Best post you ever worked.

[3rd_shift]

For me, It was a shopping center in southern Dallas on Labor day night.
I thought it was going to suck bigtime, as it was an armed post.
What I found there was police inside the grocery store (no worries there)
The shopping center was quite small and completely in view from the gas station at the Churches chicken place.
The gas station had working cameras that the local riffraff were avoiding like a bad plague.
As long as I stayed near the Churches Fried chicken place, I could have all the food I wanted.
I must have gained 5 pounds that shift alone.
I then wandered over to the Subway sandwitch shop for some cookies for desert.
As I'm typing this, I'm finishing off a huge box of leftover chicken from the chicken place.
I would love to do that post again sometime.

[N. A. Corbier]

For me, It was a shopping center in southern Dallas on Labor day night.
I thought it was going to suck bigtime, as it was an armed post.
What I found there was police inside the grocery store (no worries there)
The shopping center was quite small and completely in view from the gas station at the Churches chicken place.
The gas station had working cameras that the local riffraff were avoiding like a bad plague.
As long as I stayed near the Churches Fried chicken place, I could have all the food I wanted.
I must have gained 5 pounds that shift alone.
I then wandered over to the Subway sandwitch shop for some cookies for desert.
As I'm typing this, I'm finishing off a huge box of leftover chicken from the chicken place.
I would love to do that post again sometime.

It amuses me, because with every company I worked for, unless that was written into the contract, your supervisor would of:

Thrown your chicken away.
Spoke with the Churches Chicken employees about fraternization and bribery.
Had an Office Hours and counsel you about your taking gratuity from a non-client.
Recommended you be suspended without pay for three days.

The question is, that I've always had: Is it right for security officers, who are not sworn law enforcement officers OR public employees, to be held to the same bribery standard as public LEOs? Uniformed Security is classified as a "service wage job," not a "salaried profession."

As to my favorite post:

Three hotels, armed, patrol vehicle, gateway island to Tampa proper. We were responsible for half the island, as a patrol account. Light calls for service, were authorized to leave the patrol area to refuel as needed, the hotel van driver could leave at any time for any reason (Ie: Get us some steak and shake), and all of the hotels were linked on client radio. When I got out of the car, it was for either a life safety, investigation, or law enforcement call for service. No towels, no "I'm bored," nothing but calls for service.

The MDC in the cruiser, loaded with 3,000 MP3 files, combined with the AM/FM radio kept me not bored and patrolling.

There were some ups, and some downs. Took one van driver down because he tried to disarm me, joking around. He fled the scene and when police arrived, he appologized and didn't realize "just a security guard" could arrest for a weapon disarm. He was RORed.

Introduced a drunken man armed with a pistol waving it around because he was stupid to the Remington 870 shotgun, from a position of cover behind my patrol vehicle, while 4 Tampa police squads boxed him in. Seeing the shotgun, this guy dropping his gun, two other officers brought theirs out, as well.

It was a good arrest, and made the client feel safe.

[exguard]

When I worked at Bally's Casino / Hotel / Tower in Atlantic City, NJ -- That was the best Security Job I worked.

3rd Shift Action {Night Life in the Casinos is pretty intresting}
I worked the Security Dispatch / Monitor Center which is basically like the 9-1-1 center {Not the same as surviellance they were across the hall but we did opperate 171 cameras of the property / lots / hotel areas.

I made a decent living for a guy in his early twenties back in 1991, still lived home with Mom/Dad, Bought a New Car but rode the train to work. and had some of the greatest benifits ever including free dinner every shift. {Employees were treated very well} -- I left the Casinos in 1995 kicking my-self in the a** for not staying because today Who knows where I'd be in the business if I'd of stayed

[Watchdog]

It was a 3rd shift night patrol job. Using the company patrol car, I drove from one office building in one town and checked it, drove to another in another town and checked it, and so on.
It was nice because it didn't require people bothering me or supervisors looking over my shoulder. I didn't have a relief and didn't have to worry about the next person being late. I was allowed to adjust my schedule a couple hours so if I wanted to start earlier or work later, I could. I also could take a break at anytime.
I also didn't have a scheduled time to be at any certain place, just as long as I check the buildings I was supposed to in my 8 hour shift and was recorded on the Detex Pipe, everything was easy and relaxing.
Time goes by much faster when you drive around rather than just sit or stand around.

The only uncomfortable thing about it was staying awake at night and driving long distances between sites without falling asleep at the wheel because I was working a part-time day job also.

