How important are security officers? SO's are a first line of defense. They often see things before they happen and control situations until police arrive. In certain situations they have also put they're lives on the line for the protection of others. Why are SO's not respected for the job they perform?

I think was mentioned in the other topics about SO. Its all about how professional you hold yourself. If you show up to work in a wrinkled uniform, I think that pretty much sums up your impressions. I am going to go out on a limb here and use myself as an example.
My uniforms are cleaned and pressed every week. I get a haircut every two weeks if not one week to keep my clean cut appearance. I shave on a daily basis when on duty, brush my teeth twice daily and keep myself in a good looking, professional appearance. As for my attitude, I dont have one. I dont walk around thinking because I carry a badge and gun that I command respect and authority. Sorry but respect is earned not given in my books. Its how you hold yourself to integrity and standards of the job. Just be professional in appearance and attitude and it will go along ways.

your right ,security guards were the first ones one scene to stop a uhaul truck full of murder suspects after getting in a shoot out with them then stopping them by them selfs, and on all the domestic violence calls ,and bank robberies, and hostage rescues,high speed pursuits that could have cost them their lives......., WAIT A MINUTE ,,THAT WAS ME. get over yourselves !

Well, here is my 2 cents on this. I worked as an LP officer for a major retailer as well as an armed SO prior to getting hired on with my department. I worked my way through college and the academy doing these types of jobs because they were similiar to the profession I was entering. I ALWAYS had pride in my appearance when I was working as a uniformed SO. Like onefineofficer stated, its all in the appearance. If you coem to me as a SO with a wrinkled uniform, shirt tails hanging out, unshaven, bad breath, cant speak english for shit...chances are I'm not going to take you seriously, regardless of the situation. On the flip side of the coin, if I have a SO come to me looking sharp, clean uniform, clean shaven and presenting themselves in a professional manner...chances are pretty good I will treat them with the same respect and courtesy I do fellow LEO's. It's amazing how far a little respect goes. YES, there are SO personnel I have dealt with that have gone into LE and I can usually tell which ones those are. On the other hand I have had run-in's with security officers that scare the shit out of me. I am all for security officers and the job they do, however one piece of advice to those that read this thread...get some training, learn to present yourself in a professional manner. A lot of civilians are ignorant to the powers security officers have versus Law Enforcement officers and look to security in the same capacity. If thats the case always remember that you are being viewed as a law enfocement officer and act like it! I feel SO provide a valuable service and frankly it's a shitty job, I know because I have done it. Just iron your shirt and take a breath mint....oh, and learn ENGLISH.

hence the "wanna-be" portion of your post...cant be because of the felony conviction...lol

To ODIN, I work private security and I come to this site for a lot of reasons. One is because where I am from the police and the security work hand in hand so the way things are for me, I feel like I can talk with the police and not have any issues with it because thats what I am used to. Also there are not a lot of security sites, that I have found anyway, that are updated. Where I work is gang infested so I am always dealing with real crime and real problems. I answer shooting calls, stabbing calls, rape calls, burglary calls, domestic violence calls, I do child welfare checks, I have been the first person on the scene of several Homicides. I have also caught or helped catch every type of criminal from trespassers all the way up to Homicide suspects. So when I get on a site I get on policelink because the people on here can relate to the things I do.The sites for security only want to talk about yellow lightbars or the new detex system that came out, I don't need to talk about dumb stuff like that. As for the convicted felon remark, I have no criminal record, and I don't do this job because I can't be a police officer for whatever reason, or because I don't have an education to be one, I do it because I like the private section better.

Thats just my 2 cents.

It depends on the job, not all leo's are knockin down doors and not all so's are guarding the parking lot. We all do the job we sign up for.

It sounds like you just have a complete lack of respect for other professions. If you started out as a security guard then you should have more respect for the position. What happened you graduated from an academy and someone blessed you holier than thou? Anyone got directions to ASSgard?

I too was once a security officer and a armored car guard. I chose these occupations as a step towards law enforcement. I always conducted myself professionally towards both law enforcement and employers. Like any occupation, there are those that give it a bad name and those that do a swell job. I've dealt with both kinds while employed as a law enforcement officer. I try to encourage those that do a swell job to join their local PD and I humor those that I know would not stand an ice cream cones chance in hell of making onto the force.

As I said, the jobs are SIMILLAR in lots of ways, not the SAME. The role of a security officer is to protect a clients property, granted. But they are also there to give a basic level of protection to staff, customers and the like. They are the first line of defence in many situations, and ARE at risk from injury, or even fatality from armed criminals etc. They are targets because of the uniform they wear. So they too put their lives on the line as soon as they don their uniform. Their job does also involve writing reports, attending court as eye witnesses etc. Their powers are only limited by the laws which are passed by governments, but there is no escaping the fact that the two jobs are SIMILLAR, albeit for less pay. The situation is slightly different in Britain of course, as gun culture is not as prevalent over here. But they are still at risk from stabbings, beatings etc. And they do this for very little pay. So in my eyes, as a serving LEO, they deserve respect for the job they do, and the professionalism they exude.
i, like badboy1968, saw security work as a useful step up into police work. It gave me a basic understanding of the law, and how to treat people and react to certain situations which i encountered. Police work is just the next level up from that.

I would not say the jobs are the SAME. But most SO's take their work seriously, and are a great help to LE. Most are highly trained, and can remain calm under pressure, where a member of the public may find it hard to. So their witness statements are usually more comprehensible than that of a distressed member of the public, thus cutting down on the time it takes for the LEO to react to the situation. They are needed, that is a fact.
It seems that a lot of LEO's see private security, and SO's as a waste of time. Judging by the lack of respect that some of you guys show towards SO's. And you don't do yourselves any favours by this lack of respect, if you want an SO to provide you wth an accurate statement. After reading this thread, it would not suprise me if some SO's thought, WHY SHOULD I BOTHER, if the assistance I am trying to give is just thrown back in my face.
SO's will never replace a state run police force, but if they do, I am sure there will be a job for us in the industry somewhere. And with our greater training/experience etc, I am sure we could demand higher pay to that of LOWLY SO's

Odin, it appeares to me that you have a real problem with SO's regardless of they're level of professionalism. It is also obvious that when you were an SO, you hated your "effin" job. "Boo Hoo". In case you missed something along the bumpy road to becoming an LEO let me give you this: YOU CAN NOT APPRECIATE WHERE YOU ARE IF YOU FORGET WHERE YOU'VE BEEN. I am a professional Security Officer and I take my Job very seriously in all aspects. I have the utmost respect for all LEO's because of what they do as well as why they do it. Never forget that our fellow human beings (John Q Public) depend on all of us "LEO's & SO's for help at the first sign of trouble. Hence SO's are important TOO. Just as LEO's have different levels of distinction ( detectives, undercover opps, special investigators etc) there is a difference between a security guard and a security officer. having been in security you should know the difference. Let's all co-exist, work & respect each other.

I am a security agent officer for the Police dept here....and I have to say we have wonderful police officers who treat us like we were their best friends and respect what we do. They are the very reason that I became interested in being a police officer and am putting myself through all of this so I can be.

We do a similiar job to them....not the same.....but similiar.....we do traffic control, we do vehicle searches, badge security checks and we assist them when they need help on things such as BOLO's & missing persons etc...We are all one big family unit there and I can only hope that every dept that has SO, treat them the same way because we are people too with feelings and work very hard for the little bit of money we make. jmo !

thats a better way of putting it. jumping up and down trying to convince a cop that security gaurds do a similar job is ,.well the cops know. i have no problem with security proffessionals. but they are not cops.

it was going to be jumping up and down while punching themselfs in the head.