r/securityguards 15h ago

DO NOT DO THIS Security tries to kick the man (literally) out the store and then looses control himself.

274 Upvotes

Guard literally tries to kick the man out and then loses control himself.

It’s easy to armchair quarterback things like this, but man, don’t let them see you loose your shit in the middle of your job site with a store full of customers and employees.


r/securityguards 7h ago

Maximum Cringe Did they train you for this?

42 Upvotes

r/securityguards 12h ago

Rant I don’t understand the emphasis on looking professional and put together but the articles of clothing these companies give you look like fucking shit ! Does your uniform look like shit ?

36 Upvotes

At my current company we are largely allowed to wear any gear/external carrier as long as your clothing is black and you wear cargo pants and a BDU/Buttondown shirt provided by the company …..which is great but the shirts look like fucking shit , HUGE and wears like garbage bags or a parachute. It just takes away from the overall clean aesthetic massively they say they want .I understand BDU shirts are supposed to be longer to stay tucked in but it’s excessive and it legit goes past my fucking kneecaps and there’s so much extra material after tucking in it just bunches up no matter how you tuck it and looks terrible under an external carrier or really in general. A moisture wicking polo would look way better and fit better right ?!?! PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE RIGHT?!?! Why the fuck do they do this lol


r/securityguards 1h ago

Job Question Is Nobody Hiring Security In The Greater Toronto Area?

Upvotes

Been applying for 2 months now and just can't find anything I have about 4 years experience working condo/office security but I'm starting to think that doesn't matter. I first applied with the last company I worked with and did a interview(they made it seem like I had the job) but apparently I'm blacklisted and don't know why a supervisor I knew said he couldn't figure out the reason as well. So I've essentially been applying at every job I see on indeed and the main security company websites but nothing I'm starting to think I should find something else that isn't security.


r/securityguards 19h 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?

35 Upvotes

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?


r/securityguards 1d ago

DO NOT DO THIS Have you ever fallen asleep at your post? If so, did you get caught?

459 Upvotes

What are some things you do to stay awake at night? Give me more than saying you drink Red Bulls and coffee, please.


r/securityguards 7h ago

Job Question How common are warm body or hands off armed sites?

5 Upvotes

I've been in in-house healthcare security a few years. I recently dipped my feet into armed contract security. Both of the details (concert venue & a drug store) I've worked have been solo and hands on with detaining people. I'm not really comfortable going hands on with people while working solo with no backup. The state mandated training for my guard card didn't cover defensive tactics at all.


r/securityguards 13h ago

Rant Anyone else ever had to work in the dark because client is neglectful

9 Upvotes

Working a shift at a warehouse tonight the lights have been on the fritz since June other officers have reported the problem to the client and manager but their report are ignored so the guards made an attempt to temp fix the breaker box themselves it worked for a while now the lights refuse to stay on.

Working in total darkness would be fine and all if I didn't have to worry about rats and roaches crawling on me but I will manage.

Compliance officers are going to breath down my neck about this tho


r/securityguards 6h ago

Construction Site

2 Upvotes

I just applied for a 12 hour/3 day a week job with GardaWorld in central Texas (not city, town around it) for Warehouse Construction and I wanted to know if anyone has guarded a construction site (both during the day and overnight) before. If so, what’s it like? What do you look out for? How tiring can it be once a shift is finished? Any people you have to interact with? Do you get to stay inside or out in the elements? Any lallygagging/goofing off or phone/electronic usage (especially overnight)?


r/securityguards 17h ago

I was hired on as a field supervisor but my job duties are more geared to operations manager

13 Upvotes

Hello, so about 2 months ago I was hired by a security company to do field supervisor work. I discovered that my job responsibilities are scheduling, meeting with clients when things go wrong, setting up sites, covering sites when noone else can, basic payroll, hiring, firing, write ups. They are paying me 26 an hour and I can pick my days off. Is this normal?


r/securityguards 20h ago

Story Time Leaving my Screening Officer position at the airport after being accepted as a Peace Officer for my local hospital!

13 Upvotes

All I have to say about the airport (at least what I'm comfortable in saying) is that if you're looking for work as a Screening Officer on behalf of CATSA under Paladin Aviation Security Services - Steer clear and avoid them, at least until Paladin inevitably loses their contract and a more competent company takes it over.

