bmorgan says ...

It's usually an image thing.   LEO's (for the most part)  understand "Officer Presence".  But it seems most SG's that we deal with are.....well.....I hate to say it, slobs.  I know there are a lot of VERY profesional SG's out there and as I've said before I count many of them among my friends.  However, when ever most people think of SG's they think of guys with dirty uniforms, or Rambo metalities.  Or the guy in blue jeans with a black mesh shirt that has a star silk screened on it.

I agree.  Being former LE and current SG i haven't noticed any tension between the two.  Most of problems arise because of what peoples perception or idea of what SGs are "supposed" to be like.

 lol, this has been a very hot topic in the past. However, my answer is, I truly respect and like any SG that is sincere in doing the job they were hired to do.

  I think the only time that a SG comes off bad is when they seem unsincere about their job, or they try to do things that fit within an LEOs job description. Hope that helps!

haha...jlu492 called them "knobs" anyway yes, ya'lls answers have been insightful. the kind of SGs that don't know their boundries are the people who make me embarassed to be a guard.

I have found a great many to be completely clueless, in thier appearance, demeanor and responsibilities.  On the other hand, I have also found some security officers that are over the top professional and put some LEO's to shame.  I think good SG's suffer from the poor reputation set in play by the idiots that came before them.  I try to take each person for thier own abilities and professionalism.  Any real LEO that automatically thinks poorly of a SG just because of that persons profession has real issues of this own that should be addressed.

greenstein says ...

 

The only issues I have ever had with Security officers/Guards is when they overstep their boundaries, which I would take issue with anyone for that matter. A few were in Security because they could not get on with the PD, you could spot them a mile away and I steered clear of them.
 
These are the ones who, well you know…had amber lights in their POV, spent more time listening to the Scanner than doing their job, rolling as “backup” and the like.
 
Quite a few Security folks take the job in hopes that it will make them a better candidate as a Police Officer, but in my honest opinion; anyone looking to LE should stay away from Security. The job provides far too many opportunities to get jammed up than providing true background for police work.
 
Not saying Security work will make you a bad candidate, but as said, the chance to go over the line is there and could ruin your chances.
 
Want to know what makes a good candidate for LE; customer service skills, which you can get ant any job.
 
Security and LE have some parallels, but they are two different animals. Society needs Security and Police, each providing their own piece to the total picture. Where a Security Officer is invested to protect X location for x hours, a Cop must provide broader coverage, mitigate civil issues, run traffic and the like. The Cop may drive by Smittys Mall once a shift, while the Security Officer is at home there.
 
The issues come up when the line blurs or one of the two takes issue with the other.
 
 
 EXCELLENT POST !!

jls8901 says ...

Any real LEO that automatically thinks poorly of a SG just because of that persons profession has real issues of this own that should be addressed.

 

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I can't believe you said this, Lets see what kind of responses you get.

I work part time as an armed security officer for a private company where I live.  we are as close to police as you can get without wearing a badge.  We make arrests, toss vehicles when we have enough PC to search, coordinate with local police agencies whom we have a great reputation with because of the areas we work and training that we all receive, so on and so forth.  We also have a rank system and chain of command very similare to that of a police department.  Myself and some of the other men and woman I serve with are off duty police officers.  Those of us who are not off duty's are fully trained and certified by New York State and/or have former military and/or are retired LE.  There are many different types of security guards out there and they serve a purpose.  I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't have a problem with security guards, and if I ever did have a problem with one the badge would come out and someone would be out of a job. 

nikkochey says ...

jls8901 says ...

Any real LEO that automatically thinks poorly of a SG just because of that persons profession has real issues of this own that should be addressed.

 

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I can't believe you said this, Lets see what kind of responses you get.

Rather than post here I'm just gunna go into analysis now...

On the other hand...  I figure people are people and we all make judgements about more or less everything based on what experience we have gone through in our lives. When we are subject to the seemingly endless parade of $6 an hour nightwatchmen that last 4 weeks before they move on to driving for Ace Courier we get a little bit sceptical. It has an impact on our "world view" see? Issues? Naw, we're just a little bit jaded is all. I'd like to think I will judge you on your professionalism and upon the kind of person you are before I toss you into the recycle bin or decide you're okay. I honestly try. But this thread has been around a couple of times and every time I think about it I realize that I do in fact sometimes fail. Everybody has their moments.

Okay, before I get clubbed like a harp seal I'd also like to say that there are many Security Guards that are first class. "Security Guard" isn't a four letter word. It really is ultimately about the person.

Moved to the locker room due to the nature of the topic, and all of the NON COPS answering in the ASK A COP..... Guess we need to change this to ASK WHO EVER WANTS TO ANSWER....

charlie914 says ...

bad_LT says ...

