A good example of why your store, shopping center or shopping mall needs highly qualified security services is illustrated by the January 2012 riot and brawl that occurred at The Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Flash Mobs For Criminal Activity
The Origin of the Security Problem
Unruly youths had used word of mouth and social media to organize what was supposed to be a Flash Mob. Theie efforts resulted in as many as 200 young people, none of which are belived to have been shoppers, crowded into the food court area of the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. For unknown reasons the crowd of delinquents became agitated and restless. At some point gang style fighting began and a melee erupted. The chaos brought a quick repsonse by the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriffs department and Lousiana State Police.
Flash Mob Security Risks
While the original flash mobs focused on seemingly impromptu choreographed dancing, the Flash Mob craze has turned into a tool for criminals. The particiapnts in criminal flash mobs know that by assembling in large numbers they can rush into stores and steal armloads of goods with hardly any risk of being caught. In the crazed rush of riot style looting any innocent people in the paths of the criminals are at high risk of injury from physical battery, sexual assault, or worse.
As a property owner, store owner or chain store CEO you know that your company is at extreme risk of being sued by injured people who, perhaps righfully, believe that you did not provide adequate protection. All of the money you saved by using a cheap security company will be lost along with hundreds of thousands more dollars if you have these types of problems and people get injured. There is no rational reason to expect risks of problems from a flash mob or crazed shooter to end anytime soon.
Mitigating Legal Risks With Better Security
Hiring a better security company does not necessarily mean it is extremely expensive. Sometimes simply taking more time to assess the quality of the security officers, their backgrounds and training, and their ability to communicate and respond can make all the difference you need. To get the best possible security you should look beyond the bottom line on the security services proposals and actually interview the security companies. For example, finding a company that hires military veterans (many with combat patrol experience) will provide your business with a security presence that is vastly superior to a company that hires anyone willing to accept minimum wage ad show up for work.
Unfortunately we live in times where too many people are uncivil, irresponsible and downright lawless. To protect your investment, your store's future and mitigate personal injury lawsuit liabilities you should contact security and protection companies to learn more about their levels of retail store security services.
Your high-profile life as a high profile CEO, entertainer, heiress or heir or politician can leave you vulnerable to bodily harm and abduction attempts throughout your day-to-day life. Your family might also be at elevated personal attack attempts because of your high-profile status. Your best defense against sudden, immediate harm to your family could be found in executive protection services. Taking an honest assessment of your risk factors for attack, and how you can best circumvent these attacks with the help of one of more around-the-clock personal protection services, are the first steps to protecting yourself and your loved ones from a planned assault.
Executive Protection 101
Risk Factors
If you are a celebrity, it is obvious that you need a highly trained 24-hour-a-day security guard to protect you from capricious fans. However, if you are not constantly in the public eye, you might have a harder time accepting that you need a professional, or team of professionals, to look after the best interests of you and your family. Some questions that you really need to ask yourself are:
Do I handle, or have control of, large amounts of money for my organization?
Although I live a quiet life, can others easily find out that I am a CEO, CFO or other high-level executive with access to large amounts of cash or other valuables?
Are there any new people in my work or social circle that are giving me the gut feeling that their intentions towards me or my family are insincere?
Could my job title and responsibilities leave me and my family open to a random kidnapping or physical harm attack?
Have I recently been awarded with a public honor that might draw new attention to me or my family?
Have I recently been given a large bonus from my company that was mentioned to other people, or the local, national or international media?
Are there any other reasons for me to believe that my elite position in life will leave me vulnerable to outside attack?
How Executive Protection Works
Once you determine your need for executive protection, you need to know how your new team will work to curb any attempts made on you or your family's lives. The first step is a security vulnerability audit which will take note of you and your family's daily itinerary. Then, they will look for weaknesses within your family's schedule that would allow outsiders to come in and seize control over you or one of your family members. Some examples of this would be arriving and departing to work and school or social events, traveling for work or pleasure, and leaving or returning home at very early or very hours of the day or night.
Once your usual routines are established, the security guards will then take note of you and your family's websites and social media pages. They will then estimate how much information about you and your family can be gained by people with malicious intent. From there, the security guards will take a closer look at you and your family's lives, and decide on the best course of action to take to protect you and your loved ones at all times.
