Relationship between guards of rival companies

[The Lord of the Keys]

I have a question. I was wondering if anybody has had any experience interacting with guards from rival companies at your site. I've had mixed experiences.
At one account with Guardsmark we ran the security for the building and burns handled the city contract for our parking garage. We got along fine, while at another account I worked at we had one of two buisness that were in the building and we handled the cameras for the front doors while Pinkerton had the other company in the building and the front lobby guard. This realationship was very tense as we had taken our client from Pinkerton when one of their guards was caught taking the client's vehicle out at night and running a buisness out of it. When I started there one of our officers had just turned in a Pinkerton guard for smoking inside the building which didn't make the situation any better.

[HotelSecurity]

I think I've written about my situation somewhere else but since this is the same topic I'll repeat myself At this time of year we get many school groups coming to stay at my hotels. In recent years they have been asking to have a security agent exclusively on their floor during the overnight hours. My hotels provide this service. We charge the school & make a little profit for the budget.

One tour company has given us problems. It is run by someone who's brother owns a contract security company. Everytime they book a school in the hotel they also book an agent from the brother's company. We've had problems. They do not work inside the guest rooms, they work in the corridors. This is OUR jurisidiction. We had to sit down with them & explain that a security agent gets his powers by being the agent of the owner. We're the agent of the owner, not them!

[N. A. Corbier]

I've never worked at an account that did not have an exclusivity clause in it. You hire anyone from any other company, or an off-duty police officer for that matter, and you are in material violation of the contract.

[HotelSecurity]

I've never worked at an account that did not have an exclusivity clause in it. You hire anyone from any other company, or an off-duty police officer for that matter, and you are in material violation of the contract.

I'm in-house.

And something just happened along this line last night! A school that only had 7 rooms wanted a security agent from 23h00 to 05h00. I sent one of my men. He arrives at 23h00 & finds an agency guard working guarding the same 7 rooms. He was scheduled from 22h00 to 02h00. It seems the travel agency hired us, the school the contract company. Talk about one hand not knowing what the other is doing

[Lawson]

I have worked on sites with other security agencies either on the site or in a very close proximity. I am always willing to work with other agencies. I try to be a professional, I can tell you, at 12.50/hr, I am certainly not in this for the money. Im all about being able to protect something, to protect people, to protect property, whatever it is, to guard and protect. If other officers see me as a threat to their holding their site, whatever...

What I like about Wackenhut here, is when we take over sites, we are very good about hiring incumbents. The site I am on, we took over and out of I think 12 (8fulltime 4parttime) officers they had, we kept on 4. Most of the others decided they dont want to work here anymore. Pay rates stayed the same. Of those that applied and were not hired, they either did not meet Wackenhut's qualification standards, which are much higher than the previous agency, or they didnt want to work available schedules.

[Lawson]

And actually, I enjoy working with other security companies. Its funny when you are out talking to someone who is trespassing or something, and then another uniformed officer shows up in an entirely different uniform. Expressions are pretty neat.

[ycaso77]

Well we have several smaller security forces that cover one bldg only on campus and a couple with contract guards. Basically they run thier bldg. unless they need help with the security systems, card access or extra people for special events then we step in to help them out. We all work quite well together and people do move back and forth. The contract guards basically step back if security or the PD arrive for something. Most are quite easy to work with and it usually turns into a "how do I get into university security" question time. Same easy dealing with the hospital security folks. We're so intermingled here its hard to not work together, makes for interesting collections of uniforms on street corners.

[ozsecuritychic]

at the mall i work at the outside shops have different security companies.my first night at that site i stood outside the bottle shop while they locked up and armed the store.i checked the doors 3 times between 2100 and midnight.i got a call from my supervisor because the next day because the owner thought i didnt check the door and someone walked in and set off the alarm.the other security convinced the bloke that it must have been my fault.i simply told my boss to check the cameras.it turns out the owner forgot a jumper and went back at 1230 and turned the alarm on but didnt lock the door and their security company didnt do the patrols they are paid to do.

[Mr. Security]

The site where I'm posted is right next to a facility that is secured by a different security company. At first, there was friction because we took the account away from them. However, as time passed, we all found it beneficial to work with each other and there are no hard feelings.

After all, we are all just guards and none of us are responsible for what the management of our respective companies does. Why should we fight among ourselves when the matter is not within our control? They help us and we do the same. Just like good neighbors.

[HotelSecurity]

[QUOTE=Wackenhut Lawson]
What I like about Wackenhut here, is when we take over sites, we are very good about hiring incumbents. QUOTE]

I'm not 100% sure since I don't work contract security but I think companies in Quebec are FORCED to keep the employees when a comapny takes over a site from another. It might have something to do with the fact that MOST contract security agents in Quebec are unionized.

[Mr. Security]

Guardsmark requires it's perspective employees to sign a non-compete agreement which bars employees from working at any site where they used to be posted for one year after losing the contract.

[HotelSecurity]

Along the same line as this thread. How's your relationship with other security that you are not in direct contact with?

I'm a member of the Hotel Security Directors of Montreal. There is also another association of Directors of Security of major downtown properties.(Malls, department stores, hotels, office building etc). In both associations we e-mail each other descriptions & pictures from our video systems of suspects, pass on info about scams etc. We meet once a month & discuss mutual problems. The federal, provincial & municipal police send representatives.

[ozsecuritychic]

i had a bloke walk through my mall with no pants on.when he left he went staight towards the other mall after i rang the police i rang the guards across the road and they ring me to let me know certain people are on their way.its good to talk to them because i can find out peoples names and they can find out of me names too.

[Knight Watch]

Contract Guards

After 9/11 the hospital hired Bruns to agument our staff at first we (in house officer) were VERY leary of them for fear that we would be replaced by them as some time passed and we were told that we would not be replaced and some of them started training with us and they were allowed to carry cuffs, asp, pepper foam, only if they trained with us and only at the hospital.

but for only having 3 guard posts, in a 6 month period there were only 3 good ones and there were at least 25 give or take that did not work out. The one guard told our supervisor that she did not listen to him told him to (action verb) wewe off. she was leaving her post when ever she wanted and was out of uniform most of the time. She worked 2 hrs and she was replaced after her boss talked to our boss and the others were told that they had to listen to us.

Their turn over was horable and the 25 guard were what we call Rent-a-turds or WBU (Cant remember exactly but warm body's, kinda warm) but there were 3 that were GREAT and one of them works for us now and is a shift supervisor.

[HotelSecurity]

Guardsmark requires it's perspective employees to sign a non-compete agreement which bars employees from working at any site where they used to be posted for one year after losing the contract.

I had to sign something like this back in 1975 when I started working for Pinkerton du Quebec!