[N. A. Corbier]

It was a 3rd shift night patrol job. Using the company patrol car, I drove from one office building in one town and checked it, drove to another in another town and checked it, and so on.
It was nice because it didn't require people bothering me or supervisors looking over my shoulder. I didn't have a relief and didn't have to worry about the next person being late. I was allowed to adjust my schedule a couple hours so if I wanted to start earlier or work later, I could. I also could take a break at anytime.
I also didn't have a scheduled time to be at any certain place, just as long as I check the buildings I was supposed to in my 8 hour shift and was recorded on the Detex Pipe, everything was easy and relaxing.
Time goes by much faster when you drive around rather than just sit or stand around.

The only uncomfortable thing about it was staying awake at night and driving long distances between sites without falling asleep at the wheel because I was working a part-time day job also.

You had a Detex to hit. Was there pressure to hit the strips "on time," ie: If you had an incident, were you pressured to clear it quickly to get back on the road? This is one thing that I noticed with mobile patrol - that pressure to his the Detex "on time," especially with Government contractors. It better be hit at 9:23, 10:23, 11:23, etc.

Otherwise, that's a good method for mobile patrol.

[Watchdog]

You had a Detex to hit. Was there pressure to hit the strips "on time," ie: If you had an incident, were you pressured to clear it quickly to get back on the road? This is one thing that I noticed with mobile patrol - that pressure to his the Detex "on time," especially with Government contractors. It better be hit at 9:23, 10:23, 11:23, etc.

Otherwise, that's a good method for mobile patrol.

No exact Detex hit times were required. The only times I had to follow was that some buildings required to be checked before or after a certain time such as must be checked before 12am or must be checked after 4am.

I think the ability to be flexible in times is a better practice in security anways as you aren't being "routine" where someone can study you and know exactly when you will be checking the place or not.

[Echos13]

*Yawn*, excuse me. Late night call out. Mornings are getting harder to deal with when they have you called out late.

As for best post, here in Florida have not found one since dabbling in guard work. Personaly I don't think they exsist with all the dime-a-dozen cheap bidder outfits here in Florida. Even the bigger names.

Though I am now working for a contract firm (believe me I was hesitant at first when offerd the job. The last gurad job I did left a bad taste in my mouth as they say), we are a very humble small outfit of about a dozen. But we are a specialty outfit and don't do "post" details. Though we can offer such details to clients we don't get any such contracts because we mainly deal with mobile and moving escort assignments. We all are consisted of former military, law enforcement and higher end security people. But I guess for the most part it's the best "security" job I have ever had. For the exception of being on call 27/4 and having to drive a lot it's still better than being an "insurance" baby sitter.

Hope all out there are safe. Mother nature holds no favors to anyone these days.

Peace.

[N. A. Corbier]

No exact Detex hit times were required. The only times I had to follow was that some buildings required to be checked before or after a certain time such as must be checked before 12am or must be checked after 4am.

I think the ability to be flexible in times is a better practice in security anways as you aren't being "routine" where someone can study you and know exactly when you will be checking the place or not.

That's the only time I'd allow a detex unit to be put into one of my contracts. Otherwise, I'd decline to bid, and refer them to Weiser or Allied Barton or something else, because they're more suited for that kind of "security."

If you hit the clock at 15 after, I'm going to hit your parking lot from 20-59 after. And I'm going to steal every car in there, and your not going to notice, because your having to hit other keys at 20, 25, 27, etc after.

I have never understood this mentality, but clients want "value added services" such as mopping floors and other BS. While your guard is mopping the east wing, there's a fire in the west, and its STILL the company's fault because its contracted for fire watch.

[N. A. Corbier]

*Yawn*, excuse me. Late night call out. Mornings are getting harder to deal with when they have you called out late.

As for best post, here in Florida have not found one since dabbling in guard work. Personaly I don't think they exsist with all the dime-a-dozen cheap bidder outfits here in Florida. Even the bigger names.

Though I am now working for a contract firm (believe me I was hesitant at first when offerd the job. The last gurad job I did left a bad taste in my mouth as they say), we are a very humble small outfit of about a dozen. But we are a specialty outfit and don't do "post" details. Though we can offer such details to clients we don't get any such contracts because we mainly deal with mobile and moving escort assignments. We all are consisted of former military, law enforcement and higher end security people. But I guess for the most part it's the best "security" job I have ever had. For the exception of being on call 27/4 and having to drive a lot it's still better than being an "insurance" baby sitter.

Hope all out there are safe. Mother nature holds no favors to anyone these days.

Peace.