How to Choose the Right Executive Protection Company
Choosing the right company is essential to your family's daily survival. It is wise for you to interview several security guard companies before you make your final decision. When performing your due diligence, ask for references, testimonials, state licensure certificates and written, detailed plans of action before you commit to any one company. Because this type of security service is very personal you may want to meet with and interview the personnel who will be with you everyday.
Special Considerations for Security Personnel
Obviously your chosed security team should be professionally trained and experienced in self-defense, firearms and security detail protocol. Some of the top body guards and personal protection experts are former military or government intelligence agency members. Your particular lifestyle or situational needs may provide cause to look for special qualifications of security detail officers. People seeking personal protection services often have a need for their body guard to know foreign languages, be able to plan travel routes and alternate routes, be able to be highly visible or minimally visible, be able to dress well, and be a good spirited traveling companion.
These plans of action should include physical security guard protection in addition to sophisticated home and work surveillance security measures.
When the year end holiday season arrives there is always a need for seasonal security guards and staff. This is particularly true for shopping malls and freestanding stores where parking lot security, theft and robbery concerns are real threats. Every business has a unique set of needs ranging from in-store security to control shoplifting to premises security to thwart parking lot robberies or assaults, car jacking and other common crimes.
Types of Seasonal Security Services
Holiday Retail Security
During the Christmas shopping season your retail store could turn into a five-finger-discount playground if you do not take the proper precautions to protect your inventory. Many store owners shy away from hiring security guards during the holiday season. They erroneously believe that their temporary part-time help will help keep an eye on things while the seasoned sales people stay busy at the registers. You should not be one of them. Chances are, the very same people that you hire for the two busiest months of the shopping year might be helping their partners in crime walk straight out of the door with hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in unpaid merchandise.
Holiday Security Guards Help to Deter Employee-Aided Theft
Author Robert Klara has written an Adweek article on employee-aided thefts account for a whopping 35 percent of retail store holiday losses. Both uniformed and plain clothes security guards can help thwart these attempts. They accomplish this by taking note of the mannerisms of your employees throughout their shifts. If one or more of your employees has friends hanging out at the store longer than to just say hello, the security guard will watch the friends closely to see if any attempts are made to bring the friends in the back of the store, and out the back door with your goods. The guards will also watch out for employees who repeatedly wait on the same customers who ultimately do not ever purchase anything. Both uniformed and plain clothes security guards are also well-versed in additional signals that alert them of employee-aided theft intention and execution.
Holiday Security Can Also Deter Random or Planned Shoplifting Acts
Uniformed holiday security professionals can easily intimidate amateur shoplifters desperate to impress their friends and family members with gifts rthat they cannot afford. However, plain clothes guards are thoroughly trained to inspect the mannerisms of each and every customer in your store, without their presence ever being known. If you own a larger store, it is a good idea to have one or more of your holiday security guards watching your cameras, and one or more on the sales floor at all times. If you own a smaller store, one behind-the-scenes and one mingling sales floor guard should greatly deter a significant number of would-be shoplifters.
Holiday Security Makes Your Customers Feel Safer
It is not just shopkeepers such as yourself that get more than a little uneasy during the holidays. Your customers are also aware that thieves lurk around malls and retail stores in the attempt to pick-pocket, grab whatever they can out of unattended purses, and even hold them at gunpoint when they leave the store with multiple bags. You can be one step ahead of your competitors if you take the time to hire a uniformed guard or two to put your customers minds at ease while they are in your store. Although you might not immediately reap the rewards, this simple act of customer protection could transform a lot of your new customers into loyal, repeat holiday shoppers.
As a high-level corporate executive, dignitary, celebrity or high-profile heir or heiress, you might wisely consider employing bodily protection at home, and while you are abroad on business or vacation. Like most people, you are probably quite familiar with bodyguard protection. However, in all actuality, you might really need round-the-clock executive protection. Educate yourself on the differences between the two, to better learn which one will be more advantageous as you interact with the public at home, and in other countries.
