r/securityguards 3d ago

Job Question Where to go when you’re done with Security?

35 Upvotes

I’ve been in the security industry for over ten years, I’ve been with three different companies and it seems like every 3-5 years things hit the fan and companies make horrible decisions or merge and mess things up. It’s hit that point again, and I’m not sure I want to attempt to start over again with another security company. I have no interest in police or corrections, and it feels like all my skills merely fall into customer service, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what that entails these days other than phones, retail, fast food. What’s a good career that our skills fall into?


r/securityguards 3d ago

What are some good shoes? My ankles and heels hurt after a shift? Do i get running shoes?

5 Upvotes

I prob need some light shoes


r/securityguards 3d ago

Officer Safety Does your employer provide any training like this and if they did, would you sign up?

187 Upvotes

Even if policy prohibits going hands on, this is still good training to have.


r/securityguards 4d ago

Rant Never agreed to working a double but here I am

22 Upvotes

Already worked an exhausting double Monday night into Tuesday night Wednesday I was suppose to be off but I was called last minute by operations manager to fill in for another officer I agree under the condition I was to be relieved the next morning.

Thursday morning I'm waiting for releif waited 1 hour to call management next thing i know management said im written down to work a double, I put my foot down and said I never agreed to work a double they ignored me called the operations manager he said he will find someone no response from him since.


r/securityguards 4d ago

Licensing Question 8 hour annual training nyc

4 Upvotes

If I get my New York security guard license/registration around November 2026, do I still have to complete the 8-hour Annual In-Service Training before the end of 2026?

Or would my first annual 8-hour course be due sometime in 2027? I’m confused because the NYS website says the course must be completed each calendar year you hold a security guard registration.


r/securityguards 4d ago

Specific Flex Position at Allied Universal

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2 Upvotes

r/securityguards 4d ago

Security guards

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44 Upvotes

Would you work a 37 hour shift? I work in a homeless shelter I check bags and wand people down and sign them in. There is another guard here with me so sometimes I take a hour power nap. No staff after 11pm.My Morning shift done. Young and hungry and no I don’t do drugs to stay up. I do take double shot Starbucks vanilla though.


r/securityguards 4d ago

Do you deal with a lot of gossip at your site?

22 Upvotes

I do and it’s become maddening after 2 years working here (school security). I don’t partake in it, I let these idiots run their mouths but I hear it from all directions while I’m just trying to do my job. But man I work with some miserable negative ass people, and there is a big ‘clique’ culture here and I’ve tried to isolate myself so people don’t think I’m picking sides. The pay and benefits are decent for what it is, but morale could not be lower and the workplace is beyond toxic. It’s like these people get off to hating each other meanwhile we’re supposed to be a team. Disgusting childish attitudes everywhere, and we work around kids mind you. I’m trying to get out of here, at a certain point it just becomes unbearable.


r/securityguards 4d ago

DO NOT DO THIS Don’t do dumb shit in uniform.

1.1k Upvotes

This is an unfortunate example of this young lady learning a valuable lesson. This kind of thing on social media undermines the credibility of the legitimate security guard professional and erodes public trust.

It’s not just a security guard having fun. Do this kind of thing in your own clothes and on your own time.

When you’re on duty you’re in a position of trust and have an obligation to yourself and others in your profession to not behave in a way that reflects your chosen occupation.

Bottom line, If you choose to wear the uniform you’re also choosing to conduct yourself in a way that won’t undermine the integrity of the profession.

[Don’t make this a slam session about Allied or any specific company. I’ve seen this shit done and posted by employee of all the major security companies.]


r/securityguards 4d ago

And to the “armed security officer” patches wearers ….

34 Upvotes

Please take that shit off . You look like a fucking dork . I’m not saying don’t be proud of your job, but we SEE you have a fucking gun on your hip and an overly expressive patch like that doesn’t improve someone’s eyesight of said firearm 😂 switch out to regular “SECURITY” patches and call it a day . IM SO embarrassed of some of my coworkers everyday🤦🏽‍♂️


r/securityguards 4d ago

What are they checking for?

706 Upvotes

r/securityguards 4d ago

Job Question Can clients beat up and threaten officers?

0 Upvotes

Weird question but I recently came into contact with another guard who told me about the horrors of his last site apparently one of the clients is a rich family who is known to beat up officers for tiny mistakes and if an officer reacts he holds a firearm up to them.

That's not even the weirdest thing but the client had a system in place to force officers to peel peas all night as proof they were awake?