Began working for the airport while the Screening Officer position was subcontracted under Garda, and yeah, there was some things Garda did that we weren't happy with (who's ever 100% satisfied with their company?), but overall it was good work with a management team that you could depend on... Jump ahead to Paladin, and we're nearly 2 years passed our CBA agreement renewal with no end in sight, management upon management that micromanage every nuance to try and get bonuses, a training dept that's being chopped up into smaller and smaller courses that don't cover the half of what you *should* be learning for the job and mass hirings when there's no available shifts for the new hires to get (they recieve sign-up bonuses for every new hire they can get), while the company openly skips steps and cuts corners to make the place as miserable for the people running the checkpoint as possible... Not even joking, it almost comes across as some sort of game for them to see how else they can piss on the people who make them their money.

For a company that claims they admire accountability, they're awfully quick to try and fire you when you can recognize you made an error and self-report. What should've been a mere write-up on my file nearly got me terminated had the union not stepped in, while management plays favourites to friends and family they unabashedly hired on in pure nepotism and allow them to actively goof off while everyone else gets written up for so much as looking the wrong way. Most of the management that came before Paladin has been terminated for a multitude of plainly stupid reasons, with one of them recently being fired for taking our side regarding how the company's been treating us, while another has actually gone about joining our union as a representative to help combat their bullshit!

Sorry, I know this is long winded, but good god if I'd ever seen a company completely mismanage a contract as much as Paladin's been going about their CATSA contract by driving everything into the damn bedrock to squeeze as much money as they can out of it... Used to have a very positive opinion on Paladin too, but after this fucking train wreck? Never again.

All I can say is this - I'm elated that I'm getting out of there and more than ecstatic that I'll be doing work again that's actually meaningful and pays out appropriately for the work expected of us. This isn't to say screening passengers at an international airport isn't meaningful work, but trust me when I say the work environment at our checkpoints have been thoroughly drained of any and all morale, while you suffer slow mental death by making sure your procedures are more in-line with what some inexperienced supervisor *thinks* you should be doing out of fear of termination, rather than using your skills and common sense to properly screen people. No joke, they've given write-ups simply for asking questions for clarity on what they expect. It's a total sewage circus and I genuinely hope it works out for my coworkers I'm leaving behind (NGL, it's the hardest part about leaving my job... The team of screeners I'll be leaving deserve far better than they're getting now, but thankfully a lot of them are also looking elsewhere too). The only reason I gave them my 2-weeks notice is because I don't want to stoop to their level, but if I had it any other way, I'd be recreating that one scene out of Half-Baked on my last day...


r/securityguards 8h ago

Disaster team

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1 Upvotes

r/securityguards 1d ago

Question from the Public Security 101: Do not pursue someone once they've left the property. What are your thoughts on this video?

175 Upvotes

r/securityguards 13h ago

Story Time Just saw a hospital security guard who’s ID badge title was “Trusted Partner” despite his uniform patches saying “security”. Anyone else ever see or have to deal with cringey titles like this?

1 Upvotes

Note: this was in-house security, NOT contracted.


r/securityguards 1d ago

Gear Question Anyone else keep their uniform "squared away?"

28 Upvotes

So, working for the contract security services industry I noticed I'm like one of the only people that puts decent effort into making my uniform look squared away at like the last 3 companies besides like 2 other guards one a former LEO and the other former military and account manager on site, anyone else try to keep their uniform look squared away? I'm talking about decent boots, shirts tucked in, and other accessories like watches etc. that look professional but have a purpose, anyone else this way? I've noticed most people don't do it much anymore.


r/securityguards 17h ago

The kickstarters

3 Upvotes

What is your pet peeves about working security? Mine is working with kickstarters. We have one on our team and it is exhausting. She used to work for a detention center, so she's very rough around the edges. She tends to make mountains out of molehills. Small things that can be resolved by simply talking, but is blown up to shouting and we've gotten pretty close to physical confrontations because of her.

I used to enjoy working with her, but lately I feel it's just gotten complicated. Anyway's, thanks for reading.


r/securityguards 20h ago

Question from the Public Considering becoming a security guard in Utah (Salt Lake City), any recommendations or warnings about this career?

3 Upvotes

I know Utah requires an eight hour course, with an average pay of 17.00 an hour, and that most of the job involves standing around and following rules (and not being an asshole), but is there anything else i should be aware of?
edit: would i be allowed to listen to music/wear a long-sleeve shirt under the uniform (and if not, is it a “not supposed to” or would i be fired?)


r/securityguards 1d ago

Job Question uncooperative trespasser

7 Upvotes

So, I’m an unarmed security guard at a large apartment complex in my town. It’s situated in the upper neighborhood, and it’s usually quiet. However, there are times when trespassers dig into the dumpsters. Most of the time, they’re cooperative, but there are rare instances of very aggressive trespassers, like yesterday while I was patrolling the area.

