Contract Security Clients

Clients come in all styles. Many either do not want to even think about security or they feel they must micromanage the activity based on a friend or relative once having been a cop or through what they learned from watching Law and Order for 10 years.

One client insisted they wanted a "Corporate Security Department" for their multi-tenanted office building. They hired an apparent expert  to "re-invent and turn around" the security department. It was all great until they discovered that they would have to fix existing door locks, security equipment, add some equipment and remove a few of their favorite guards. The endeavor was ended immediately. It seems one of the "to be terminated" guards was the building managers' intel source for building gossip. It also seemed that the money they were budgeting for the new executive break room and lounge might be used for security equipment. The horror!

Some clients are mandated to provide for security by their parent corporation located in another state. They make life a living hell for the security staff as they really didn't think they needed, wanted or wanted to pay for security personnel.

I love the clients who welcome us as part of their "team". That means we follow their orders. It does not mean we are included in anything else at the firm. No company picnic invitations, no team lunches. No team bonuses. No team t-shirts. Can't use the break room. No locker or storage area, except maybe their POV (car). We work for them, period.

I love the clients who require daily action reports and then NEVER read them. Sure, they are there for possible investigative use...but they forget to tell security that there is an investigation where such reports might be useful. Reports are just collected and then shredded each month. As a result guard reports are just either "1600 hrs-on duty, 2400 hrs off duty" or every hour the same entry." Routine patrol, no problems. all quiet."
Many guards simply write the entire report upon arrival at shift start or at their daily departure. One guard simply photocopied his generic report and put a new date on a copy each day. Nice.


Some clients use the guards as temps. Stuffing envelopes, washing exec cars, baby sitting (!), checking equipment meters or to get clothes from the dry cleaners.

Our parent companies have only one mandate: DO NOT LOSE THE CONTRACT. Just have the guards do whatever the client wants. Any guard providing suggestions about providing "real" security services is a Problem and should be, at minimum, counseled.

to be continued...