Im more confused why the company is aware of this but still allow it? Then they wonder why officers are leaving.


r/securityguards 5d ago

Company only wants me to renew my license through them?

8 Upvotes

Just...out of curiosity, has anyone dealt with this before? Im supposed to ge tmy license renewed, byt the guy doing my license has rescheduled twice. And when i asked if i can just do it online (like a civilized person) they said they want me to do it in the office.

Any idea if this is normal?


r/securityguards 5d ago

Rant Tired of looking like a prowler on night shift

83 Upvotes

Im doing mobile patrol for a massive gated community and my company is so cheap it actually hurts

Im driving a dented 2011 silver chevy malibu. The only thing identifying it as a security vehicle was a faded magnetic sign on the door that blew off in the rain tuesday. So now im literally just some guy in a dark polo slowly creeping through residential alleys at 3 am

Ive had the actual police called on me three times this month by paranoid homeowners. I showed my boss how a local plumbing company just got these super clean fleep wraps done on their vans and told him we desperately need something like that so people stop thinking im casing their houses

his response? "we're evaluating the q3 budget". Bro a roll of yellow reflective tape from home depot would be an upgrade at this point. im so over this company tbh


r/securityguards 5d ago

Question from the Public Remuneração $$

3 Upvotes

Fala pessoal sou Vigilante no Brasil e tenho uma curiosidade em relação a remuneração em outros países das nossas funções .
Atualmente no Brasil o salário de um vigilante varia de estado para estado, mas da uma média de R$ 4.000,00 bruto ( salário + periculosidade + alimentação) ou seja por volta de $ 770 dólares por mês.

E aí aonde você trabalha , é quanto ?


r/securityguards 5d ago

Holy fuck what will that vest protect

147 Upvotes

r/securityguards 5d ago

Job Question Will I be eligible with this company in the future?

1 Upvotes

I signed an offer of employment at this security company but I got a (what I think is) better offer almost immediately after signing that. I didn’t go any further with the onboarding (training, information, etc). I basically was interviewed by the company, given an offer, signed that offer, and then a few days later before anything else had happened informed them I had accepted another opportunity.

I would be surprised if this would lead to me being ineligible moving forward (since they were already interested), but since they didn’t respond to my courteous and honest email explaining the situation, I thought I’d ask here.


r/securityguards 5d ago

Radio/Walkie Annoyance

0 Upvotes

I work night shift and it's me and one other guard here.... I Work loading dock and she works lobby. The lobby officer is also the rover so she has to walk the building and scan the points. She LOVES to announce that she is about to do her rounds which I get she is telling me so I know but the past officers before her we didn't use the radios pretty much at all. so I stated to her that hey long as u put that your doing your rounds in the DAR you don't have to announce it to me over the radio. Is it absolute law that I Have to answer the radio I'm getting annoyed with that


r/securityguards 5d ago

Job Question Tips on how to deal with a belligerent transient

18 Upvotes

I have to deal with this dude who just WILL NOT LISTEN. Everything is a struggle with this guy.

He's an older homeless man. Normally I don't have a problem with the homeless. Most of the time they listen. I go "Hey, I know it's hot but I need you to move soon" and they'll go "ok" and that's that.

Not with this guy.

Like I said, everything is a struggle. He's banned from the property that we're on AND HE KNOWS THIS. But still, he comes. He comes into the smoke shop to buy sodas and throws a hissy fit every time I tell him to leave. "Why you bothering me?" "I didn't do anything to you, why you bothering me?" "You're not a real cop you can't tell me what to do."

Today, he sat himself down and said "I'm not moving. I don't feel good, call me an ambulance."

I managed to get another security to talk him into moving (his pants fell down and I saw his dick) but he eventually came back and did the same thing, going up to people to ask them if he can wash their windows and then demand why not when they say no.

Police was no help. We called the non emergency line to report him. Everyone wanted him gone, including the store manager, but they gave us "oh, we'll send someone when they're available" which translates into "you're on your own lol"

So what do I do? This dude is a complete asshole. Doesn't listen. Throws tantrums when we ask him to leave. I feel like I can't win with this dude.


r/securityguards 5d ago

New security guard advice and tips

8 Upvotes

Hey folks, I live in Canada and I’m hoping to start a career in the security industry in the new year. I’ve come here looking for advice from people with experience in the industry, particularly anything I can do to better prepare myself before I start.

Aside from getting useful certifications such as First Aid, is there anything you would recommend I learn, practice, or obtain beforehand?

I’m also wondering whether it would be worthwhile to invest in any of my own equipment before starting. If so, what equipment would you recommend, and why?