Executive Protection at Home and Abroad
Professional Bodyguards
Most bodyguards never leave your side during their shifts. They often come to work dressed exactly as other members of your organization. They can often carry the same laptop bags, cell phones and other work accessories of your business. Bodyguards usually blend in to your entourage, except for their large statures, and unrelenting vision holds on your body. Most people employ at least two bodyguards per shift. Some bodyguards even live with their employers to be available at a moment's notice.
Executive Protection
While a bodyguard's job is to physically protect you at any cost, the job of an executive protection employee is to stabilize any threatening situation before it gets out of hand. EP employees seek to ultimately diffuse any potentially physically harmful situations at their origins, before a potential face-to-face confrontation, or long-range attempt on your life, is initiated. Therefore, execution protection contractors or employees often use surveillance, electronic and traditional correspondence screening, and employee and work associate background checks to find patterns of ill will towards you. They can also act as bodyguards when accompanying you to work or social events.
International Travel Security
As international travel security members, executive protection professionals work in teams to ensure your safety at both your point of origin and your destination. In situations like these, numerous international travel security professionals look for signs of ill will from everyone involved in your travel itinerary, including airline or private plane staff, welcoming officials, fans, competing companies, and even friends and family members. Executive protection employees also check your hotel room for signs of misconduct, such as bugging, and accompany you to and from all of your scheduled travel events.
Private Security Company
Although you can employ executive protection professionals from several reputable agencies, your best bet is to go with a private security company. Private security companies thoroughly train their executive protection contractors in all facets of VIP services, and stress discreteness throughout each client project. Private security company employees must also be trained and licensed to carry weapons, maintain ongoing security training, and receive high marks from previous clients to remain eligible to take ongoing executive protection assignments.
The demand for Seasonal Security Details to provide retail store security, parking lot security, and general protection of customers in malls, strip centers and parking lots is at it's peak between mid-November the end of the calendar year. Retail store security needs include unarmed security patrols, armed guards in jewelry stores, and plain clothes security officers for loss control and low profile customer protection.
Atlanta Retail Security Services
As a major city, the needs for security guards and services in Atlanta often require very well trained officers and staff. Beyond the common shoplifting and car burglaries, there are frequent concerns about parking lot car jacking and armed robberies, and armed robberies of high-end retail stores. Thieves and armed robbers know that holiday shopping means easy opportunities to steal high dollar gifts, and rob shoppers and stores with very full cash registers.
Retail Security for Malls and Stores
As a retail shopping mall or store manager, your first responsibility is to protect the safety of your employees and customers. You probably have manned, close-circuit cameras and alarms within your facility. However, if you do not have armed guards on duty throughout the inside and outside of your establishment at all times, your other loss prevention and bodily harm protection methods could render virtually useless. Find out now why you should always have retail store security guards in place to help prevent theft, and deter criminals from physically harming or abducting your customers and employees.
Parking Lot Security
It is no secret that criminals often linger in dark parking lots, waiting for customers to leave stores or malls with arms full of shopping bags. Some areas criminals use to hide in are alcoves along the outside of buildings, and behind bushes, trees and automobiles. Outdoor cameras might catch the criminals robbing, abducting or physically harming mall and store employees and customers. However, if you do not have parking lot security on stand-by to catch and detain the criminals, you will be liable for failure to properly secure your property. In this event, you could face civil judgments ranging in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars range.
Loss Prevention Security
Where uniformed guards offer blatant security that deters criminal activity, plain-clothes guards offer a whole different level of protection. Plain-clothes guards can elevate retail store security by catching both customers and employees in the act of stealing. Many security guards also receive advanced training in customer behavior that precedes stealing. Therefore, they can often position themselves in the store to make the customer uneasy enough to leave the store empty-handed.
Child Abduction Protection
Whereas some criminals want to steal purses, wallets and paid-for items out of the hands of customers, other criminals have a totally different intent. These criminals want to steal children and sell them on the black market. Trained mall security patrols employees are always on the lookout for people perusing families or women with babies and small children. They can often tell these intentions by the body language of certain men and women. They can then closely watch these people, and call for back-up when they feel that a potential kidnapping might occur.
Employee Safety
Your opening mall or retail store employees come in to work long before any customers are there. Closing store or mall employees often leave in the dark of night, well after all of your customers have left for home. You can drastically elevate your employee safety by hiring mall security patrol officers that also come to stores to meet the employees when they get off, and walk them to their cars.