That's nationwide, man. Companies will bid 1 guard at minimum wage, no pay increase over 3 year contract, no equipment, provide own uniforms, etc. They'll win the account, too, then either hit them with hidden costs (Every time a supervisor stops by, that's 75 bucks), or provide JUST that. One guard, paid at minimum wage, no pay increase over the life of the contract, no equipment, the guard is issued old uniforms or has to buy his own, client is provided with a journal book for log entries, no coat, no rain gear...

And then they wonder why they have turnover, and why the company is providing guards that scare the client more than the criminals do.

This is one of the reason alot of companies, especially in Florida, actively fight any initiatives to provide better training. You'll be worth more, and they'll have to pay them more. When the "varying degrees of the D license," such as first aid provider, protect life, patrol residential communities, anti-terrorism operations, etc came up last year, alot of the industry flat said: This will increase our costs, and clients will not stand for it. If you do this, the clients will simply look for service providers who don't require these extra certifications on the D license.

Florida is the land of "value added guard services," such as guards delivering newspapers, mopping floors, and doing other maintenance type work, as most clients have the building maintenance instead of safety department contracting for guard services. So, you have the maintenance manager in charge of client security, and he expects his employees, even contractors, to do more than just "observe and report." Because he needs to see positives, not negatives - such as no crime or disorder.

[3rd_shift]

It amuses me, because with every company I worked for, unless that was written into the contract, your supervisor would of:

Thrown your chicken away.

The chicken was going in the trash unless I "got rid of it".

Spoke with the Churches Chicken employees about fraternization and bribery.

The chicken place was a client who's signature had to be on the report in order for the security company to get paid by the shopping center landlord.
The top of the hill where the chicken place was where my supervisor wanted me in the 1st place.

Recommended you be suspended without pay for three days.

Would never happen since I was called to work that place due to the security company being so short on help in the 1st place.
They didn't care.

Security companies here in the DFW area are often quite lenient for some reason.

[N. A. Corbier]

The item written into the contract would of been "client may offer guards product without renumeration."

They may be, however, the public expects security guards to uphold the same standards as their local police /should/ uphold, ie: Not taking "bribes" of free chicken.

The fraternization would of been giving you chicken in the first place, and allowing you to be on the property for any period longer than required to get them to sign the report, or "for purposes of security."

The public has an extremely low image of security people. The fact that most aren't trained, etc, dosen't help. They, in general, get really pissed when they see "just a security guard" getting something they're not entitled to, because they are above the menial wage security guard.

These are the things that run through a company supervisor's head when they see such events take place. And, I have seen companies suspend or even terminate someone called to work because they were short staffed.

Different standards per company and per state. Florida actively teaches guards not to take bribes (which they classify as any gratuity, period) in its state security officer course, as those bribing you will demand compensation which creates an ethical situation, or the public will have a negative view of the bribery.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, teaches you nothing, and most companies will request you get extra for the supervisor who's doing the post inspection later on.

[3rd_shift]

It's amazing how things vary from state to state.
If anyone ever comes to Texas to work security management, be ready for some adjustments in the way things are done here.

Otherwise, you will find yourself *gag*
having to constantly advertise in the newspaper want-ads for help.

[N. A. Corbier]

It's amazing how things vary from state to state.
If anyone ever comes to Texas to work security management, be ready for some adjustments in the way things are done here.

Otherwise, you will find yourself *gag*
having to constantly advertise in the newspaper want-ads for help.

You guys also have some of the strangest laws, and it took me an entire day to figure out what a "Texas Commissioned Security Officer" was. Your state has some very useful models laws, such as statutory redefinition of battery on a commissioned security officer, misdomeanor and felony arrest powers, etc.

In that state, commissioned security officers almost have full arrest powers. Only thing your missing is a law making it illegal to deprive you of communications or weapon.

[3rd_shift]

I think that you would adjust ok to managing a security company in Texas imo N.A. Corbier.
Once you get past the initial Pain in the rump learning curve.

Since we are "governed" by the Texas department of Public safety,

Effective 9-2003, it's a felony to assault a security guard in Texas.
And a capital offense to cap a guard in this state too.

[N. A. Corbier]

I think that you would adjust ok to managing a security company in Texas imo N.A. Corbier.
Once you get past the initial Pain in the rump learning curve.

Since we are "governed" by the Texas department of Public safety,

Effective 9-2003, it's a felony to assault a security guard in Texas.
And a capital offense to cap a guard in this state too.

Especially since I grew up in Houston, and still have a Texan accent at times. "Are you from the South?" ... "No, I'm from Texas."

I have that pain in the ass mentality because I live in a state where the only requirement for a private security person is that they're not a felon. That's it. State licensing = background check, little card. No training, no nothing. They're considered PIs in uniform, and PIs aren't considered to do much up here, either, under the law.