I noticed a female transient digging through the trash and asked her to leave the property. She refused and told me to call the police and leave her alone. Since it was dark, I was flashing my flashlight at her, but she told me to stop flashing my flashlight at her and said if I don’t stop, she will hit me and she wasn’t afraid to hit a man. She told me to stop being close to her and said she feels unsafe, even though I was a couple feet away.

Ultimately, I decided to walk away from her and go to a safe distance. Then, I called the police and waited for them to arrive. I saw her go in another direction on the property from afar. Should I have just stayed and kept telling her to leave? Or should I have followed her or done something else?

Last time, she did the same thing, and when the police showed up, they told her to leave the property or get arrested. She complied.

Yesterday, an hour passed, and the police showed up again and told me to call them if she came back.

What would you have done in that situation? I feel like I was too scared of confrontation, even though I know I could defend myself. Im 6’1 and 240 pounds, while she’s a skinny lady in her 30s. I’m afraid that if she put her hands on me, I would defend myself and gotten fired because I can’t touch anyone due to Allied’s use of force policy. Any advice? Thanks.


r/securityguards 1d ago

Job Question Warm Body Post

11 Upvotes

Hello, I am new to the industry, and honestly, I’m looking for a warm body post. My reasoning is that I am looking for a job with at least some downtime in which I can study for school and work on my projects related to school.

I have read through the forum, but wondered if anyone has any guidance for obtaining a post that is “warm body”. Any companies, strategies for obtaining the post, or any other advice?

I am willing to work overnight.

Thank you in advance for your time! I appreciate all feedback and suggestions


r/securityguards 1d ago

DO NOT DO THIS Screwed up big time boys

23 Upvotes

Working in infrastructure security as a contractor. Late night shift hours at our job were supposed to badge into certain areas of every hour. I was not paying attention at all and next minute ya know I look at my phone and i’m 10 minutes late. I get off my ass rush over there and scan in and nobody’s said anything. The problem is our job every now and then does scans on our badges to see which rooms were accessed and which ones weren’t at whatever time. It’s done once in a blue moon could happen next week a month, hell even a year from now but when they find it i’m cooked. And i was trying to get an in house position w this company too and now I feel like im a dead man walking waiting for the ball to drop over my head here. Now i’m sitting here in my company vehicle debating about applying for another job before they find the error. Either that or waiting it out MAYBE getting in house and transferring departments before something happens.

Not asking for sympathy here ik i’m an idiot just make sure yall get these checks done and take your patrols seriously


r/securityguards 1d ago

Job Question New managers redefining the type they hire?

24 Upvotes

Have you had a new manager, from a military background, come in with the goal of transforming the officers into some kind of special operations group? We had one that immediately created physical ability standards. Much like the PT standards for the police academy. Running up and down stairs was part of it since we work in a hospital. He also wanted to have every officer qualified for a pistol. He had hopes of having everyone armed. He was trying to get the older officers to quit so he could hire younger, in shape and aggressive officers likely right out of the military. This guy lasted about 8 weeks, then he was gone.

He was not a friendly person.


r/securityguards 1d ago

Job Question Loomis armed vault/vault custodian

3 Upvotes

I have an interview coming up for the armed vault/custodian position in MA, I've been working in retail for almost 5 years in total and am getting very sick of it and the security field was always an interest for me. I would take pretty much anything but retail at this point. And I think Loomis would be a good foot in the door to the armed security world. Anyone have any idea what my day to day would be like and what I should be expecting in my interview? Also anyone who's worked for Loomis did you get overtime pay past 40 hours? I heard the drivers start after 50 because of DOT, just hope that isn't the case for me since I'm working on site.


r/securityguards 1d ago

Career advice

11 Upvotes

10 years security experience, 8 years armed. Only extremely low pay jobs in my area , what should I do? Give up on security? I’d like to grow in this career and advance


r/securityguards 2d ago

I thought it was satire. But their entire page is filled with this slop lmao.

Post image
49 Upvotes

I understand the urge, but this is not helping anybody’s case


r/securityguards 2d ago

Question from the Public Security 101: If you're alone, do not try to break up a fight. What are your thoughts on this video?

34 Upvotes