Business owners are often unaware of how to qualify a security guard company, how to hire the best security guards and the potential liability risks of hiring the wrong security guard company. The requirements to become a security guard are different for each state. Security guard training requirements, authority limits and procedures also vary widely. This article is to educate business owners on some of the basics of hiring security guards in Georgia.
Security Guard Requirements in Georgia
In Georgia you do not need a license to be an unarmed security guard. Armed security guards are required to have a licence. All professional security guards in Georgia are required to complete 24 hours of formal classroom training from a Georgia Board Certified and licensed instructor. Courses typically cost under $200.00 and are available from a number of security guard training companies.
Basic legal requirements to become a security guard in Georgia include:
At least 18 years of age
U.S. citizen or legally eleigible to work in the United States
Minimum education level of a high school diploma or GED
Clean criminal record
Good moral character
Preferred and Recommended Qualifications
Military service with an honorable discharge
Valid Georgia Driver's License
Ability to pass a background check
Ability to pass drug screening
A stable work employment history
Good physical condition with a neat personal appearance
Mentally stable, alert and personable
Good written and oral communication skills
Depending upon the nature of your work environment it may be a good idea to ask about each guard that will be sent to your business or event. Although professional security guards have completed training classes it does not mean that just any guard that is sent will be the best fit for your needs. You may want to spend a day at the security companies office and conduct brief interviews to hand pick your guards. Imagine your disappointment if you select a security company based on low price and the guards that arrive are sloppy and lazy.
Types of Security Guard Services
Armed and Unarmed Security Guards
Unarmed guards are appropriate for low-risk environments that need an authority presence such as door or parking lot security. When a business uses unarmed guards the projection of security is typically made by having uniformed guards. Undercover security personnel may be in high rick situations but are unarmed. Obviously undercover guards in high risk situations should have extensive experience and training.
Armed guards are used as protection of people or assets where there is a very real chance of criminal actions. Armed guards are licensed and have completed weapons training certification. Armed security guards are commonly employed to protect banks, jewelery businesses and any companies that are known to have a lot of cash or valuables on hand. Armed guards are also commonly used for protection of celebrities, executives and other high profile people who may be targets for kidnappers, violent assaults or stalkers.
Uniformed and Plain Clothes Security Officers
Uniformed guards are appropriate for a business that wants a very visible level of security. Uniformed guards can help customers to feel safer, make bad guys think twice about being at your business, and project an image of workplace safety. Uniformed officers can be dressed in police type uniforms for a more aggressive presence or dressed in slacks and blazers for a polished, corporate style.
Plain clothes guards are appropriate for a business that benefits from stealth or an element of surprise. Retail stores that want to catch shoplifters, high end establishments that need security but don't want customers to feel that they are in an unsafe area, or events that need security personnel that can work relatively unnoticed. Plain clothed security officers can dress as required in order to blend in to the work environment. Plain clothes security personnel may also be put into your work force to look for employee problems such as theft, drug use, etc.
Security Patrols and Surveillance Teams
Security patrols are commonly used to maintain a protective presence that deters crime at a location. Security patrols are appropriate for large facilities such as plants and factories, shopping centers or malls, municipal facilites and events, and vacated properties. Before you hire a security patrol company you may want to ask about the types of vehicles (looks and maintenance especially!) that will be used. Also ask about patrol frequency, communication capabilities and defined procedures for handling remote problems.
Surveillance Teams are commonly used for managing video security of parking lots, shopping areas and work areas. Surveillance teams can also be deployed on foot to monitor activities in crowds or at critical junctures.
Security Guards For Your Business
As with any professional services, the rates for the better trained and specialized personnel are more expensive. The quality of work and results are almost guaranteed to be better with higher paid personnel. Hiring the wrong security company could cause a security blunder resulting in financial operating losses or even grounds for a costly lawsuit. Take time to look beyond price alone. Learn about the security company's reputation and their level of professionalism. Take steps to make certain that the guards that serve you are the best of the available guards.
