Private Security Officer Asks For Your Permit How Do You Handle It

[ferretray]

I've seen my share of wanna be Security Guards who over stepped their bounds and made themselves a caricature, but I've seen Sworn Personnel who were just as bad, School Principals etc. My point being, Security Guards get a lot of bashing and I don't get it, there are some bad apples in any profession, but there are a lot of good, honest guys in it to who are just trying to make a living and feed their families out there.

As I said in my prior post, I'm not taking guff off of a security guard, but by the same token when I was on the late night road patrol there were several places who's guards were top notch guys, I'd stop in to see them and have a cup of coffee with them, some of them were combat vets, they deserved and got respect. We had one officer's butt pulled out of the fire by a Security Guard who was getting off at 3am and saw him in trouble.

Life's hard, many people work hard just to get by, that effort deserves respect, as does taking care of your family.

Agreed wholeheartedly. I've worked security in just about every venue you could imagine, in some interesting places. Worked with alot of LEO's. Good and bad, pro and not.
For security folks, much of their activity includes responsibility without much authority. The good one's learn how to adapt and make things work as much as possible.
I'm all for increased training requirements for licensed security. Many licensee's would welcome the training, and the increase in pay, etc.,.
Some of the major security companies pay lobbyists to thwart these changes. I know some that lobby for progress, but not enough, apparently.

 

[feralmerril]

Okay I scanned most of the responces here. To start with my job was a lot different than most guard jobs. Most of the people I dealt with had a good job to lose so I am sure that was a huge incentive to cooperate with me that other private guards dont have. A huge leg up on my part. I very seldom had people lip off to me, I wont say never but right now I cant think of one that even stands out. A few of my fellow guards did have that problem consistantly! Either they didnt last or corrected their demeaner. For whatever reason I had a knack and some reputation for setting them straight. I suppose I worked with a thousand or more guards in those 35 years, they came and went and lockheed is a huge place. I retired with #1 badge and dont know if anyone yet has beat my seniority, been retired for almost 14 years.
Had I not been a guard I would have been in big trouble as I have little education and no talent at all. I do belive I can speak with experiance as to how to handle that job. Most of it boils down to one word. Demeaner. It counts for 95 % of the job.

 

[Engine 21]

I'd tell the security guard to "pound sand",

+1 on that Labworm!

 

[stevehenry1]

I think I see one possible problem that has been overlooked. Had they been in a bar together? Around here, CCW is strictly forbidden in any place serving alcohol. (they are trying to get an exemption for restaurants that also serve alcohol That could have opened a BIG can of worms. And I guarantee you, I'd try to get shed of that broad, or stay far, far away when she was drinking. She will be bad news for anyone she's involved with.

 

[BillBingham2]

I think I would say no to the gun but unload it and put the bullets in the other pocket.

B2

 

[redlevel]

I think I would say no to the gun but unload it and put the bullets in the other pocket.

B2

Why, if it was legal to carry in that place?

 

[Smoke]

You would be surprised how many security officers are also vested with limited powers of arrest. Some security businesses have excellent rapport with local LEO and are granted POA.

Since I do work as a security officer and I have worked at that specific post I can tell you for a fact that in this case he did not have any limited police authority

Some "Security" personnel are special deputies, here and there. Many federal areas use armed security personnel, under contract.

Again, not the case here.

As to the event you described, don't know the "Argument" wasn't more heated than described. Could be all manner of things left out of the story. I find it unlikely that a security officer would of asked to take custody of the BF's firearm.
I wouldn't want anyone involved manipulating a firearm under those circumstances.

Well, the security officer is the one who wrote the report in which he claimed to have taken custody of the weapon and doing so is what got him dimissed the next day so I'm fairly certain it happened or are you calling me a liar

 

[Smoke]

To answer a few of the incidentals that have come up
No, the Security Guard was not an off duty cop.

The event occurred in Colorado Springs, it is legal to carry a firearm in an establishment that sell alcohol in this state but the carrier may not consume.

I do not know the female’s level of intoxication nor the extent of the argument. Apparently both were to a level that the guard noticed them.

I don’t know the exact relationship between the male and female, for all I know she was his sister who called him to pick her up from the bar.

I do know that as soon as she sobered up we’d have a long discussion in which it would be made clear that if she ever did that again she and I are done.

 

[Smoke]

Okay I scanned most of the responces here. To start with my job was a lot different than most guard jobs. Most of the people I dealt with had a good job to lose so I am sure that was a huge incentive to cooperate with me that other private guards dont have. A huge leg up on my part. I very seldom had people lip off to me, I wont say never but right now I cant think of one that even stands out. A few of my fellow guards did have that problem consistantly! Either they didnt last or corrected their demeaner. For whatever reason I had a knack and some reputation for setting them straight. I suppose I worked with a thousand or more guards in those 35 years, they came and went and lockheed is a huge place. I retired with #1 badge and dont know if anyone yet has beat my seniority, been retired for almost 14 years.
Had I not been a guard I would have been in big trouble as I have little education and no talent at all. I do belive I can speak with experiance as to how to handle that job. Most of it boils down to one word. Demeaner. It counts for 95 % of the job.

