A nice bust tonight

[CorpSec]

I was monitoring the scanner at work and a robbery was reported several blocks away. I jotted down the suspect description and started looking around on our cameras (we have 160 or them) Well, lo and behold, I see a guy matching the description throw a backpack over a wall and disappear between a couple of neighboring buildings. I called 911 and reported it.

While I was on the phone with 911, the male reappeared with different clothes on and retrieved the backpack and left.

We carry radios that double as scanners and it took the dispatcher a solid 3 minutes to let the squads that were crawling in the area know this information. I went outside and met with a cop who wanted to know where the backpack had been discarded. While I was talking to the cop, I saw the suspect and the cop went and took him into custody.

They did a field show up and both victims ID'd him as the robber. In an odd twist, one of the items he stole from the female party was her shoes. When she removed her shoes, he went down and sucked on her toes! I guess his foot fetish was too strong to resist.

The cops were very happy and I got a ton of "atta boys" from them. With our camera set up, we are able to help them like this from time to time and it is nice to be recognized. We really have a great working relationship with them and several of them I count as friends.

The thing that gets me is that I have a newish boss and I am kind of worried about the response from that end since I went outside to meet with the cops and show them where the backpack was discarded. Once before, there was a big gang fight on the block and a guy ran from the cops and I saw where he went on our cameras. The cop he ran from yelled over the radio that she wanted the guy for his involvement. I went outside and flagged down a squad and told them where they could find the guy. It was a block away and they raced over there and got 3 of the instigators in the fight, including the guy that ran from the cops.

Instead of an atta boy from the boss, I was told that I should have stayed inside the building and that if the cops needed any info they could come inside and get it. The thing is that we do exterior tours of the campus as part of our rounds. The boss seems to think that too much liability is in play if someone goes outside to relay info. I disagree. There is no safer time to go outside in this neighborhood then when it is crawling with cops. I wasn't chasing the bad guys or even on their same block.

So, while the cops thought the help we gave them was great and an idiot was arrested that otherwise would have gotten away, I may end up being called on the carpet for going outside and leaving the property by about 100 feet in the presence of several cops to show them where the idiot had dumped the bag. I guess we will see.

[Ian]

Well done, that was a great effort on your part. One of the problems with taking the initiative to do something is often seen as a threat to the boss. Many bosses think that a security guard should simply follow orders and not deviate from a preplanned schedule of patrols and activities and they think that taking the initiative to make a bust is an affront to their authority. This is very difficult to handle and the outcome depends on how insecure the boss feels. I'm not a guard but have found that to deal with similar types of scenarios the best thing to do is to publicly acknowledge what a great boss you have and a great company you work for then it will be impossible for him to shoot you down for your actions. Good luck with your boss.

[Maelstrom]

Your 'Boss' needs a reality check, there's nothing wrong with fostering a healthy relationship with the local PD, and seeing as you do 'externals' anyway I don't see the problem... perhaps it's a bean counter/insurance liability issue?

BTW 'atta boy' for helping catch yet another foot sucking degenerate crim!

[CorpSec]

I am a boss, but my boss is the boss of the bosses. The only thing I can think of is the liability issue as well. But I believe that is kind of a moot point when you weigh the pros and cons of getting a foot sucking robber with a lengthy rap sheet off the street versus the sliver of liability could be found.

To me, it would be embarrassing to stand at the window and tell the cops that I couldn't come outside when they see us outside all the time doing our exterior patrols.

Corporate America can be a real interesting place to work sometimes! I love the money and the vast majority of the job, but from time to time I do wonder what some folks are thinking. We will see how this one shakes out. At the end of the day, I will do what is asked of me, but I hope that what is asked of me isn't devoid of all common sense.

Does anyone else run into this Monday morning quarterbacking?

[DeputyJ]

ATTA BOY! I thought I would give you one, outstanding work CorpSec

[Bill Warnock]

CorpSec, just as a suggestion. See if you can have an informal meeting with the police watch commander, supervisor, whatever and see if they would be willing to write you a commendation letter to be routed through the police hierarchy to the mayor and then sent to your corporate office and down to you. At the bottom of the letter, after the signature block, have they type BCC: and leave it blank. Your leadership element will not know to whom copies the letter were sent. The police department can then come to your supervisor's office to present you with some token of their appreciation and your supervisor then will present you with the letter from the police department sent through your bureaucracy. Photographers will take the requisite pictures of the proceedings and a small article in the local newspaper as well as your in-house newsletter.
Your boss will be fuming but wearing the obligatory smile for all to see and you will take satisfaction in his moment of discomfort.
There is always more than one way to skin a cat. If your mind is perverted like mine, there are many.
Enjoy the day,
Bill

[ValleyOne]

In a pinch you could have one those friends of yours in blue call in a thank you to your boss, you know; "For all the cooperation the security division has shown towards the PD and the mutual vision of overall public safety."

It's worked for me in the past, maybe it could help you out?

[SecTrainer]

...and the REALLY great thing is that now they can match up the DNA from the female victim's toe spit with the suspect.

I always advise my robber trainees never to suck on the victim's toes, however tempting I'm sure that is. Why leave evidence behind? You need that, take the money from the robbery and pay a business girl for a quickie toe-suck like everyone else does.

