Thinking of working as a SO

[Minneapolis Security]

Exactly.

I would like to hear more about increases of pay or some kind of union for Security Officers rather then having to go back to the dump I got my "training" at. I kid you not the place I was sent to was behind a trailer park and below a "massage parlor" where on my break I was asked by one of the girls who worked there if I wanted a session and she told me exactly what went on there. I asked the instructor if he was aware of what went on on upstairs and his eyes lit up like a child on christmas morning.

I worked security for 2 years and basically thats all it was , was observe and report. What are they going to tell me ?..How to observe and report more?

If anything I hope if this is state required then at least they will let you take the classes online like the rest of the education world now allows you to do.

I have no desire to go back to either one of the places I got my initial and renewal license.

If they approve online classes that will be alot more appealing to me and I wouldn't mind doing that at all. I just don't care for the instructors and sitting in class.

Any update on Online Classes? I dont work security at the moment so Im out of the loop of current news.

I would like to see something along the lines of a six week academy, basically a condensed police academy. It would be a great start, along with 80 hrs of continued education per year. It would be alot more affordable if it was required of all security officers (contact and in house).

[Hank1]

Continuing education is always a good thing. Nothing worse than someone who already knows everything!

Its up to the security industry to repair its broken image. Higher standards for security officers would be a good start to improving the image. It would also force wages up just like it did for the police industry when they raised standards.

You are absolutely correct. It is up to the industry to increase the standards. Conversly, I would say that it is up to the individual to demand improvements as well.

Be safe,

Hank

[HotelSecurity]

You are absolutely correct. It is up to the industry to increase the standards. Conversly, I would say that it is up to the individual to demand improvements as well.

Be safe,

Hank

I've been mentioning the following for 25+ years now. The industry can not or does not want to increase the standards by itself. In some places it is the governemtn that is stepping in & requiring changes. It should not be the government it shoud be the INSURANCE INDUSTRY. Insurance rates to be partially determined by the type of security you have & it's training.

[Hank1]

I've been mentioning the following for 25+ years now. The industry can not or does not want to increase the standards by itself. In some places it is the governemtn that is stepping in & requiring changes. It should not be the government it shoud be the INSURANCE INDUSTRY. Insurance rates to be partially determined by the type of security you have & it's training.

I agree that the industry by itself is unwilling to change. stevie Wonder can see that. But the "squeaky wheel" gets the grease right? Some one has to be the catalyst.

[bigdog]

It seems like SO training is where the money is at, especially if they add continued training. Once you get your license and renew it, all you need to know is 'observe and report' for the most part. Otherwise, you are just a vendor working for an employer with multiple bosses: as a team for bigger accounts or by yourself in some cases.

It seems like many people here are combat ready to fight street people at a moments notice; while someone recently got into trouble patting one down. I'd rather baby sit the rich anyday in glorious humility. Whatever one feels more comfortable with and can justify on their personal cost/benefit appraisals. But there will always be crime, rich people, and scare tactics; so there will always be a market for a wide range of SO's per each customer's specific desires.

Note this is not an attack on your person. Just an opinion.
That attitude is why our industry is just starting to try to get to get professionalized in florida cause most people Id say 90 percent are content in siting and collecting a check. while The other 10 percent want to shed the old "security guard" image and be seen as a real profession. How do we do that Training and standards. I think there should be 2 classifications of security officers . Observe and report officers and officers who protect people and property similar to the concept in KCMO. I noticed you made a comment about fighting street people at a moments notice. Is that bad to want to proactively protect your property. SOme of us take enough pride in our job that wed rather prevent and incident but talking to the trespasser street person or whoever than respond to an incident that involves the same person who if we contacted before could've been prevented.

[Guest]

Company Policy

The company I work for has a bare-minimum policy. If you are only willing to do O&R and that's it, you will be paid and advanced accordingly. Those of us who prefer to be proactive officers are more likely to be promoted, get raises, and be given first picks on new equipment issue. If you are content doing what many consider 'C average**' then go ahead. Just stay out of the way of those trying to change the image of this industry.

