SecurityInfoWatch.com reports that a security employee was indicted on misdemeanor assault charges last week. He was one of many security guards working a championship game in December. He is accused of punching a fan after the University of Houston’s win over Temple.
The Cougar’s win at their home stadium was for the AAC title. Fans rushed the field to celebrate and that’s when Derrick Dewayne Hicks savagely punched a student. The incident was recorded on an attendee’s cell phone. The video clearly captures the crowd booing after they witnessed the assault.
The incident is not a proud one for the security industry. By the very nature of the job, security guards are put into positions of trust. Hicks broke that trust. While this incident might tarnish the reputation of security guards, it does not represent them as a whole. The assault at the University of Houston was an isolated incident and is certainly not indicative of our industry.
Consider this: According to the United States Department of Labor, there are over 1 million security guards working in the U.S. For arguments sake, let’s say that at any given time, there are five stories in the news from across the country about security guards behaving badly. That equates to just .00046% of the total number of guards. That’s a pretty small percentage.
California Security Guards
When it comes to the number of security guards by state, California has the most with 148, 740. When looking a little closer at the number of guards per area, Southern California ranks second after the New York City Metropolitan Area.
California also stands out because of its stringent training standards for security guards. It includes the “Power to Arrest” training, plus an additional 32 hours on top of that and eight hours of continuing training each year to stay licensed. That means our state has some of the best-trained security officers in the nation.
In addition to California’s mandates, officers with American Security Force receive additional classroom instruction and in-field training. We believe our team of security professionals is the best available. Because of that, we compensate our officers above the industry standard. Doing so results in less turnover and more stability for our customers.
So while you might hear stories in the news about security guards behaving badly, remember, these incidents involve a tiny fraction of the total number of guards working in our country. They don’t represent our industry and they certainly don’t represent the guards at American Security Force.
Sources:
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/news/12169187/security-worker-indicted-after-punching-fans-at-uh-game
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes339032.htm
