Worst security jobsite/post you ever worked...

[3rd_shift]

For me it was at a convenience store in hard, blue smurf uniform unarmed in the gay part of Dallas.
Some of the guys coming in from accross the street from the bars were fascinated with my uniform and my "gun"
"Oh officer, You're so keeyoot!"
That was the one where I told my dispatcher next day,
either the post goes, or I and the post goes.

[N. A. Corbier]

For me it was at a convenience store in hard, blue smurf uniform unarmed in the gay part of Dallas.
Some of the guys coming in from accross the street from the bars were fascinated with my uniform and my "gun"
"Oh officer, You're so keeyoot!"
That was the one where I told my dispatcher next day,
either the post goes, or I and the post goes.

Worst one I ever worked was a popular budget hotel in Ybor City. The general manager was convinced that we were there to provide concerge services to his guests, such as taking up towels, unclogging toilets, etc, and the police who hung out 20 thick in the lobby running up a city tab from the concession area were there to protect the property.

After the guy got into a fight during Guavaween, then was struck by a man because he refused to summon medical assistance for his brother, it came to a head. The front desk got on the radio, got me down there, just in time for me to see the GM and the suspect start trading blows inside. The front desk called the police, and I went up and took Mr. Bad Guy down, put him in cuffs, and sat him down next to his brother, who was bleeding out from a stab wound. The GM grabbed me, shoved me a good foot, got pepper sprayed for his trouble, and then I called my supervisor. Supervisor told the GM that we're suspending the contract for his attacking a contractor, and told me that we're not longer providing protective services, only fire watch on the rooms. When PD showed up, they refused to arrest the BG, refused to arrest me, and refused to arrest the GM, stating they didn't see anything, and they know the cameras in the lobby "don't work." We dropped the contract the next week.

I hate clients who believe they have direct control over the officers, to include physical confrontations with them. This guy was from Germany, and flat told the front desk staff: Police protect you. Security takes towels. This is how it is in Germany, this is how it is at Hilton.

Another amusing anecdote was when I was ordered by the GM to tow 12 police vehicles in our parking lot. A corporate level inspector showed up, noticed me, and asked if there was a police problem. I asked her who she was, and she told me she was a corporate inspector for the hotel chain. I told her, "No, there is no problem." She then asked me why there were 12 police cars here, and what we were doing here. After she figured out I was the contract security officer, she asked me if the police were always here, and I told her the truth. She went over to the GM, who was busy primping himself, and told him that guests have approached her and told her they feel unsafe with this amount of police presence, that one armed security officer was enough. So, he orders me to TOW 12 police cars, they all parked and went on foot patrol into 7th Avenue. My solution was to call dispatch on my cell, and request the sector sergeant to come. He found people to drive the cars off, and parked across the street. The police stopped coming for awhile, miffed at that, which meant I was completely without backup for 2 weeks.

[Contact]

I haven't been doing security for too long, but one of our contracts was for a Michaels Arts & Crafts store because of an ex disgruntled employee. Even worse, the location was in the middle of one of the uppity citys around here.

I can't count how many looks I received of utter shock and amazement because an art store had an armed guard on hand.

Move it along people...

[exguard]

I think my All Time Worst was while I was still a High School Senior {At 18 New Jersey allowed you to work as security Guards} I worked for Wells Fargo - What Crap assignments I got. Construction equipment storage lot with no bathroom facilities, A Flat-Bed Trailer builder warehouse, and ocassionaly the town sewer plant ugggg never thought earning $6.80hr. could be so dishonorable

[Echos13]

In the state of Florida, well about 90% of the jobs were nightmares. But then when you live in the "cheap labor state" I guess it's the status quo. Everything from baby sitting parking lots to guarding a pile of fertilizer. Guard jobs are good to start out, have as a part time thing or when your between jobs.

I am fortunate to be doing what I am doing now, but that's going on five years and now we are facing cut backs in everything. In-house and in-house sub-contracted work is being pushed out by the contract firm.

Did you know that some guard firms out source thier call in and time record people?

Worse one of all was being a gate guard for a place full of rich people. Carried a gun, had a patrol car and all that but had to deliver newspapers, packages and even walk thier dogs! Egads, an armed newspaper boy that walks pink poodles.

[N. A. Corbier]

Never told you about that in D or G school, did they? That's "value added services" for you. People don't want to pay for traditional or "progressive" security services. "Don't the guards do more than just drive around or man a gate? We can pay OUR people to do that."