**Not intended to directly offend anyone. Some guards that O&R are necessary

[ddog]

Note this is not an attack on your person. Just an opinion.
That attitude is why our industry is just starting to try to get to get professionalized in florida cause most people Id say 90 percent are content in siting and collecting a check. while The other 10 percent want to shed the old "security guard" image and be seen as a real profession. How do we do that Training and standards. I think there should be 2 classifications of security officers . Observe and report officers and officers who protect people and property similar to the concept in KCMO. I noticed you made a comment about fighting street people at a moments notice. Is that bad to want to proactively protect your property. SOme of us take enough pride in our job that wed rather prevent and incident but talking to the trespasser street person or whoever than respond to an incident that involves the same person who if we contacted before could've been prevented.

The company I work for has a bare-minimum policy. If you are only willing to do O&R and that's it, you will be paid and advanced accordingly. Those of us who prefer to be proactive officers are more likely to be promoted, get raises, and be given first picks on new equipment issue. If you are content doing what many consider 'C average**' then go ahead. Just stay out of the way of those trying to change the image of this industry.

**Not intended to directly offend anyone. Some guards that O&R are necessary

If fighting street people is your goal without adequate protection, equitable pay, and legal rights in FL, then more power to you. My FL D class material indicated a balanced counterattack to defend yourself or others safety and welfare was the 'only' legal use of fighting of any type for SO's. Whatever the customer wants is the goal, and hopefully your supervisor will assist you in determining the best course of action. But there should be some way to prevent that preceding scenario with a little thought and planning.

Not only are there hundreds of thousands street people, but many may be fairly smart and bait SO's for a handsome suit. SO's fighting people in any form is a slippery legal slope, and a huge liability for the rebel SO's company.

As far as proactive SO's goes, the mental part and communicating effectively can bypass most problems. As far as raises go, I'm doing fine because I'm proactively hustling all day long. And whether I'm first to get the equipment or not, its all new stuff and all the same: only the sizes are different.

"If you are content doing what many consider 'C average**' then go ahead. Just stay out of the way of those trying to change the image of this industry."

Lol, really don't know what you are talking about, but refering to what you have 'done' will speak more clearly than 'hyping' some unknown course of action in the future. I am trying to work within the law and my customers best interests. The pay is far from rewarding in itself, but I do like to eat and live in a house, so I am not complaining. Tell me more about your crusade to change the SO image. From my perspective, Armed Forces Veterans are predominantly top-notch professional SO's. Others on average do not measure up as well in maturity and job performance. Those are my concrete observations to date to best divide SO performance levels bi-modally.

I've done my homework, and doing about 95% so far. I enjoy feedback here on this site for a variety of experiences; and am deeply interested in a range of research information for personal use. But I never confuse 'net' revenues (Gross Revenues - Expenses) and personal interests: that's just an opportunity to get taken advantage of in this or any other business.

Best of luck.

[Guest]

hey there slick

before you go shooting off your keyboard, read that it is a general post. It is in regards to our company policy. (I even said that to make it easier on you.)

[bigdog]

If fighting street people is your goal without adequate protection, equitable pay, and legal rights in FL, then more power to you. My FL D class material indicated a balanced counterattack to defend yourself or others safety and welfare was the 'only' legal use of fighting of any type for SO's. Whatever the customer wants is the goal, and hopefully your supervisor will assist you in determining the best course of action. But there should be some way to prevent that preceding scenario with a little thought and planning.

Not only are there hundreds of thousands street people, but many may be fairly smart and bait SO's for a handsome suit. SO's fighting people in any form is a slippery legal slope, and a huge liability for the rebel SO's company.

As far as proactive SO's goes, the mental part and communicating effectively can bypass most problems. As far as raises go, I'm doing fine because I'm proactively hustling all day long. And whether I'm first to get the equipment or not, its all new stuff and all the same: only the sizes are different.

"If you are content doing what many consider 'C average**' then go ahead. Just stay out of the way of those trying to change the image of this industry."

Lol, really don't know what you are talking about, but refering to what you have 'done' will speak more clearly than 'hyping' some unknown course of action in the future. I am trying to work within the law and my customers best interests. The pay is far from rewarding in itself, but I do like to eat and live in a house, so I am not complaining. Tell me more about your crusade to change the SO image. From my perspective, Armed Forces Veterans are predominantly top-notch professional SO's. Others on average do not measure up as well in maturity and job performance. Those are my concrete observations to date to best divide SO performance levels bi-modally.

I've done my homework, and doing about 95% so far. I enjoy feedback here on this site for a variety of experiences; and am deeply interested in a range of research information for personal use. But I never confuse 'net' revenues (Gross Revenues - Expenses) and personal interests: that's just an opportunity to get taken advantage of in this or any other business.

