The Roles and Authorities of Security Guards: “Rent-a-cop” or a Truly Effective Deterrent?

Private security in general is massively growing by the years. More and more companies are acquiring the services of security guards by either employing the guards themselves, or through another security company.

Security guards have been the end of many jokes and names. I’m sure you’ve heard these names before: square-badge, rent-a-cop, pig (cops are referred to as this as well), wannabe cop, ect. However, when it truly comes down to the job, security is very serious and important business. Security guards have many roles and

The role of a security guard is to be a physical deterrent in any sort of crime, whether it be vandalism, larceny, shoplifting, or whatever the crime may be. Some places have their guards dress in uniform (also known as a “hard” uniform), while others dress in casual clothes (also known as a “soft” uniform). Other companies have automobiles attached with amber lights patrolling the premises (an amber light is that spinning yellow light on top of the vehicle).

Many individuals think that security guards have no rights when it comes to the realm of criminal justice, so they crack jokes. But guards do have rights – the same rights as any other private citizen. Some crimes, basically certain felonies, can be deterred by a private citizen. These are the most malicious of crimes such as forcible rape, assault, murder, and so on.

Do you think that a security guard is better than a camera? In many cases, yes, the anatomical eye of a security guard works wonders compared to a video camera. Lets say that a woman is walking through a movie theater parking lot by herself and gets grabbed by a man. The man covers her mouth and starts to have his way with her. Suddenly a security guards car that was merely patrolling sees the act being committed and calls the cops immediately.

Some security guards will go the extra mile to even stop the act and help “capture” the offender. If there was a camera in this situation, then there would have been a longer delay between some sort of help coming, or no help would have come at all. The woman could have been impregnated, physically hurt more-so, or even killed by the offender.

One of the biggest reasons companies hire security is to protect their assets and to deter shoplifting. I’m sure you’ve seen security guards at the supermarket, or at a local retail store such as Target. It’s believed by many that these guards have limited knowledge in the private security field and that they cannot do anything to the person shoplifting. However, security guards can do something about it.

Mere interaction with a shoplifter is one of their worst enemies. When a security guard talks to someone they believe is shoplifting they will not accuse the person, they’ll simply talk to them or lightly interrogate them. A good guard knows that you cannot physically bind or apprehend a person if they think someone is shoplifting. Overall, the methods a security guard uses to deter shoplifting saves the company money, and makes other shoppers feel safer in the store’s environment.

Another branch of security is school security. Security in schools has become necessary throughout the years due to attacks such as Columbine and Virginia Tech. I’d have to say that the top reason that guards exist in high schools are to break up fist fights between students. A guard in a school may physically apprehend the aggressor(s) in a fight by grabbing them in a safe manner. A guard cannot hit a student, they can merely apprehend them.

Overall, security guards do have a job to do, and it’s a serious job at that. When you really think about it, a person’s life can be saved by a security guard merely patrolling the area. I certainly know that a rapist wouldn’t rape someone in the middle of a Walmart, so it’s logical to think that they would think twice about doing it to someone while a security guard is patrolling the area. Guards are an additional set of eyes that help deter crime, keep the environment docile, and be more than average citizens.

Note: These are the laws and regulations that pertain to the state of New York.