The reasons why you might need to hire a security guard are myriad. You might soon host a swanky, black-tie soiree for two hundred very important guests. You might be the victim of a death threat. Or, you might just feel that it is time that you protect your business assets with regular security guard monitoring. Whatever the case, educate yourself now on how to choose a good security guard company before you spend your hard-earned money and precious time on a sub-standard, fly-by-night operation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state laws for security guard licensing and training vary. Therefore, it is pertinent to find a company known for upholding strict hiring procedures, enforcing licensing requirements if necessary, and constantly monitoring their guards behavior and work ethic before you make your final decision.
Security Guard Company Training and Licensing Verification
Search your state's official website for links to security guard licensing laws. Ask your potential security guard company to furnish the license numbers of all security guards who will fall under your employ, if applicable. Avoid any company that does not willfully volunteer this information. Once you receive the names of potential trained security guards and their #039 license numbers, contact the issuing agency to verify the license. States such as California allow you to verify this information on their websites.
Ask About Formal Security Guard Training
According to ASIS International, a nationwide security professional organization, security guards should meet minimum criteria to be considered for employment. First, ASIS recommends that the guards receive basic 8 to 16 hours of on-the-job training in addition to first aid, crisis deterrent, protection and public relations skills education. Additionally, the organization recommends that the guards receive specialized training for each individualized assignment. The ASIS guidelines also mention that the guards should pass written exams before being allowed to assume a security post. Request all potential security guard companies' training guidelines to ensure that they meet minimum industry standards before you hire a company.
Uniformed Guards vs. Plain Clothes Guards
Ask potential companies if they provide both plain clothes and uniformed guards. Do not assume that the company furnishes both. Some companies only employ one type of guard that might not match your current security needs.
Inquire About Lawsuits
It is your right as a potential client to ask any security guard company about past or pending lawsuits due to security guard misconduct. If the company representative hesitates to disclose lawsuit information, find another company who will be completely honest with you about its litigation history.
Check Local Online Reviews
Use the internet to uncover local reviews from both satisfied and disgruntled clients. However, do not dismiss a company because of one bad review. It's a given that most security guard companies that have been in business for a long time might have a blemish or two on their record. If a company has more positive reviews than negative reviews, give them a chance to explain their side of the story before you write them off. Take all of the facts into consideration, then ask for references that you can speak to personally before you choose to hire the company.
Learn More
Contact us to learn more information about trained security guards staffed at your next event or business venture. Our professional security guard company is here to answer all of your licensing, training, lawsuit and testimonial questions. We offer full transparency on all aspects of our operation, and free personalized price quotes.
By their very nature, homes and businesses store a lot of
valuable goods that can easily be sold for cash or exchanged for goods or
services. In fact, one well-executed robbery can take an individual or company
for everything that they are worth. On the other hand, some criminals simply
want to destroy a property out of sport or spite. Still other criminals harbor
malicious bodily intent against employees or guests of a residence or business
complex. Security guard companies exist to provide consumers with an extra
level of home or company protection. Uniformed, plain clothes and patrolling
security guards perform different functions within their discipline. They all
must also undergo specific security guard companies training to attain and
retain their positions.
Security Guard Companies Service Offerings
By their very nature, homes and businesses store a lot of valuable goods that can easily be sold for cash or exchanged for goods or services. In fact, one well-executed robbery can take an individual or company for everything that they are worth. On the other hand, some criminals simply want to destroy a property out of sport or spite. Still other criminals harbor malicious bodily intent against employees or guests of a residence or business complex. Security guard companies exist to provide consumers with an extra level of home or company protection. Uniformed, plain clothes and patrolling security guards perform different functions within their discipline. They all must also undergo specific security guard companies training to attain and retain their positions.
Uniformed Security Guards
Uniformed security guards offer the maximum visibility presence of all security guard company services. They protect properties and events that have a high potential of being robbed or frequented by persons with bodily harm or property damage intent. Store security guards are usually armed because of their high-profile presence. Typical events and venues covered by uniformed security guards include warehouses, banks, affluent neighborhood entrances, hotels, casinos, shopping malls and commercial office complexes. Uniformed security guards are also hired for temporary protection at concerts, political rallies, weddings and private parties.