Best of luck.

Your D class instructor was obviously not taught that you as a private citizen have common law rights to arrest for a felony in presence or with probable cause and a breach of peace involving violence(no one is really taught this one) SO we have more "legal rights" than people think.

I for one have been assiting The Florida Association of Security Companies (FASCO ) in writing bills to better the industry and give security officers more legal rights and protections. I assisted in writing the Detention bill that is in the fl house now as did nathan. I had some input on the lights bill passed last session. Im currently working on a bill that would make it a crime to disarm a security officer of a firearm or other weapon or communication device while in performance of duties. If you Want to keep up on the projects FASCO is working on visit www.fascoweb.com

[ddog]

Your D class instructor was obviously not taught that you as a private citizen have common law rights to arrest for a felony in presence or with probable cause and a breach of peace involving violence(no one is really taught this one) SO we have more "legal rights" than people think.

I for one have been assiting The Florida Association of Security Companies (FASCO ) in writing bills to better the industry and give security officers more legal rights and protections. I assisted in writing the Detention bill that is in the fl house now as did nathan. I had some input on the lights bill passed last session. Im currently working on a bill that would make it a crime to disarm a security officer of a firearm or other weapon or communication device while in performance of duties. If you Want to keep up on the projects FASCO is working on visit www.fascoweb.com

Good work. Thanks for the link. I was under the impression that while the SO was in uniform and on duty, that his 'legal citizen rights' were constrained (or at least in question) by law and by most company policies. Until you have a bill that will profit someone or reduce their liabilities, it will have reduced chances of passage imo. Of course disarming or removing communication devices from a SO would be a crime for anyone unless law enforcement was doing it in the performance of their duties: so you should have no road blocks with that bill.

I will be interested in following your progress. Good luck.

[N. A. Corbier]

Good work. Thanks for the link. I was under the impression that while the SO was in uniform and on duty, that his 'legal citizen rights' were constrained (or at least in question) by law and by most company policies. Until you have a bill that will profit someone or reduce their liabilities, it will have reduced chances of passage imo. Of course disarming or removing communication devices from a SO would be a crime for anyone unless law enforcement was doing it in the performance of their duties: so you should have no road blocks with that bill.

I will be interested in following your progress. Good luck.

Disarming a private citizen of communications is a misdemeanor, which means unless the police see it, there's no arrest coming.

It has been argued that disarming a private citizen of a firearm is a felony (Grand Theft - Firearm), so that the police can arrest for it even though they didn't see it. Also, the private citizen could technically arrest for it, as well.

The constraint on a licensed security officer applies at all times, as the law makes no differentiation between on duty or off duty guards. You will find that 493 has no concept of "on duty" or "off duty," and limits licensees from performing certain actions at all times as a condition of licensing.

This means, quite simply, that if you violate 493.6118 at any time you can have administrative or criminal sanctions taken against you. It has not happened yet, but it basically means that if you throw a trespasser out of your own home you can lose your license and pay a 10k fine to the state.

An man who held a D and G license but worked in another industry was accused of simple battery. The victim reported the incident to the state, and the state revoked his licenses and assessed a huge fine against him. He was not "on duty" or "off duty" as a security officer, he didn't even work in the industry.

[Hank1]

Your D class instructor was obviously not taught that you as a private citizen have common law rights to arrest for a felony in presence or with probable cause and a breach of peace involving violence(no one is really taught this one) SO we have more "legal rights" than people think.

I for one have been assiting The Florida Association of Security Companies (FASCO ) in writing bills to better the industry and give security officers more legal rights and protections. I assisted in writing the Detention bill that is in the fl house now as did nathan. I had some input on the lights bill passed last session. Im currently working on a bill that would make it a crime to disarm a security officer of a firearm or other weapon or communication device while in performance of duties. If you Want to keep up on the projects FASCO is working on visit www.fascoweb.com

I for one, have benefited from the hard work Nathan and Dog have done as a Licenses Armed Officer in Florida. I appreciate it.

[N. A. Corbier]

One of these days the laws will be useful enough that I might actually entertain working down there.

Right now... Sorry. Nope.

[BadBoynMD]

One of these days the laws will be useful enough that I might actually entertain working down there.

Right now... Sorry. Nope.

Come to Maryland, you'll love it here.

[weathers]

Ok so I think its about 2 days of training once I finish the training and send the state fee can I go ahead and apply for a job? or I have to wait for the license to arrive?