it? Every job in the world, just about, has aspects that are "employee-discretionary" in terms of the speed or quality of the employee's performance, and it is the pay scale that to a great extent determines whether you get an employee who not only performs their duties but does them well...or not.

                          This is particularly true in the field of security as well as law enforcement, where many "duties" are officer-initiated. For instance, does the officer actually notice hazards (or speeders, loitering gangstas, municipal code violations, etc.) in his patrol area and then report them (ticket them, or do something else if needed)...or does he just drive around doing as little as possible and ignoring as much as possible? I've managed officers on both sides of the "thin blue line" who wouldn't notice a train wreck if it happened 10 feet in front of them. They answered their dispatched calls (barely - and as long as it wasn't within a half-hour of the end of their shift, when they would make themselves scarce), and that was about it. When in situations where they had any discretion (for instance, whether to make an arrest or not), you could count on them to do little or nothing...leaving the problem festering for someone on the next shift to handle. In the case of law enforcement, such "problem employees" as a percentage of the force dropped dramatically as pay scales and selection/training requirements improved. (Pay scale and requirements, by the way, tend to move in tandem, which is why I preach that we must raise our employment/training standards if we are ever to see better wages.)

                          Bidding jobs at rates that won't let us pay for even the most basic description of a "decent" security officer will usually guarantee that we'll get something less than that. Your company, IMHO, has only itself to blame when it pays $7.00/hr and expects to get much more than a bum lying around. I think unemployment would pay him better in many states.

                          Yes, on a philosophical level you can say "Well, he hired on for this and if he didn't like the pay...blah-blah", but let's live in the real world, shall we? Because at the same time, we very often "sell" applicants on how easy the job will be, that they'll have "time to study" for their college classes, that "you hardly ever see a soul on your shift", "this post is quiet as a cemetery", etc., etc. in order to INDUCE people to take these wages, so it still comes right back to us. Pay shameful wages, expect shameful results...it's just that simple - and we need very much to begin to "uneducate" our clients about what they'll get when they accept bids that don't factor in a proper wage for officers.
                          Amen!!!!!!!! Even a little recognition would go a long way, neither of which happens here. So....who cares.
                          Security: Freedom from fear; danger; safe; a feeling of well-being. (Webster's)

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                          • EMTGuard
                            Senior Member
                            • Nov 2005
                            • 1375

                            #14
                            I guess I can really apreciate how police recruits usually go through a acadamy before being put on duty. And when I worked for the State as a Corrections Officer I had to go through a treaining acadamy where I was taught the basics.
                            So I just shake my head working for a Security company now which hires someone and issues them a uniform and puts them on a post all in the same day with no basic training at all.
                            We have a turn around/refit going on this month at the Steel Mill where I'm posted and we've had to bring in some temp help. These new hires show up with their new uniforms, pant legs rolled up since they havn't had a chance to hem them yet. Badges put on just any which way and no one corrects them. And still nobody is showing them how to work the radios they are sent out with.
                            Yesterday evening I heard the main guard shack calling a new guard at a contractor parking lot we were watching. When she didn't answer I drove over to check on her. She had her portable radio but couldn't figure out how to answer the person calling her. She had worked this post for 3 nights with a radio she didn't know how to use. After I showed her how to push the PTT buton on the radio I showed her how to properly pin her badge to her shirt so that it wasn't croked and hanging halfway over her pocket.
                            Hospital Security Officer

                            Comment

                            • SecTrainer
                              Senior Member
                              • Nov 2006
                              • 7110

                              #15
                              Originally posted by EMTGuard
                              After I showed her how to push the PTT buton on the radio I showed her how to properly pin her badge to her shirt so that it wasn't croked and hanging halfway over her pocket.
                              That's your story and you're stickin' to it, eh?

                              "Honest, Sarge...I swear, I was just straightening her badge!"
                              Last edited by SecTrainer; 01-14-2007, 10:54 AM.
                              "Every betrayal begins with trust." - Brian Jacques

                              "I can't predict the future, but I know that it'll be very weird." - Anonymous

                              "There is nothing new under the sun." - Ecclesiastes 1:9

                              "History, with all its volumes vast, hath but one page." - Lord Byron

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