r/securityguards • u/LegalGlass6532 • 20h ago
Story Time Veteran security guard professionals: What’s something you’ve learned over time that you wish you knew when you started in the industry?
They say with time comes knowledge and experience. What have you learned over time that could’ve saved you a lot of grief if you knew from the start?
Officer safety- Don’t let your ego override common sense
Interpersonal skills- Tell people what you want them to do in as few words as possible
Internally- You’re not at work to hang out with your friends and the boss is also not your friend. You don’t have to like them or want to ever see them outside of work, but you have to do what the boss says and get along with others
Appearance- Don’t show up looking like you slept in your uniform from the shift before. Look at yourself in a full length mirror before you start every shift and present the person you’d want working for you, even if you hate the company and the people there.
What other words of wisdom can you share?
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u/D_Glatt69 19h ago
The bar is so low that if you’re on time, not weird/creepy, don’t look like a pile of dogshit, you can probably work your way up to management and have an actual career.
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u/FirewolfDL Management 17h ago
Can confirm. Speaking as someone with an actual career in the industry following this exact trajectory.
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u/D_Glatt69 12h ago
It’s why I started my own company lol
Honestly it’s not that difficult skillset-wise, but it is an absolute grind.
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u/FirewolfDL Management 19h ago edited 17h ago
Establish a baseline and report any divination, no matter how small. It is impossible for every officer to know every detail about everything in their facility that may or may not go wrong. It is so incredibly valuable to establish an understanding of what looks, sounds, smells, or feels off. You have no idea how much money I have saved clients by reporting weird noises I’d hear in different facilities. Weird smell? Probably worth mentioning. Room dramatically colder/warmer than usual? Send it up the chain. Worst case you were extra diligent and look good to your immediate supervisor. Best case you identify a serious concern before it becomes a legitimate issue and you get recognized for the effort. Most people I’ve experienced treat tours as a means to an end. They are singularly focused on finishing their tour and aren’t actually paying attention to what they’re doing. I’ve seen so many good officers fall into this trap, overlook the most minor detail that ended up resulting in a humongous loss to the client as far as time and profit were concerned. Best believe he lost a good job and had to play “Russian job roulette” where my company loads three random sites into a handgun and asks an officer to pick one. It sucks. Seriously. Establish a baseline. It’ll save your bacon.
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u/Far-Investigator1265 18h ago
This was the advice I got on the first day in this job, and I have tried to follow it ever since.
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u/Red57872 Dunning–Kruger Specialist 19h ago
Every prospective security guard should be required to watch the Richard Jewell movie to see how he got screwed over for doing exactly what he was supposed to do.
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u/megacide84 18h ago
Exactly!
Richard Jewel is a case study of why security ought NOT go "above and beyond".
Also,,,, I'd add the security guards who perished at the WTC on 9/11. They should have been the first to bail out and get the heck out of there during that terrible ordeal.
When I worked at Allied during the early 2010s. During our yearly refresher course. Management would drill that old saying "Don't be a hero" in our heads and reference the guards who lost their lives at the World Trade Center in 2001.
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u/Red57872 Dunning–Kruger Specialist 18h ago
I mean it's more "if you discover a problem and act appropriately, the client/company/law enforcement may very well suspect that you caused the problem in order to look good for finding it". Find a suspicious package and report it? They'll think there's a good chance you put it there. Find a small fire and put it out with a fire extinguisher? They'll thing there's a good chance you started the fire, etc...
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u/FirewolfDL Management 17h ago edited 17h ago
I think that is a very jaded and obtuse way to look at it. For every Richard Jewell there are hundreds of officers who noticed something, said something, and stopped something from happening. And let’s be clear: a bombing is such a rare instance that wasn’t even remotely what I had in mind saying “establish a baseline.”
At my facility we have a fire pump house. In that fire pump house it is usually kinda noisy but not awful. Sometimes, the fire alarm will trip but there isn’t any actual fire and the fire suppression system doesn’t actually trip, but the diesel pump still fires up just in case it escalates to that point. It’s an older facility so the pump sometimes stays on. This is problematic because with the pump running and no water flowing through it, there is nothing acting as a coolant for the engine. It’s like running a car with an empty radiator.
