Movie/TV portrayal of private security

[Black Caesar]

I think comments like this do as much damage to the image of a security officers as much as the movies do.

TPD Sgt. Eric Diaz said the line between police and security guards often blurs. Guards are first responders; police detain and arrest.
"Who usually blurs the line," he said, "is that security person - they want to go that one step further, but the laws don't allow them."

The thing is, sometimes it's true. I had a buddy (I'll call him "T" here) I worked with at the same time I worked with "cigar" (the guy I talked about in the thread about whacked out co-workers).

T was a GREAT GUY, smart, well meaning. He'd been in the police academy for a few weeks when his background came back with a hit on it (he plead guilty to "theft under $20" a week after his 18th birthday, a crime of moral turpitude that got him punted from the academy, but didn't prevent him from getting a Guard Card).

A few times he crossed the line, like one time he chased a guy off property. The guy was only wanted for questioning by Dallas PD in regards to a domestic dispute (turns out the guy was the victim,which in T's defense the female Dallas Officer wasn't very clear on, later the guy said he ran because he had warrants for tickets). No Felony, no breach of the peace that would have allowed us as S/Os to arrest the guy, and T had no business chasing him at all. He got our butts in trouble a couple times pulling stuff like that.

After several incidents , I asked him why in hell he kept doing stuff like that, even though he had to know he had no authority to do so. His (priceless) reply was "I just hate crime so much". I told him that I hate it too, so much so that Im not going to COMMIT any crimes (like false imprisonment) trying to fight it.

He told me that I didn't understand because "you have a badge in your pocket" (talking about my College PD badge, I was part time at the college back then). So I told him that yea, I got one, and I'm trying to keep it.

T (god bless him), like many S/Os I've worked with before and since mean very very well and are otherwise wonderful S/Os, but they cross lines that they shouldn't trying to feed a need they shouldn't be feeding, and they do it KNOWING they don't have any kind of authority, or worse, Immunity. And when they do every other private security worker takes a reputation hit because of it.

[bigdog]

I think comments like this do as much damage to the image of a security officers as much as the movies do.

TPD Sgt. Eric Diaz said the line between police and security guards often blurs. Guards are first responders; police detain and arrest.
"Who usually blurs the line," he said, "is that security person - they want to go that one step further, but the laws don't allow them."

[kingsman]

You get pretty office workers? DAmn. Some guys have all the luck.

[EMTGuard]

This won't help the image of private security...

This movie releases next month.

http://www.p2themovie.com/

That just reminds me why I can't be a homicidal stalker nutcase. It's too much work. All that trouble kidnaping and chaining up and chasing a pretty office worker. Man, I'm too lazy for that.

[davis002]

This won't help the image of private security...

This movie releases next month.

http://www.p2themovie.com/

[EMTGuard]

On last nights episode of LIFE the detectives were investigating a murder. Walking through the house they tell a uniformed officer who is interviewing the private security officer who responded to the initial alarm to "check his weapon". The guard, while removing the gun from his hoster replies "It's not real. The company doesn't want me shooting anyone, not that I'd ever get the chance". The officer inspects the toy gun anyway.

[Maelstrom]

What about Dawn of the Dead? You can't have a movie list about s/o's and not include that! I guess that goes under the hero and buffoon category.

The list wasn't inclusive of that movie as it was already mentioned earlier in this thread (along with a handful of others)

[alamedaad]

What about Dawn of the Dead? You can't have a movie list about s/o's and not include that! I guess that goes under the hero and buffoon category.

[Maelstrom]

In The Last Boy Scout Bruce Willis played a PI, not a cop. In Hot Fuzz, the cops are the heros but are also buffoons.

I liked Bruce Willis' portrayal of a Security Officer in Unbreakable.

The main character in Hot Fuzz was merely 'super efficient' (hence his transfer), he was however surrounded by a world of buffoons! I don't remember Unbreakable's storyline too well... but I like Bruce Willis action flicks so I may go watch/hire it again, IIRC wasn't Campus security the hero in Urban Legend too?