So why don't you? Probally because you don't want the additional manpower, insurance, and liability problems, so you outsource your security staff, and then try to get more out of them.

Stupidest post I ever worked as a mobile home park where we were manning a gate, unarmed (I was required to be armed with full duty rig, so it made people do a double take), with no gate! If someone ran our gate, we were to do nothing, because it might inconvience a resident. But, if someone stopped, we had to get their name, license plate, etc, and if they weren't supposed to be there (visiting) we were to tell them to leave, but NOT CALL THE POLICE.

It was rather funny. We were also restricted to the gate house at all times, as "the police patrol the interior, that's their job." When asked, the city police were like, "Um, that's what your there for. That's private property, we don't patrol private property." It made things amusing when we were told to STOP THE POLICE to find out what unit they were responding to. No gate, no stop sign, your going to stop a police vehicle?

[Watchdog]

Any post where I'm scheduled to work 12 hours or more where I can't leave the post and where I don't have anyone to relieve me so I can take 30-60 minutes off a take a break and get away for a bit.
Security companies seem to think that one can just bring a lunch in a bag and be all comfy for the whole day sitting or standing in one place.
That's why I prefer doing some type of mobile patrol when I can.

[wannabedafiveoh]

Definately when they have the "mini-circus" for the kids at the mall. Holy crap! The animals smell SO bad, and there is something about clowns that always will scare me!

[dla4079]

For me it was at a convenience store in hard, blue smurf uniform unarmed in the gay part of Dallas.
Some of the guys coming in from accross the street from the bars were fascinated with my uniform and my "gun"
"Oh officer, You're so keeyoot!"
That was the one where I told my dispatcher next day,
either the post goes, or I and the post goes.

Get into Corrections, lot more fun, more pay, and is better than being a Security Guard. There is nothing wrong with Security but it is better than having to put up with the Public.

[mallpopo]

I agree with wannabe....The circuss' at the mall are a bad idea. I dress up like a clown and go undercover. It helps me catch the teens who think its cool to hang out at the mall. I always find them smoking. I take the cigs and make them my own. They yell at me cause they think I'm a clown but I alway have my badge on a chain around my neck

[N. A. Corbier]

Ok, now I'm going to be evil, and point out some liability, criminally and civilally.

Is there something in your state law that provides for a private citizen to seize cigarettes from an underage smoker? If not, you are a thief, and those kids can actually call 911 and say, "Some clown stole my cigarettes." Depending on if the cops hate you or not, they can arrest based on probable cause.

When we'd seize items, they were illegal - narcotics or weapons. Weapons were placed in our custody, but drugs and other things were returned to the person, who was then detained for police. Police would arrive and find the drugs BACK on the suspect, which means there was no issue of "he planted em." His prints are already on it, if it wanted to come to that, and it was in his possession.

The guns, well, the police knew what we carried, and would take our word on it.

It is one thing to remove the kids from the area under state/city trespass law, but to seize their property - it better be going to a law enforcement officer, or else you are guilty of petit theft.

[1stWatch]

The worst assignment I remember working to date was a shopping center in the southwest part of Dallas at midnight on New Years Eve. The entire neighborhood had some sort of confusion about the difference between firecrackers and firearms. People were unloading weapons in the air for around 40 minutes after midnight. There was no "cover" to take nor any place to drive to without equal or greater risk of being hit, so I just sat there in the vehicle hoping nothing would rain on my head. Fortunately it did not.

[N. A. Corbier]

There was no confusion. July 4th around here is known as "test your gun day" because most people can't tell the different between firecrackers and gunshots.

LAPD, many officers put on their ballistic helmets during 4th of July and New Years Eve, hoping that the helmet, combined with the lightbar and hood, would sufficiently stop any falling rounds.

[3rd_shift]

My patrol captain was a Florida cop before a few unfortunate events left him as just a private citizen security patrol officer in Texas.
He did mention that his orders back then as a l.e.o. in Florida were to get into a parking garage, or someplace safe from falling lead on New Years' Eve 15 minutes before the new year and until 15 minutes after.

[N. A. Corbier]

My patrol captain was a Florida cop before a few unfortunate events left him as just a private citizen security patrol officer in Texas.
He did mention that his orders back then as a l.e.o. in Florida were to get into a parking garage, or someplace safe from falling lead on New Years' Eve 15 minutes before the new year and until 15 minutes after.

We generally stepped under the hallway, made of heavy brick and steel, during New Years Eve. We could still do our jobs, and we didn't have to worry about incoming rounds.