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Each of the required two responses to your classmates (or instructor) must be a minimum of “200 words” in length.

4. Discuss the extent of security’s growth in this country. What are some of the reasons for the professionalization of the field of private security?

The growth of security in the US has come about for many reasons.  The one main idea that can culminate all the arguments in the text is “necessity”. I say that because it was. Whether it was out of a need reduce stolen goods where the cost of the stolen goods outweighs the cost of the protection or for legal reasons.  It’s all about the bottom line for a company. Companies are in the business of making money in some form or fashion.  Not all are profit makers but all must make enough to break even or there is no reason to be in business.  That being said, security has grown for the need to not only protect the physical property, but also the proprietary property.  As long as the costs of security are less than the cost of losing that property it will continue to grow. At any time the costs do not provide a benefit, the company must reevaluate their security policy.  The other part of this besides the necessity is just being proactive to protect intellectual property.  That’s because intellectual property is worth millions to certain companies. So protecting these things is definitely worth spending the money.  A prime example from the news on what seems a daily basis is the Chinese hacking US companies, trying to gain there intellectual property.    

2. What are the differences between proprietary and contractual security services?

The main difference is whether they are or directly work for the company or they are another firm contracted to provide the security.  Many think that contracting out is a great way to save money on overhead and they would be correct. However, from personnel experience in dealing with contract personnel, it’s hard to discipline or enforce changes after contracts have been signed.  In other words they do not have a lot of “direct” flexibility for change.  If they are proprietary, they can adapt easier but the cost of each person is much higher.  You also tend to get better quality personnel with proprietary compared to the usually high turnover ratio with contract personnel. This is not to say that contract services are as costly but overall they are.  The one exception to all of this if you have been around government contracts, the government requires contractors to provide certain benefits to each worker, but instead of the company picking up the cost, its billed to the government for payment.

3. How important is a college education in obtaining a position as a security manager?

It is a fact that according to all the statistics quoted in text, companies pay more and the higher manager positions require at least bachelor’s degree at a minimum. Its also a fact that many of the security positions have a basic requirement of a degree in security.  That doesn’t mean that a combination of education and experience doesn’t help.  For example a soldier in the military that works as a police officer or Criminal investigator may not have the college education but has been educated through specific security education combined with OJT training to meet the same requirements or end outcome.

This education is really important with it comes to things like internet security and the higher end jobs.  However the lower end contract jobs to rove around a parking lot do not require college education.  This is also not to say that someone that starts in the parking lot can’t move up the chain of command to become an executive in security.  A prime example (not the same field) is the new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.  He started out at the bottom and worked his way to the top. 

Fischer, Robert, Edward Halibozek, and David Walters. Introduction to Security, edited by Robert Fischer, et al., Elsevier Science, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, .

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Chapter 1 – Question 3: How do you believe the events of September 11, 2001 impacted the changes occurring in the private security/law enforcement relationship?

I believe that for starters September 11th opened the eyes of the American public to the fact that the threat is real. People started realizing that there was a need for more security and that law enforcement could not feed that need. Private security is a much more preventive force whereas law enforcement is more of a reactive force in these situations. When that was realized, it opened the door for much more private security.

As more private security was used law enforcement was forced to start working with them. The amount of private security personnel quickly overtook the amount of law enforcement which forced them to start playing nice. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were 1.2 million protective services employees in 2009 compared to public police officers who numbered 641,590.” (Fischer, p. 13) As the need for security increased the two started working almost interchangeably at major venues and throughout the country. They learned to work together out of necessity and built a working relationship that was vital.

Chapter 2- Question 4: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using contractual security services?

There are many different advantages to using contractual security services. One of the main ones, and I would say the number one reason that companies go with them over proprietary is the cost. Contract security officers can be hired off the street and paid a very minimal wage. The contracting company hires large groups at a time and trains them all at once to save money, which in turn makes them cheaper for other companies to use.

Using contract officers also relieves the company of having to deal with all the buildup of a security company. They do not have to recruit, train, or manage their security personnel, that is on the contractor. Along the same lines, they can change the number of officers needed at will. For example, if on a typical day they need 10 officers but they need 100 for a week based on some type of security issue going on they do not have to go out and hire 90 more, they can reach out to the contracting service and get 90 more for that week.

The major disadvantage is the quality of the security personnel. Like I stated above, contract firms often go out and hire a large number of personnel at cheap rates and have a high turnover rate. That does not lead to people sticking around long enough to get good at the job. If you do not have people that are experienced it is easy for them to miss things and cause a security issue.

One of the other major disadvantages is that they are not loyal to the company. These contract officers are loaned out to companies and they are strictly there for a paycheck. While it doesn’t happen everyday, it is possible for that to cause problems. For example, if a minimum wage contract security guard is confronted and offered a large sum of money to turn his back while someone steals something he is more likely to do so.

Chapter 3- Question 3: How important is a college education in obtaining a position as a security manager?

Speaking strictly from personal experience, it is absolutely a necessity. While most jobs will not have a degree listed as a requirement, just preferred, I have been turned down many times for my lack of one. Recently I applied for a security manager position at a company and was turned down, even with my 6+ years of security management experience, for a kid straight out of college with no experience, but a degree.

After speaking to a hiring manager about it, he said that the security field is becoming so competitive that now companies can be more selective and believe personnel with degrees have a better capacity for learning the job. I have to say that I highly disagree with that, but that is the way it is going. So again, a college education is extremely important in obtaining a position as a security manager.