I've worked both unarmed and armed security, usually armed. This was for contract security companies who placed me at various posts, including banks. Otherwise, it was often retail businesses and in protection of a private individual whose estate I guarded for years, due to death threats and her general unease at being alone and wealthy. She also kept two servants who lived in an adjacent house, but there was a lot of turnover among them. I seldom trusted them. Only one couple impressed me much.
My last few years were at an office-retail facility with professional offices, restaurants, and shops. I checked the main building a time or two a night and mainly patrolled the parking lot, to prevent break-in's at stores.
I have very limited respect for most guard companies and their clients. Most just want to have security to get lower insurance rates and the guard is often exposed to considerable danger and made to work uarmed. They mostly just want an illusion of security to reassure shoppers and employees. When I was guarding banks, there was a career robber hitting them until he was finally captured. I made a point of determining where the best cover was in each part of the lobby and looking out for him in particular, as his appearance was known. But the most dangerous job was probably at the rich old lady's place, as she had some serious enemies and some servants weren't trustworthy. One Hungarian servant with mental problems was a real threat until he was dismissed.
On a couple of store protection jobs, I carried a gun illegally under my uniform coat. Thankfully, I found better assignments or changed jobs before anyone realized that I was armed. One of those jobs was in a pharmacy that had bullet holes in the wall from previous robberies.
Mostly, I worked nights and could write on the job. I published several thousand magazine and newspaper articles that I wrote there. (Typed them at home.)
One grocer near me has armed guards and I wish the nearby mall did. Another grocer has unarmed guards, and one was injured by a thief who ran off with some meat. And this is in a good part of town.
With encroaching terrorism, I think we may see more armed security. But I hope they hire better people than most security firms do. You can't expect a lot for ten bucks an hour, sometimes less.
One incident stands out that reminds me why I don't like guard companies. There was a case here where a 71 year old man was killed while guarding a cleaners at night. I don't know if he was armed. I think he was hit on the head. Putting retirees in danger like that is disgusting, but they work for low wages and will often take long hours. I'm seeing less of that, but such situations are still pretty common. Forum rules forbid me expressing what I'd like to say about most of the men who replace them. They're younger, but generally aren't what they should be.
Until companies pay more, good guards will be hard to find. But a declining society demands that we get more competent armed guards, or tragedies will increase.