Originally I was going to break the list down into Police, Security, [H]ardcore action & Dark comedy... but hey that was way too much work! LMAO

I liked the fair approach used to depict John Cena's first day as a Building SO in "The Marine", hopefully after watching the movie people may now appreciate how much verbal diarrhoea, abuse & disrespect we can and do encounter on a daily basis! FWIW that butthead 's name was all over that window ROTFLMAO

[Lawson]

Yes, particularly the part where he and the lovely Lola do some sexy role playing in the office. All security officers get so lucky in real life .

Yeah... I remember that part, sign me up for that post!

[tattedupboy]

Watch National Security with Martin Lawerence... I think that most accurately portrays security.

Yes, particularly the part where he and the lovely Lola do some sexy role playing in the office. All security officers get so lucky in real life .

[Andy Taylor]

That's not true, IMHO it's fairly balanced as Police/LEOs get to play the heros in movies too not just the buffoons, for example...

* Mad Max
* Die Hard series (Bruce Willis)
* Copland
* Cobra
* Bad Boys I & II
* Striking distance
* 16 blocks
* Point Break
* Beverly Hills Cop series
* Assault on Precinct 13
* Death Wish series (Charles Bronson)
* Dirty Harry Series (Clint Eastwood)
* Nico series (Steven Segal)
* Blue Thunder
* Speed I & II
* The Untouchables
* Tango & Cash
* The Last Boy Scout
* Lethal Weapon series
* Walker Texas Ranger
* Hot Fuzz
* Robocop series
* Face off
* Rush Hour series
* The Punisher
* A man apart
* Walking tall

In The Last Boy Scout Bruce Willis played a PI, not a cop. In Hot Fuzz, the cops are the heros but are also buffoons.

I liked Bruce Willis' portrayal of a Security Officer in Unbreakable.

[Maelstrom]

Hollywood doesn't like cops. thats the only reason you need, so people that make half as much and have next to no training? get no better treatment.

That's not true, IMHO it's fairly balanced as Police/LEOs get to play the heros in movies too not just the buffoons, for example...

* Mad Max
* Die Hard series (Bruce Willis)
* Copland
* Cobra
* Bad Boys I & II
* Striking distance
* 16 blocks
* Point Break
* Beverly Hills Cop series
* Assault on Precinct 13
* Death Wish series (Charles Bronson)
* Dirty Harry Series (Clint Eastwood)
* Nico series (Steven Segal)
* Blue Thunder
* Speed I & II
* The Untouchables
* Tango & Cash
* The Last Boy Scout
* Lethal Weapon series
* Walker Texas Ranger
* Hot Fuzz
* Robocop series
* Face off
* Rush Hour series
* The Punisher
* A man apart
* Walking tall

[Badge714]

There are three categories of security guards in the entertainment world. There is the feeble old man who sleeps while the building gets robbed. There is the young squirrel who is so obsessed with his power that he is comical. And there is the big fat slob with a flashlight in one hand and a cheeseburger in the other.

I've known alot of guards just like this over the years. That is why we're portrayed like this. We just have to have a sense of humor and shrug it off. If the TV and movie industries and comedians tried to avoid making fun of every group or profession who might be offended, where would they get their material?

The first episode of the new season of Criminal Minds had a spree murderer on a Arizona College campus. The prime suspect was a Campus Security Guard. The guy had failed his phych test in the police acadamy, had a footlocker full of weapons in his appartment, carried a knife in his boot on duty and had snapped after his wife got custody of his kid and he lost visitation privilages.

And we've all known this guy, too. The guard who carries a bag with enough gear to outfit a small SWAT team in his trunk to guard an empty warehouse. We had a patrol officer once who came in to work a shift wearing bdu pants and a freaking thigh rig for his .40! I wrote him up for unauthorized equipment and fired him the next day for not wearing his tie. Nuts like this scare me, and I get rid of them ASAP.

[Ron Jessee]

Hollywood doesn't like cops. thats the only reason you need, so people that make half as much and have next to no training? get no better treatment. On the upside, corporate and lawyer types similiarly.