Question For Armed Officers.

[Mr. Security]

How many of you would remain in security if you could work unarmed at a decent wage w/o fear of being harmed? I know this is a hypothetical question, but I want to see how many are in it because they get to carry a firearm. (I'm sensing a fascination with this "gun" thing )

[davis002]

I absolutely would, but in my area armed typically pays better than unarmed. When I first started working armed I won't lie, I was fascinated by the fact I had a firearm strapped to my hip. It didn't take long for that to wear off when I realized what the extra weight does to your hips and back. I prefer to downlay the fact I am armed... I avoid the questions I frequently get, "What kind of gun is that?". I used to happily engage in conversation about firearms and ammunition when asked, but now that has changed (except here I guess). Now when someone asks me what kind of gun I have, I simply reply "loaded" and quickly change the subject.

[Mr. Security]

I absolutely would, but in my area armed typically pays better than unarmed. When I first started working armed I won't lie, I was fascinated by the fact I had a firearm strapped to my hip. It didn't take long for that to wear off when I realized what the extra weight does to your hips and back. I prefer to downlay the fact I am armed... I avoid the questions I frequently get, "What kind of gun is that?". I used to happily engage in conversation about firearms and ammunition when asked, but now that has changed (except here I guess). Now when someone asks me what kind of gun I have, I simply reply "loaded" and quickly change the subject.

I like your viewpoint. That is the way it should be IMO.

[Black Caesar]

How many of you would remain in security if you could work unarmed at a decent wage w/o fear of being harmed? I know this is a hypothetical question, but I want to see how many are in it because they get to carry a firearm. (I'm sensing a fascination with this "gun" thing )

I left an Armed Security job (making $6.25 an hour) to take an unarmed courtesy officer job making $8 an hour ($8 an hour, this was the job I was doing when I entered the police academy).

I can see what you're asking though. I've met some real gun nuts in security. When I was in commision class while working for Wackenhut, there was this one guy, around mid-40s I just remember him being very overweight), who was a little too happy while holding his weapon lol.

When we had the "shoot/don't shoot" scenarios, his answer was shoot every time..... Months later I had left Wackenhut to work at the Federal building, and a buddy of mine still with the company told me that this same guy had got into an altercation at a post in South Dallas, drew his weapon on a 19 year old gangbanger, and got his weapon taken from him. Luckiy he wasn't killed, but the kid and the weapon hadn't been found at the time my buddy told me this, which was a month after it happened.

And last year, while working an off-duty securtiy job at an apartment complex (which I will never do again, BTW lol), the S/O I was working with showed me his patrol rifle... A friggin Bushmaster Model 4. A $1300 dollar weapon, and damn near new. The guy was making like $8.50 working for that company. he must have been working lots and lots of overtime, because all his gear (including his Sig P220, his BDU outfit, new lether gear ect ect) was new as well, and he told me the compnay dind't pay for any of it.

He was driving a 89 (I think) Subaru, i had to give him a jumpstart at the end of the shift.. When your weapons cost more than your car..........

[Mr. Security]

I left an Armed Security job (making $6.25 an hour) to take an unarmed courtesy officer job making $8 an hour ($8 an hour, this was the job I was doing when I entered the police academy).

I can see what you're asking though. I've met some real gun nuts in security. When I was in commision class while working for Wackenhut, there was this one guy, around mid-40s I just remember him being very overweight), who was a little too happy while holding his weapon lol.

When we had the "shoot/don't shoot" scenarios, his answer was shoot every time..... Months later I had left Wackenhut to work at the Federal building, and a buddy of mine still with the company told me that this same guy had got into an altercation at a post in South Dallas, drew his weapon on a 19 year old gangbanger, and got his weapon taken from him. Luckiy he wasn't killed, but the kid and the weapon hadn't been found at the time my buddy told me this, which was a month after it happened.