Yeah, you didn’t have any special legal authority. What you had was an employer that made consent to a search a condition of entry and empowered you to enforce it. A mall owner could set the same conditions (he’d end up closing the mall if he did but he could legally do it)

If some one walked up to your guard shack and refused consent to a search all you could have done is ask them to leave.

That said, every thing else you said is spot on if you conduct yourself in a professional manner then that’s how people will respond to you. IMO it’s when guard overstep their authority that they get into trouble

 

[Old cop]

Why be disrespectful to the security officer, he was just doing his/her job and treating you with respect. If I had been in this situation I would have waited for the cops to arrive but not disarmed until they (cops) asked me to. As to showing my ccw permit to the security officer, that seems reasonable and I would have complied.

I worked store security briefly before becoming a cop and was treated like something that needed to be scraped off a shoe. While that happened to me as a cop it was much less often and I could do something about it.

 

[ferretray]

Since I do work as a security officer and I have worked at that specific post I can tell you for a fact that in this case he did not have any limited police authority




Again, not the case here.



Well, the security officer is the one who wrote the report in which he claimed to have taken custody of the weapon and doing so is what got him dimissed the next day so I'm fairly certain it happened or are you calling me a liar

If I were calling you a liar you would of seen the word liar in my post.
There is certainly alot of stupid all around in that incident.

 

[NOLASHOOTER]

I certainly would not have surrendered my firearm. I would have said in a calm voice, "I am sorry but I would rather wait for the police to arrive" and assured him I would in no way put my hand near my firearm. Not to bash security guards because my dad retired from Law enforcement and got bored with retirement and did a stint as a security guard but he had some guys work for him that were dumb as rocks. How am I to know the security guard is familiar enough with my model of firearm not to accidentally discharge my weapon? I would say sorry we were loud and I will be more than happy to wait for the police but I would feel much more comfortable if my firearm stayed secured in its holster. Oh, dump that woman and never look back. She could one day get you killed.

 

[redlevel]

Really, I still can't understand why anyone would wait for the police.

 

[Smoke]

To be clear folks I didn’t witness this incident, I didn’t take part and I don’t know the people involved. I was bored at work and was looking through some old security incident reports and found it.

All I have is bare bones of “on this date, at this time I, (security Officer so and so) encountered this situation and took this action. The police arrived on site at… and I returned to my office to compile this report. “

The story made the rounds of the company after it happened and I do know that the guard was dismissed from that post the next day and later terminated entirely for carrying an unauthorized weapon on a different site.

I’ve provided all the information that was available to me

 

[redlevel]

Assuming that:

a, I was sober
b, I had broken no laws
c, the intoxicated female willingly gets in my vehicle

Why would I turn my gun over, and why would I wait around for the police? Nothing good could come of it. I would leave, having never relinquished my weapon. That's not to say that I would be rude to the security officer, as long as he didn't threaten me or physically try to stop me from leaving.

 

[Smoke]

If I were calling you a liar you would of seen the word liar in my post.

I wasn't sure and thought it better to ask than to assume thanks for clarifying.

There is certainly alot of stupid all around in that incident.

I agree.

 

[Smoke]

Really, I still can't understand why anyone would wait for the police.

Not to speak for anyone else but I’d wait because the guard is going to get my plate number and I have to assume he’ll give it to the police.

I’d rather stay there and have it out then and there than wonder if they’re going to run my plate and come looking for me.

 

[feralmerril]

Me again. Lets get back to the original post. The guy complied, everything worked out fine, right? Now lets explore the alternitive. The guy "Knows his rights". He aint gonna have some mall guard wannabe cop that couldnt get the job lord it over him. As suggested, he tells the guard to pound sand.
Did someone forget here that the cops were already called and are on their way? Okay, the guard does nothing as the guy grabs his wife or GF by the arm and drags her complaining butt to the car. Embarass me will ya you drunk -----! Now either the cops come skidding up at this time OR if the man does get away out of the parking building, you can bet the cops will likely find him, pull him over and shake him down good, right?
Why argue with success? The man was mature enough to do exactly like I did in my story. In my case had I came off with a attitude and not gave up my gun AT MY SUGGESTION to the security that showed up before the police did I likely would have went to jail, had to raise bail, get a lawyer and the exspense of hireing him and STILL might have done jail time. MY deal was in los angeles california! I did NOT EVEN HAVE A PERMIT!! Yes, I did have a permit to carry in uniform on my job. I was not in my uniform and not on the job. I did LIE and tell the police that I loaded it when things got out of hand. They smiled and acted like they belived me. I knew the answer what to say and the drill. I would not want to try that today in california. Thats exactly what I meant about demeaner in my prior post. How can you bull heads argue with success in the original posters story, and mine? I guarantee you had I come off like a know it all hotshot that "Knows his rights" I and that guy would have got a lot of 2nd degree questioning and probley jail untill bail and could have even got killed at the worst. The man had common sense, and I am still loose too!

 

[NorthCountry]

I would tell the security guard, "Don't go away mad, just go away!"

 

[ferretray]

I always assume anyone I deal with may be armed.
I personally wouldn't of asked the BF if he were armed. I probably would've observed the couple from a discrete distance and if the argument escalated, try to get a plate number/description of the car and parties involved.
Observe and report is the basic mantra for most security officers.
Reckon thats why that fellow got the boot. Didn't understand, or didn't want to comply with the rules of the assignment.