Faso

[mad_malk]

I was wondering if any one could offer some advice and suggestions. It seems like in Florida any organization is out to represent the agencies and there are no group or groups to advocate on behalf of the actual Security officers. SO my thought was trying to create a state wide organization that is an advocate for the armed officers. Armed officers in Florida come in two types new younger officers and older retired mil/LEO. There is no group that you can go to to get assistance in finding personal Liability Insurance to help protect your self, just in case. There is no one who S/O's can turn to if they are Charged by DoL for a violation. And last there is no group out there trying to change the publics perception of what Contract S/O's are. S/O's here can make any where from $8hr-$15hr depending on supervisory and hourly contract rate. One of the reasons most guards get a bad rep is because there are places that pay $8hr that go unsupervised where the officer believes he is getting paid to wake up for clients. And lots of these guards are caught asleep often. And the company and Property manger don't seem to care.

SO i talked to my attorney and he tells me creating a Not-for profit company to help represent S/O's who chose to be members is possible the question is is there enough people who would be interested and would it be worth while.

As an aside my intent is something similar to the FOP but for Security Officers.
SO AM i wasting my time?

[junkyarddog]

I was wondering if any one could offer some advice and suggestions. It seems like in Florida any organization is out to represent the agencies and there are no group or groups to advocate on behalf of the actual Security officers. SO my thought was trying to create a state wide organization that is an advocate for the armed officers. Armed officers in Florida come in two types new younger officers and older retired mil/LEO. There is no group that you can go to to get assistance in finding personal Liability Insurance to help protect your self, just in case. There is no one who S/O's can turn to if they are Charged by DoL for a violation. And last there is no group out there trying to change the publics perception of what Contract S/O's are. S/O's here can make any where from $8hr-$15hr depending on supervisory and hourly contract rate. One of the reasons most guards get a bad rep is because there are places that pay $8hr that go unsupervised where the officer believes he is getting paid to wake up for clients. And lots of these guards are caught asleep often. And the company and Property manger don't seem to care.

SO i talked to my attorney and he tells me creating a Not-for profit company to help represent S/O's who chose to be members is possible the question is is there enough people who would be interested and would it be worth while.

As an aside my intent is something similar to the FOP but for Security Officers.
SO AM i wasting my time?

Without putting too much thought into at this very moment, I think it is a great idea. Across the country, Security workers generally lack any type of organized collective representation. Research and keep us up to date please!

[bigdog]

I was wondering if any one could offer some advice and suggestions. It seems like in Florida any organization is out to represent the agencies and there are no group or groups to advocate on behalf of the actual Security officers. SO my thought was trying to create a state wide organization that is an advocate for the armed officers. Armed officers in Florida come in two types new younger officers and older retired mil/LEO. There is no group that you can go to to get assistance in finding personal Liability Insurance to help protect your self, just in case. There is no one who S/O's can turn to if they are Charged by DoL for a violation. And last there is no group out there trying to change the publics perception of what Contract S/O's are. S/O's here can make any where from $8hr-$15hr depending on supervisory and hourly contract rate. One of the reasons most guards get a bad rep is because there are places that pay $8hr that go unsupervised where the officer believes he is getting paid to wake up for clients. And lots of these guards are caught asleep often. And the company and Property manger don't seem to care.

SO i talked to my attorney and he tells me creating a Not-for profit company to help represent S/O's who chose to be members is possible the question is is there enough people who would be interested and would it be worth while.

As an aside my intent is something similar to the FOP but for Security Officers.
SO AM i wasting my time?

Why only armed officers ? In the state of florida there are more unamred security officers than there are armed. Also weve already tried that twice With Fopso and Napsoa. Search those terms on the forum.

[mad_malk]

the reason with starting with armed officers is that i have heard mostly from armed officers who share the same concerns i have mentioned. I figured it would be easier to start small and then try to get bigger. it's a lot easier to contact 5,000 people then it is to contact 40,000. (the numbers are made up for example purposes only). Thanks for the heads up. I wish i could say i was going to donate any fees to some BS charity but i would be lieing my ass off. I plan on using the monies generated to run adds such as realtors and other advocacy groups do. and also to higher a lobbyist if needed. The money would also be used to get a law firm on retainer. It might also have addition class hours required to maintain your statues not just money. I am thinking 16-24 additional training hours per year. That way when people show up at the community they ask is your security company a FASO member? but again that would depend on what people are looking for. And if what people are realing looking for is unionization well thats another discussion.

So i am looking for something small or at least smallish. maybe just the tristate area of south Florida to start but if there is really a call for it then all of Florida but no way any thing larger to start.

ANd great thread serches. so i guess the question is how small can we get and still be affective.

Points that people should keep in mind. IF you carry a baton, OC, and or cuffs. as a member you would have to get certified and maintain one with either ASAP/monadnock , OCAT, and PATH. But again collective bargaining I can find a trainer that will charge a reasonable rate for certification. And if your company doesn't pay for your firearm re-cert every year once again 3-4 times a year a collective bargained K instructor or 4 depending on the size and how wide this spreads.

And again thats why i am asking here for input before i even start to spend money on forming this. What do you as an officer want from such a group. What kind of support are you looking for from such a group. And YES this will cost money and yes all members will get quarterly reports because there will be expenses incurred.++

[mad_malk]

After further reading I am more certain i want to limit the scope of the organization to just armed officers. This will allow me to address specific issues and will more likely to build a group that will last. I say this because i would estimate at least 50% if not more armed security officers are professionals and this is if not there career there main way of providing for them selfs and families. I would ad that after being out of the security business for almost 7 years i was expecting some improvements in the industry. Out side of coming back to work for a GREAT agency i see that for the most part the only thing that has changed is the name of the companies them self.