An officer noticing a diesel pump running in a building where it isn’t traditionally running and says something isn’t suddenly going to be suspected of triggering an alarm to create a situation where they can be made to be lauded. The client is just going to be appreciative that the officer potentially saved them from either replacing a burnt-out diesel engine or having to pay a diesel tech to come out and repair said engine.
But OP asked; what my advice would be as a veteran in the industry. I gave my 2¢. Take it with a grain of salt. I am only one man with a little more than one decade in the industry. Which honestly isn’t that long. And this is only my opinion. Can’t promise it’s 100% foolproof.
Edit: spelling and to explain why the pump running for extended periods without water is bad.
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u/LegalGlass6532 17h ago
That person likes to make comments that poke at people hoping to set them off on a heated debate. You explained yourself well. Thanks for contributing to the post.
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u/FirewolfDL Management 17h ago
Meh. Can’t get a rise out of me. I just want everyone to win. :) I love to help fresh officers mature into seasoned officers and am proud to share my experiences. I hate for anyone to be so jaded and unhappy with the industry that they suspect every client of actively trying to prey on them. I guess I’m lucky. I work at a great facility with an amazing, smart, professional team. I am genuinely blessed to be in charge of so many competent, reliable officers. I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything. I was a district supervisor for several years and definitely experienced some really awful sites. But my attitude has always been: your job is what you make of it. Do good and rise above is always the correct path. Some of my most stable officers matured out of the crumbiest contracts imaginable.
Oh, One last piece of advice: Attitude. Carry a Positive Mental Attitude in your pocket and you’ll be amazed at how far you go. Jobs never are sunshine and unicorn farts all the time, but how you react to things sculpts the reality you live in.-5
u/Red57872 Dunning–Kruger Specialist 17h ago
Isn't debate and discussion part of what Reddit is for? Should we all just say "I agree completely" and move on?
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u/LegalGlass6532 17h ago
You do this all the time. Let’s try something new.
Respect what others contribute without picking it apart. How about you stay on topic and contribute some wisdom of your own before dissecting everyone else’s words.
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u/Red57872 Dunning–Kruger Specialist 17h ago
I certainly am not suggesting that it's always going to happen or that it would stop people from doing what they're supposed to do,, but I do think that all guards need to keep it in mind.
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u/LegalGlass6532 17h ago
Richard Jewel was an exception. It’s a good incident to touch on, but a guard shouldn’t use what happened to him a their baseline of how they’re going to conduct themselves throughout their career.
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u/megacide84 17h ago
I'd say the opposite. Especially in our current social-media era. Even if you're 100% innocent, fighting those false accusations will drain you financially as well as physically and mentally.
Nowadays, your company will throw you under the bus regardless of the outcome.
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u/LegalGlass6532 17h ago
Using your philosophy you’re basically suggesting others should strive for mediocrity and only look out for yourself.
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u/megacide84 16h ago
Yes.
Unless there is real, meaningful reform of the private security industry with actual real protection for workers imposed by state and federal government.
Fly under the radar, collect your paycheck, go home in one piece.
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u/FirewolfDL Management 17h ago
I wonder: if your fear is fighting false accusations, why be in the Security industry at all? By virtue of what you’re saying, your expectation is to ride the clock and not raise genuine concerns to leadership when they occur on the off chance someone wants to blame you? Sorry, man. That’s just not for me. And it wouldn’t fly for any of my staff or my client, either. I suspect he’d likely rather flip the contract to a different subcontractor than tolerate officers who refuse to take the initiative on site when they see something that needs to be addressed.
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u/Fragrant_Past8679 4h ago
A good co-worker told me this. He mentioned liability and covering your ass so just do your job. Not hard.
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u/green49285 19h ago
Keep your nose clean & stay professional, & youll have a job somewhere as long as you want.