And last year, while working an off-duty securtiy job at an apartment complex (which I will never do again, BTW lol), the S/O I was working with showed me his patrol rifle... A friggin Bushmaster Model 4. A $1300 dollar weapon, and damn near new. The guy was making like $8.50 working for that company. he must have been working lots and lots of overtime, because all his gear (including his Sig P220, his BDU outfit, new lether gear ect ect) was new as well, and he told me the compnay dind't pay for any of it.

He was driving a 89 (I think) Subaru, i had to give him a jumpstart at the end of the shift.. When your weapons cost more than your car..........

I know that wasn't meant to be funny, but I got a good laugh out of it anyhow. Reminded me of the movie: "Armed and Dangerous"

[Special Investigator]

I wouldn't do it unless I'm armed.

[Black Caesar]

I wouldn't do it unless I'm armed.

lol, not suprising....

[Charger]

How many of you would remain in security if you could work unarmed at a decent wage w/o fear of being harmed? I know this is a hypothetical question, but I want to see how many are in it because they get to carry a firearm. (I'm sensing a fascination with this "gun" thing )

If the pay was decent enough to make me consider it, then absolutely. Currently, I'm at an unarmed site, but depending on the offer that's being made to me on Monday I may be going back to armed patrol. Not because of any gun fascination, but because the pay is MUCH better, benefits are better, and there's a lot more room for advancement in the future. If someone comes along a year from now and offers me an unarmed job in a safe environment, with even better pay/benefits, then I'd jump on it! I've got a family to support, after all..

It's not about the guns, it's all about the Benjamins..

[davis002]

I wouldn't do it unless I'm armed.

Color me shocked...

[Charger]

Color me shocked...

Hang on... I can't seem to find that crayon...

[davis002]

Hang on... I can't seem to find that crayon...

lol nice

[Special Investigator]

Color me shocked...

Call me Tackleberry....

[Chucky]

I also feel the same as Davis about being armed. Although I have had guns all my life and in the Army carried a 45 Colt anchor on my hip. And I do relate to the being aware of it for the first month or so. Things have gone from that feeling to in the last 6 months I have headed for work and forgot to take it with me and had to return home for it. To me it has the same value in my mind as a carpenter feels about his hamer. Nothing more or less than a tool.

I retired from a top technology school on an early out. After 5 months of basically doing nothing I was becoming very bored. So I took a 4 til midnight unarmed security job that only paid $10.00 an hour. The routine was extremely boring and at all times on camera. I was looking through the classified ads and saw that Armed guards were starting at $16.00 per hour. Plus it is a first shift with people around to talk with. I don't know if any of you guys have experienced this but I am amazed at the amount of people (Woman) that have asked if my gun was real. I so want to answer No it is not. I'm just an idiot wating for someone to come in and shoot me.

[davis002]

I am amazed at the amount of people (Woman) that have asked if my gun was real.

Next time reply with a serious face...

"No ma'am, this here is a fully loaded squirt gun"

I have done that before. For a moment, I could tell she thought I was serious. For a while, she called me "super soaker".

[CorpSec]

I am curious as to what people consider "great" money for security work? I once ran into a guy who said he would work for a dollar an hour as long as he got to carry a gun. Yikes.

As a rule the best paying security jobs around here are armed in the contract field, but in house wages are generally higher even for unarmed.

And you have to ask yourself how much extra BS and risk do you really want to put up with for working armed? Most accounts that are armed are pretty active. Your general contract isn't exactly worried tons about officer safety so you could find yourself a lone armed security officer with no real back up.

I know the way dispatching works around here, and they won't even send just one cop to certain call types without a backup. Yet, it happens all the time in security.

Let's say a guy works for $14 an hour armed working low income housing and problem nightclubs. That is $2240 a month. The guy who works unarmed in the cushy suburban office tower makes $12.50 an hour and gets a shift a month of OT makes $2150. What is that extra $90 worth to you? Is the juice you're getting worth the squeeze?