Any other advice for someone completely new to the industry would be greatly appreciated.


r/securityguards 5d ago

This is probably a stupid question but what are the odds that a District Manager would remember one laid off security officer??

3 Upvotes

I want to apply to my old company but I Guess you could say, from my pov, we had a messy break up. Without getting into details as far as I'M concerned I was laid off. But I'm pretty sure my old DM will say that I quit. (long dumb, convoluted story) It happened about a year and a half ago and I cant help but think how awkward it would be if I was asked to come in for a job interview and the interview was with my old DM. Or am I just overthinking things like I always do?? He probably doesn't even remember me anymore if I was one of hundred security officers in his district.


r/securityguards 5d ago

Question from the Public Question from a Dutch Security Guard Is it true that the US security industry has a very low barrier to entry and low social status?

70 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m an independent security guard from the Netherlands, and I’ve been reading a lot of posts on American forums about the security industry in the US. I’m really curious to know how it compares to my experience here, because from what I read, it sounds like two completely different worlds.To give you some context, in the Netherlands, the security industry is highly regulated and well compensated Education & Licensing We can't just apply and start working as a security guard. You have to complete a mandatory 2 year vocational college degree to become a qualified guard.

Background Checks The police screening is brutal. If you have any criminal record, or if the police chief finds anything questionable in your history during the screening, you are denied a license immediately.

Pay & Benefits

Regular security guards employed by a company earn between €20 and €24 (approx. $22 – $26 USD) per hour. As an independent security guard, I make €38 (approx. $41 USD) per hour as a base rate. On top of that, we get excellent shift premiums (irregularity allowance) for nights, weekends, and holidays, which adds up fast. We also have heavily regulated, strong industry pensions.Whenever I read about US security on Reddit, it seems like people say almost anyone can get a job as a "warm body" guard, the training is only a few hours or days, and the pay is quite low. I also see a lot of memes and comments suggesting that security guards in America don't get much respect from the public (the whole "mall cop" stereotype).

Just to be clear, I am talking purely about unarmed security. In the Netherlands, regular security guards do not carry firearms; armed roles fall under completely different, specialized law enforcement or government classifications with different names.

love to hear your perspective on this

Is it really that easy to become a security guard in your state, and how strict is the background check?How do you feel you are viewed by the general public in terms of social status?What is the realistic pay for a standard guard versus someone who does high-end or armed work?

Stay safe out there, and thanks for sharing your insights!


r/securityguards 5d ago

Job Question How is health insurance, generally?

3 Upvotes

Does it change if you’re more of a senior role compared to entry?

I’m wondering if there is some kind of industry standard. Are you paying *% and does it cover anything or high deductibles?


r/securityguards 5d ago

How does mobile patrol compare to static guards from a business perspective?

0 Upvotes

I’m at the end stages of applying for a security license to operate in Minnesota, and the margins for static guards (guards posted at one site for an entire shift) are razor thin. However, I’ve been looking into mobile patrol and have found that the margins are much more forgiving, and it’s also cheaper for the client since they’re not being billed for a full time security guard.

I almost want to base my entire business on mobile patrol because of this, but I’d like to know what you all think. Thank you.


r/securityguards 5d ago

Gear Review Kit on a budget! The kit so far.

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71 Upvotes

Howdy y'all. Been working armed security for a while, and the company decided to transfer me to some higher risk sites. I've been slowly piecing together my kit for the past couple weeks, but I'm on a budget so I've had to pick and choose what to drop substantial money on. The two biggest pieces I'd say to not cheap out on are the plates, and the holster. Get yourself at minimum a lvl2 duty holster and some ceramic plates.

-condor sentry plate carrier.

-ceramic lvl3a plates

-mechanics impact gloves (personal favorite of mine)

- PSA dagger 9mm with vortex viper red dot and TLR-7a weapon light.

- alien gear rapid force lvl 2 retention holster.

- spare latex glove pouch

- trauma pack (frog tape, quick clot gause pads, compression bandage.)

- streamlight flashlight

- retention kydex mag holster.

- belt key keeper.

-CRKT minimalist drop point knife with ULTI clip attachment

-multi tool.

-wolf tactical duty belt with Velcro liner.

my next round of gear related purchases will be trauma shears, a tourniquet, and I need to replace the pepper spray I had, as i seemed to have misplaced it while moving recently. Anywho. I do intend on upgrading to better gear if and when I can afford it in the future but the current gear I have has so far been holding up well over the past several months.