Lobby Thoughts # 28

There is nothing more demoralizing than a small but adequate income.
  - Edmund Wilson


Popehat has a great summary of the problem with 99% of guards:
"...Throughout my career — both as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney — I’ve observed a consistent inverse relationship: the more petty a government officer’s authority, the more that officer will feel a need to swagger and demand that you RESPECT HIS AUTHORITAH. Your average FBI agent might search your house based on a crappy perjured warrant, invade your attorney-client emails, and flush your life down the toilet by lying on the stand at your mail fraud trial. But he doesn’t feel a need to vogue and posture to prove anything in the process. He’s the FBI. But God above help you when you run into the guy with a badge from some obscure and puny government agency with a narrow fiefdom. He and his Napoleon syndrome have got something to prove. And he’s terrified that you’ll not take him very, very seriously. When I call FBI agents on behalf of my clients, they’re cool but professional and nonchalant. When I call a small agency — say, state Fish & Game, or one of the minor agency Inspector Generals — they’re hostile, belligerent, and so comically suspicious that you’d think I was asking for their permission to let my client smuggle heroin into the country in the anuses of handicapped Christian missionary orphans. They are infuriated, OUTRAGED, when a client asserts rights, when a client fails to genuflect and display unquestioning obedience. They are, in short, the TSA. ..."


My friends boss came by his work site and found him looking excessively dapper. It seems my friend was wearing a real necktie...conservative business apparel, but not the clip-on piece of poly ribbon issued by his company. The boss became irate and threatened him with termination if he ever wore anything but the company uniform. The boss came by 2 days later to check on my friend's tie choice!

This same guard was told by the client that there was to be a protest by violent "community rights organizers" the next day. His company was to provide a backup officer to help out. The client asked the guard to call and ensure the extra guard was scheduled. He did so but as it was after 3pm (contract guard management work when they feel like it and rarely take calls in real time) he had to leave voice mail. He also left voice mail for the boss' boss to ensure someone would help the client.
The contract boss calls him the next day, 2 hours before the event, and says the client called him asking for another guard. He told my friend that he should have called and told about the client need (!). When it was explained that voice mails were left the previous day at 3pm he was told that the client was disappointed in my friend for not calling!
The guard sent for backup did not speak English and ensured he was nowhere near the demonstration. This left my friend alone in front of 30 shouting idiots.


Corporate management explained: (for cynics)
Narcissists lie, cheat, steal others' work and ideas and kiss butt to get promoted.
They continue until they reach the top.
They promote people like themselves but less of a threat to them...usually dumber or desperate.
Soon each layer is filled with incompetent narcissists who talk a good game but care only about adulation and Power.
Then the no longer profitable company is sold to gullible fools.
The golden parachutes reinforces the boss' views of their superiority.


Haft of the Spear has some trenchant observations that eminently apply to security guard's work:
"...Let’s be clear: there is a distinction to be made between making a mistake and things going wrong. The latter situation assumes you did everything right, but Mr. Murphy threw a wrench in the works at the last minute. Getting punished for things that are out of your control isn’t smart, but if through your actions (or inactions) you made it exceedingly easy for Mr. Murphy to get involved, you should pay a price. That’s how it works for adults in the real world. The alternative is you’re just going to make it easier for more people to die in the future because no one will bother doing things properly. What would be the point? It’s harder to do things the right way, you don’t get acknowledged for the effort, and there are no repercussions.
…unless of course you are on the business-end of someone else’s slack-assery...."RTWT"

Bruce again has it right: Please subscribe to his Crypto-Gram newsletters for common sense security.
"If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn't be surprised when you get amateur security."