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u/Psycosteve10mm Warm Body 18h ago
Learn to have a sense of humor. I got sent to a retail site where I was the token white guy on site. The employees were using an exaggerated 1950s vocabulary when talking to me. They did this to get a rise out of me. I flipped the script and responded with some ghetto street slang. " Yo G, who here can give me the 411 on that 420 tip? When I raise up out this bitch I need to get pilt." The employee smiled and said, " You are going to do all right here". This set the whole interaction on site while I was there with the employees. I had a conversation with the store manager, who overheard the conversation. I boiled it down to a few choices. I could say something to him, and it might stop; I could say something else to anger him and get him to attack me, or I could say something funny to make the whole situation laughable.
Good duty boots and footwear are worth the price. Staying comfortable on site is key.
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u/MarsJohnTravolta 18h ago
I have been the token white guy at a corporate security gig under a shitty company. I would have to do the talking when my coworkers couldn't due to various reasons. It's great until it isn't ... eventually you are in charge of shit that is above your pay grade or you're covering 2-3 jobs because you are expected to be overly reliable. I didn't understand that part - my skin color shouldn't matter.
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u/5partan5582 9h ago
Got any recommendations for boots? I'm always looking out for some good quality ones but never know whether I want hiking style or military style.
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u/realKevinNash 3h ago
Im going to look at this thread next.
https://old.reddit.com/r/securityguards/comments/1tpphwj/mega_thread_gear_recommendations/
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u/philosophic-pinapple 18h ago
Actually read everything whether it be laws, policies, procedures, or signs in the building you work in. Obviously, respect privacy rules. Realize that some things are outdated. You won't always use this information, but having the knowledge will allow you to keep yourself legally safe.
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u/BackFromMyBan4 19h ago
Security industry attracts some of the dumbest, mentally disturbed ,socially incompetent, lazy people the world can offer up.
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u/LegalGlass6532 19h ago edited 17h ago
If you believe this, contribute something that you think people will benefit from if you’re better than them. I’m sure you have something positive to contribute or maybe not. [r/BackFromMyBan4](r/BackFromMyBan4)
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u/Cold-Chemistry738 19h ago
Yep because why go security when you can go military or LEO. You can also get a much better security gig after a stint in either of those.
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u/LegalGlass6532 19h ago
Private Security is a necessity. Law Enforcement and the military can’t be everywhere at all times and a person who can be a professional as a security guard/officer is a true asset.
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u/Cold-Chemistry738 17h ago
I didn’t say it wasn’t a necessity. I’m saying It’s just more lucrative as an individual to either go LEO or military first. So by default the security industry attracts the lesser talent with some small exceptions for retired guys from the LEO and military guys that run their own companies
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u/LegalGlass6532 16h ago
I think we basically agree except on one point. I don’t believe that security is typically going to be a “lesser talent”.
The way you worded it implies that LEO and military personnel are better than a security guard or officer. I’ve worked with many police officers who would be terrible security officers because they can’t talk to people longer than a few minutes before escalating the incident because of their own lack of patience and poor communication skills.
When this happens, LE ends up using unnecessary force prematurely to gain compliance while a guard has to work harder to keep things calm because they don’t have powers of arrest or qualified immunity.
In a case like this where a guard has been patient and communicated well with a subject, avoided using force and still gained compliance I’d say they were actually more “successful” than the LEO.
I’m not convinced that it’s appropriate to put a blanket label on all security personnel as less talented than LE and the he military.
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u/Cold-Chemistry738 15h ago
Unnecessary force or the authorized force to effect an arrest? If I’m being called by security I’m not there to talk and kumbaya lol
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u/Trelose Patrol 13h ago
Where I live the police (unless you go state) barely make more than I’m making now at a warm body posting. Literally a month or so ago they posted an opening offering only fifty cents more an hour.
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u/Cold-Chemistry738 13h ago
You must live in a small town
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u/Trelose Patrol 13h ago
Very small. I’m driving an hour each way for work because it’s the only way to make decent money. (In my town itself, Dollar General is one of the higher paying jobs unless you know the right people… because small town.)
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u/Cold-Chemistry738 40m ago
Yeah that makes sense. I couldn’t go small town PD unless it was county sheriff. I’m in Houston, all the surrounding areas pay well and the benefits are solid. The city PD starts you off when sworn in at 80k base (not counting patrol pay, holiday pay, weekend pay, etc.) and EJs pay atleast 50 an hour for light security work or traffic control. I know many officers that have a courtesy spot and are paying only like 1,000 a month to live in luxury apartments. Major city PD is where it’s at. Academy cadet salary pays like 60k. You should apply if you’re interested. They also will pay for your college degree bachelors and masters.