Moved to the locker room due to the nature of the topic, and all of the NON COPS answering in the ASK A COP..... Guess we need to change this to ASK WHO EVER WANTS TO ANSWER....

Let's face it... Some people can't read.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I think it is more they do not care. Or think since they are SO's they can answer for cops everywhere. Hell I might just go to the firelink and start answering questions in the ask a firefighter section...

Just wanted to make a correction to my original posts. i meant to say, most the officers I worked with that made fun of security officers and COs,etc. had ego problems.

Ina_Pickle says ...

greenstein says ...

 

The only issues I have ever had with Security officers/Guards is when they overstep their boundaries, which I would take issue with anyone for that matter. A few were in Security because they could not get on with the PD, you could spot them a mile away and I steered clear of them.
 
These are the ones who, well you know…had amber lights in their POV, spent more time listening to the Scanner than doing their job, rolling as “backup” and the like.
 
Quite a few Security folks take the job in hopes that it will make them a better candidate as a Police Officer, but in my honest opinion; anyone looking to LE should stay away from Security. The job provides far too many opportunities to get jammed up than providing true background for police work.
 
Not saying Security work will make you a bad candidate, but as said, the chance to go over the line is there and could ruin your chances.
 
Want to know what makes a good candidate for LE; customer service skills, which you can get ant any job.
 
Security and LE have some parallels, but they are two different animals. Society needs Security and Police, each providing their own piece to the total picture. Where a Security Officer is invested to protect X location for x hours, a Cop must provide broader coverage, mitigate civil issues, run traffic and the like. The Cop may drive by Smittys Mall once a shift, while the Security Officer is at home there.
 
The issues come up when the line blurs or one of the two takes issue with the other.
 

This is an excellent summation...I spent many years doing security work before a too short stint as a LEO...I wish to G-d someone would've steered me AWAY from security work before I'd made my mistakes....Don't get me wrong., I've had some great experiences and learned a great deal, but.... I have definitely work too many security jobs with folks that I didn't trust with a rubber mallet much less weapons & handcuffs. Part of the problem is that the security industry hasn't done enough to professionalize & train folks the right way.... too many Contract Companies that hire / equip / train and post folks in less than 8 hours!

 

First off let me say that I am not a LEO and I will probably get blasted for commenting here but I wanted to clarify my opinion on this topic here.

I have been in security for a long time and I have to agree with the above  statement.  My advise to any prospective security officers that are looking to eventually become LEO's is to try to get in with a private company and to stay away from the corp. companies.  That is where a lot of the so called " Slobs" are.  I have worked in both and currently work private.  I have found that most of the professional and PreLEO people go private.  There seems to be more professionalism and more of a strict rules of engagement enforcement involved in private work.  You are representing a private firm not a huge corp of five hundred people working all over Christs creation, so you are more apt to take more pride in your work and you personally are held responsible for your actions more so then if you were corporate in that situation it is more of a corporate problem.  You get better training (most of the time) for a specific task.  Corporate seem to have a general set of generic orders that are set for all sites not specific to each site. Give or take a few extras thrown in by the client.  This is just my opinion and my observations.  I am open to criticism from both LEO's and other security on this one.  Please correct me if I am misunderstood on any points that I have made here.

Never had a problem with an SO until last week. We've always gotten along, I let them do their thing and they let me do mine. The one that did leave a bad taste in my mouth did so by trying to prevent me from serving papers on a hospital patient. First, the hospital has a policy that all LEO's will be escorted by security, not all visitors mind you. Just LEO's. That's idiotic, but oh well. Then when I tell him why I'm there, he tells me I have to get Risk Management's approval before I can walk into the ICU where the perp was and drop some pink copies on his lap. When I asked just how in the world Risk Management fit into a legal issue between the patient and the State of NC, I was told that since he was a patient at the hospital, he was in their custody and care, and that if the patient didn't want to see me, I wouldn't be allowed in. When another SO arrived, he actually sized me up, looking me up and down! I was pissed, and then explained they didn't have to let me in, that I could give a crap less, but I would need to see their ID's and that I would give all my paperwork to a US Marshall friend of mine to serve and that they could tell the feds that they weren't going to be allowed to serve the papers.

Yeah, I could've pushed past him and gone in, or just threatened to arrest him then and there for RDO, but several factors were at play. 1, I was in a neighboring county and didn't know where the jail was. 2, I was soon going to be the only Trooper in my county as everyone else was checking off and 3, I really had to take a leak.

He let me in, stayed with me the whole time, and then escorted me not just out of the unit, but all the way out of the hospital into the parking lot. What a dick.