[Mr. Security]

I understand your concern about the boss's reaction. I too have been criticized for going above the call of duty. In fact, I now hesitate to get involved in any activity that could be construed as exceeding the post orders.

Personally though, I would have done exactly what you did because it's the morally right thing to do. In a round about way, every time a criminal is taken off the streets, it's one less crook to make trouble at your site.

[izeneers]

CorpSec....

...I am in awe of your quick thinking. You did us all a great service in handling that situation so well. I, too, have come across situations where boundaries needed to be crossed, or at least where the fence needed to be straddled. In fact, I "straddled the fence" just a few minutes ago.
The important thing in these situations, I think, is to at least act in such a way that you win the approval of onlookers. Thankfully, your onlookers happened to have been what sounds like an entire police department.
If you are "called onto the carpet", it is only because you might have outshined your boss a little, and at any rate, you must endure the requisite, "you know you abandoned your post, and the penalty is this and that, but FORTUNATELY FOR YOU, everything turned out well...THIS TIME. Now, please do not abandon your post again. That will be all...and shut the door behind you when you leave." Blah-blah-blah.
YOU GO, CORPSEC!!!

[Hank1]

Outstanding! That was a great catch! Regardless of what your Boss says! Public LE and Private SO can be a great partnership if done right! This is a great example......

Be safe,

Hank

[ValleyOne]

...and the REALLY great thing is that now they can match up the DNA from the female victim's toe spit with the suspect.

I always advise my robber trainees never to suck on the victim's toes, however tempting I'm sure that is. Why leave evidence behind? You need that, take the money from the robbery and pay a business girl for a quickie toe-suck like everyone else does.

This might actually spill into something a wee bit larger than even your pesky boss. With the DNA samples it is lieterally unkown what other crimes this could lead to. This person has already exhibited the tendacy fo ciolence towards women, and his inability toi control his fetishes... Never know...

Well played old boy...:appluading:

(In that rather pleasant/respectful English way, and not rude as it sounds in that American way)

[CorpSec]

Thanks for all of the kind words! We help out the police a lot. Considering that we have 160 cameras and are in a bad area, we capture everything from drug deals to shootings on our system and have literally handed numerous felony level arrests to them on a silver platter.

Actually, we have an entire special unit of the local PD housed on our campus. We give the space to them for free. They love it since my company built it and furnished it to the same standards as other office space. They have huge lockers, comfortable furniture, nice private offices for the brass, and a lot of room to stretch out.

This is nice for us, since they come hang out with us in our offices or we go and hang out in their offices. They view our campus as their campus and we get lightening quick and decisive police responses. There is none of us versus them BS. We generally don't even have to go through dispatch since we just call them on their cells.

I let the guys park their POV's for free in our heated ramp when they are working off duty and give them various other perks. They show me and my guys a ton of respect. When they respond to one of our calls, it is common for them to tell me the various courses of action that they could take and ask me if I want the bad guy arrested, tagged in lieu, taken to detox, etc. It is nice that they defer the decision to me, but my standard line is "it's your world, I am just living in it" and tell them to do as they see fit.

Last night, the guys that work out of the building were tied up on an arrest, so I had to call 911 instead of them. But, the guys/gals that responded still know the set up and treat us right.

We will see how things shake out with my boss. I can understand and appreciate officer safety and liability concerns, but there is a point when it can turn into paranoia and people just sit on their hands and do nothing.

[SecTrainer]

Do you patrol the immediate neighborhood around the campus as well? I train officers in the value of doing this from time to time, basically just as a rapid intelligence assessment. You have to know something about what's going on in your environment. Sometimes this is done by the shift supervisor if the agency doesn't allow officers to leave campus, but someone should do it.

Also, do you get relevant crime analysis reports and bulletins from the PD for your area? Most CA units will gladly prepare special crime activity reports for certain legitimate private entities if they are approached with a request. For instance, in our area the CA unit prepares a special daily report for motel/hotel managers, which they can access via a secure website. This report summarizes the previous day's calls related to lodging facilities, as well as BOLOs, bulletins from DHS, the Dept of Emergency Management, etc.

[CorpSec]

Do you patrol the immediate neighborhood around the campus as well? I train officers in the value of doing this from time to time, basically just as a rapid intelligence assessment. You have to know something about what's going on in your environment. Sometimes this is done by the shift supervisor if the agency doesn't allow officers to leave campus, but someone should do it.

Also, do you get relevant crime analysis reports and bulletins from the PD for your area? Most CA units will gladly prepare special crime activity reports for certain legitimate private entities if they are approached with a request. For instance, in our area the CA unit prepares a special daily report for motel/hotel managers, which they can access via a secure website. This report summarizes the previous day's calls related to lodging facilities, as well as BOLOs, bulletins from DHS, the Dept of Emergency Management, etc.

We do not patrol the area around our campus on foot, however our cameras are good enough and there are enough of them that we can see blocks in every direction. We do get all the crime maps and bells and whistles from the cops. They will stop in with pictures or CD's from things that are happening in the area and ask us to BOLO for them.

We have worked with them on various undercover operations as well. In those cases, we provide technological support and someone to run the technology. We are never the decoy or the undercover.