The job of a security officer is often a tough one, with officers facing unknown risks and threats every time they come to work. The nature of the profession means security officers must be ready for anything, including life or death situations. Even seemingly lowrisk locations, such as shopping malls or sporting events, can turn dangerous quickly, and security officers who work in remote areas or at night face even higher risks. As the owner of a security guard company, it is vital that you understand what your employees face every day and how to protect them. Here’s what you need to know about crimes against security officers.
Compared with other occupations, being a security officer is dangerous, though not as dangerous as serving as a police officer.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says there are about 1.1 million security officers working in the United States, the majority of them through investigation and security firms (compared with about 654,000 police officers). In 2014 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), the violent death rate was 1.36 per 100,000 for security officers and 8.23 for police officers; for the entire workforce, it was 0.52 per 100,000.
Assaults on security officers seem to be getting more common, although that may be a function of the fact that the number of security officers is growing, as well.
In all states, crimes against police officers carry special punishments. An assault of a police officer often carries a felony charge. These special statuses are sometimes extended to other professions, such as firefighters, emergency responders, EMTs, and even teachers. In some states, this status applies to security officers, but they may not carry the same penalties as crimes against police officers. For example, in Illinois, charges of battery or assault are raised to “aggravated” when knowingly committed against a private security officer, peace officer, community policing volunteer, and correctional institution employee. But escalating it to a felony charge depends on the prosecutor. In California, however, the crime of “battery on a peace officer” applies to both police officers and security officers as well as protected roles including lifeguards, doctors, and nurses providing emergency medical care.
There is some merit to giving crimes against security officers special status, says Chris Hertig, a board member for the International Federation for Protection Officers, which helps set education and training standards for security officers. As initial responders in crimes, security officers may play roles similar to law enforcement and, arguably, should have higher protections based on that.
The issue, however, is that that status can also imply law enforcement authority, or blur the line between security officers and police officers. “Giving a special status is a step in that direction,” he says.
What’s Next?
Hertig says he’s unaware of any nationwide initiatives to increase penalties for crimes against security officers. “I don’t see a big push for it, although down the road that could change,” he says. But an uptick in violent crime could bring a greater public awareness of the risks security officers face. “The first person on the scene faces the greatest danger, and in many cases, that’s a security officer.” In addition, increased use of cellphone cameras in confrontations could boost awareness of crimes against security officers.
Hertig also says that increased violence against security officers is likely to affect the way employers train them. “You can’t just put uniforms on people and hand them a policy,” he says. Employers who want to boost training efforts for their security officers can provide more information about de-escalation and responding to active threats.
As your business grows, training your officers to ensure that they understand the challenges that they face while on duty is something that you will want to start delegating to your supervisors. Next, we’ll talk about how to go about starting a supervisor development program.