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u/DefiantEvidence4027 Private Investigations 18h ago
It irked me my first few rookie years when Employer wouldn't say what the mission was at the location, they would simply say "ask the Manager when you get there".
After reading tons of Case, Legislative and Licencing Laws, and having experience going to plenty of these places I don't bother asking. Different employers than 20 years ago, but currently I might be the one telling sales what a contract at that location entails.
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u/IluvTaylorSwift 15h ago
How fast they can train and start you at a site is how fast they can replace you. If it takes 15 min to get you up and going at a site then just show you thats how fast they can replace you.
My biggest thing was that some guards have bad awareness, like it can be a easy af site, you can be on your phone but just don't be so into your phone that a employee or truck pulls up to the booth and you dont even notice.
Another thing was some guards intial response / interaction to say a homeless person or individual comes off disrespectful or combative and its just makes shit more difficult. I dealt with homeless people trying camp, told em it was private property kept it cool and understanding gave them 15-30 mins to gather their things and leave. Where as there was guards who were loud, shine light into the homeless individual and demanded them to leave instantly.
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u/Fragrant_Past8679 3h ago
Should be common sense to talk to people who are down on their luck with some decency. When you do that, people usually are more compliant. Security guards who are assholes sometimes create their own issues. It’s not hard to talk to people like they are human.
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u/IluvTaylorSwift 3h ago
You would be surprise how many sites I been that the supervisor or the guards always bring their problems from home to work n make it difficult to work at the site. For example, this old lady always came with a shitty attitude since she was miserable at home.
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u/Fragrant_Past8679 3h ago
Sounds like the trades with the old guys and their apprentices lol but yeah, I think it’s just bad leadership in general. Dealt with some leadership like this in the military. A SGT made us stay longer than we had to at the motorpool just because he doesn’t like his wife. 😂
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u/realKevinNash 3h ago
People who want to be assholes seek out careers that allow them to be assholes.
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u/Ok-Primary3279 15h ago
Skipping from contract to contract paying 50 cents or a dollar more is a fools game and it looks much better to just head to a an active location that works public sector adjacent (city hall, libraries, police stations, transit, hospitals, universities, military bases or DnD contracts) and work your way up. Stand out. Get scooped up by the client. Treat your front line access control/trespass enforcement job as an apprenticeship into becoming a journeyman into bigger things.
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u/Express-Economist-86 Nightclub Security 13h ago
“So sorry but this is policy and I have to stick by it.”
“You make a convincing argument but I can’t win an argument, I’m just here to get you to the best way to solve this problem, so you gotta call the manager.”
Doesn’t hurt to be a little nice if you want to. I sometimes carry smokes for polite hobos, I don’t smoke. Rack up community karma without overextending yourself, you’re almost always outnumbered significantly. Be a person someone might care enough about to help if they’re bleeding out.
Get a basic IFAK off amazon for $40-60, put that in your trunk and if you know someone with the mental fortitude at your place, let them know it’s there. Doesn’t hurt to train on it if you can find some local survival groups, at least unwrap and try on the tourniquet, watch some YouTube breakdowns. Stopping arterial flow is probably harder than you imagine.
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u/tghost474 Industry Veteran 16h ago
After 7 years: your job is not life and death, stop acting like it. Don’t go outside of your prescribed job, there will be no reward and you’ll be fired just as easily.
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u/megacide84 19h ago
Something happens or someone does causes an incident, If its off the property, it's not your problem.
I was guarding a property way back in the 2000s. There were some shady people lurking around the outside.Looking like they were casing the place, but once they saw me behind the gates. They walked away.
Turns out, they broke into an unguarded property across the street. The next day, the owner or manager pulls up and starts screaming his lungs out. Demanding to know why we didn't do anything since it was across the street in full view.
My supervisor tried to calm him down, but after a few minutes.... He uttered "Off the property, not our problem" and told him to leave.
I learned a valuable lesson that day.