I've Been Thinking

I know, it's dangerous but still.

I've been in and out of the security industry for almost 25 years now. Things have changed a lot and not in a good way.

When I first got into the industry in 1989, the mere presence of a person in uniform was sufficient deterrent to crime and stupidity. Now, I don't think you could deter some of these animals with a Ma Deuce. The war on terror, the crappy economy, the hip-hop culture all combine to make the world a damn dangerous place.

I live and work in the Battle Creek, MI metropolitan area. An area which was just named the 22nd highest crime rate area in the nation. That puts it at number 3 in Michigan. My local police agency has told me both that I should do whatever I have to do to get home safe after work and that they will see if they can get me a used set of armor. Not real good for the old comfort level. Top that off with the fact that the area I guard seems to cater to the shallow end of the gene pool and I really don't think I should be patrolling in anything lighter than a Bradley.

I see security officers getting less respect than ever and not just from the general public. I am fortunate to work with a great police department which sees me as an extra set of eyes rather than just a bystander in a silly costume, but most law enforcement agencies aren't like that.

The hip-hop culture has some of these hood rats thinking that jail time is a great way to develop what they call "street cred" so they can look all tough for their homies. I bet more than half of them would get a chubby out of taking down a uniformed person.

There are 4 known Islamic terrorist cells in the Detroit area, 3 in Chicagoland and at least 2 near Indianapolis. Talk about a potential triangle of death and mayhem. (I'll take more current info if anyone has it, thanks).

I don't think I have to talk about the economy, we all see it every day.

I wonder if the day of the unarmed security guard is dead? I don't think that a uniform and a vigilant attitude are as effective in this day and age as they used to be. I don't think there's any respect for guards anymore and I think we may actually be potential targets rather than the deterrent we were 20 years ago. If you have thoughts, I'd love to hear them.