Plain Clothes Security Officers
Used mainly in retail stores, plain clothes security officers provide virtually unnoticed loss prevention protection. These types of guards play varying supporting roles, including mall security guards, mystery shoppers and in-store private investigators. Some highly established plain store security guards also teach business owners how to select employees that have a low probability of becoming internal thieves. Plain clothes security guards also function as effective undercover agents at high-profile events, office complexes and high-traffic warehouses.
Security Guard Patrols
Security guard patrol services deter individuals from wrongfully entering a residence or business' gates, doors and windows. Patrolling guards usually inspect entryways at regularly scheduled times to uncover signs of unlawful intrusion. Some security guard patrol services use remote activity devices to monitor specific areas of the business. In fact, these contemporary methods allow the security guards to remain out of the public eye until a theft or bodily harm or property damage attempt is made. These types of guards also investigate disturbances, respond to alarms, and monitor visitors and employees for signs of theft or disorderly conduct.
Security Guard Licensing for Firearms Training and Certifications
Some security guard companies require their employees to undergo an in-house certification process before securing employment. This procedure usually entails passing a criminal background check and illegal or controlled substances test. Additionally, many security services professionals must also attend classes on performing all aspects of their jobs, and pass subsequent testing to become gainfully employed. Armed guards must receive their state-mandated firearm training and gain licensure from the state in which they live to function in that capacity. Most security guards must also attend yearly classes and hands-on instructional events to remain employed by their firms.
Plain Clothes Security Officers
Used mainly in retail stores, plain clothes security officers provide virtually unnoticed loss prevention protection. These types of guards play varying supporting roles, including mall security guards, mystery shoppers and in-store private investigators. Some highly established plain store security guards also teach business owners how to select employees that have a low probability of becoming internal thieves. Plain clothes security guards also function as effective undercover agents at high-profile events, office complexes and high-traffic warehouses.
Security Guard Patrols
Security guard patrol services deter individuals from wrongfully entering a residence or business' gates, doors and windows. Patrolling guards usually inspect entryways at regularly scheduled times to uncover signs of unlawful intrusion. Some security guard patrol services use remote activity devices to monitor specific areas of the business. In fact, these contemporary methods allow the security guards to remain out of the public eye until a theft or bodily harm or property damage attempt is made. These types of guards also investigate disturbances, respond to alarms, and
monitor visitors and employees for signs of theft or disorderly conduct.
Security Guard Licensing - Firearms Training & Certifications
Some security guard companies require their employees to undergo an in-house certification process before securing employment. This procedure usually entails passing a criminal background check and illegal or controlled substances test. Additionally, many security services professionals must also attend classes on performing all aspects of their jobs, and pass subsequent testing to become gainfully employed. Armed guards must receive their state-mandated firearm training and gain licensure from the state in which they live to function in that capacity. Most security guards must also attend yearly classes and hands-on instructional events to remain employed by their firms.
Below is a Press Release issued by the Federal Government. This type of natural disaster presents a lot of problems for personal and business safety. A vulnerability assessment by our company can help you to prepare contingency plans and critical backup systems for your business. Call us for more information.
Release Date: May 25, 2011
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
NEW DELHI—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, while traveling in India to launch the U.S.-India Homeland Security Dialogue, this morning called Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin to express her condolences on behalf of the federal family and to offer support for the communities affected by last night’s deadly tornadoes.
The Secretary also spoke today with members of the Missouri congressional delegation, discussing the ongoing response operations underway in Joplin, Missouri, and the coordination between the federal, state and local officials working on the ground. Napolitano has been in touch with officials concerning efforts in Missouri throughout the week, including Governor Jay Nixon. Secretary Napolitano reiterated President Obama’s commitment to continue supporting the impacted communities in the coming days, weeks and months as they work to recover from these devastating storms.
Throughout her trip, Secretary Napolitano has been briefed regularly by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, FEMA Deputy Administrator Rich Serino, and other senior officials on the ongoing situation and all disaster relief operations taking place in Missouri, Oklahoma, and other impacted states. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and other senior DHS officials have been on the ground in Joplin since early this week, working on behalf of the President to coordinate the ongoing federal response. FEMA officials are also on the ground in Oklahoma and Arkansas, coordinating with the Governors’ offices to provide support in the wake of the latest storms.
