Police and fire dispatchers need to know your emergency contact information. Only so much information can be gathered based on a name and address on your driver’s license. What if you don’t have a driver’s license? On a daily basis, children are injured in vehicle accidents. Often, they are with a young driver, not a parent or family member, and they have no identification on them. When we take four kids to the hospital, without knowing if any of them will survive, we should be able to contact the parents. Unfortunately, far too often this information is unavailable.

Fire fighters routinely respond to house and business fires. As is often the case, the house is empty or the business is closed when the fire started. Although the relief that no one was injured is overwhelming, the fact that no emergency contact information is available is an all too common realization.

Throughout this country, on an hourly basis, a police or fire dispatcher is trying to make contact with someone to inform them of a tragedy that affects their life, their family or property. Wouldn’t you want to be contacted if something were to happen to your home, business or a family member? Shouldn’t you consider utilizing a service that will help to facilitate this contact?

To learn more about this long overdue and extremely important service, please visit www.EmergencyListing.com.

My company, Trinity Executive Services, Inc. has been in business since 1994.  Having only recently left the Marine Corps after a six year tour of duty when I started Trinity, I had this vision of a security guard company that would offer the premier security officers in the city.  I would create a company that was fun to work for, offered a competitive pay rate, provide rewards to officers who went above and beyond the call of duty and would establish a sense of pride and honor in the officers I hired.  Now, fifteen years later and after going through thousands of officers, I’ve come to realize that most people looking for a security guard job just don’t care.  The security industry is only a stepping stone for some and a place to sleep of most others.

For those of you who love your job as a security officer and give 100% to your employer, I commend you.  This post is certainly not applicable to the service you provide to your community.  For the other 89% of applicants looking for a security guard job, please continue reading.

Working as a security guard is often a thankless boring  job with long hours and little pay.  Not unlike that of a police officer.  I know because I am a police officer.  Although police officers typically get a nice car and a bit more freedom to move about the city, the two jobs are not so vastly different that they can’t be compared in this post.  Many of you may have an inclination to become a police officer.  Many police officers would tell you to aspire to become something else, as police work isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  Whether you want to become a security officer to gain experience for a future career as a police officer or you’re working your way through college or you just can’t find any other work, here are some tips to help both you and your employer.

• Look good in your uniform.  Wear it with pride.  The better you look the more respect you will get.  A well-dressed security officer will often demand just as much respect as a veteran police officer.  Coming to work in a clean and pressed uniform will let your employer know that you are serious about your job.  Promotions and pay increases will soon follow.
• Work your schedule.  Don’t call off just because it’s a warm and sunny day and you just don’t feel like working.  When this happens, other officers will have to step up to fill the vacancy you created.  Officers who work every scheduled day and who step up to fill in gaps in the schedule will be recognized by management.
  
• Be punctual.  Show up to work on time or a few minutes early.  Talk with the manager-on-duty at your account or your supervisor to find out if there are any special orders or instructions for your shift.
• Stay awake and stay alert.  There’s nothing worse than seeing a security officer asleep in a car or behind a counter.  How do you want the public to perceive you?  Do you want to be thought of as a rent-a-cop or a professional security officer on par with a squared away police officer?
• Write GREAT reports.  What makes a report great?  It must be clear and concise.  It must contain who, what, when, where, why and how.  It must not contain misspelled words.  Carry a pocket dictionary in your car. If you don’t know how to spell a word, look it up.  Many of the reports written by security officers end up in front of prosecutors and insurance adjusters.  Do you want them to laugh at you and your report because it’s so poorly written?  Again, how do you want to be perceived?
• Be polite, courteous and helpful.  You are there to provide a service, which is security.  You are also there to be an asset to the company that hired you.  Never discuss your personal life with the client or customers and never bad mouth your company.
• Always use your chain-of-command and don’t be disrespectful to the office staff.  Just as you may have had a bad day, the office staff at a security guard company is often nose deep in issues that should have been resolved fifteen minutes ago.  Just as they should show you respect, you too should respect them and their position of authority in the company.
• If you receive a write-up or reprimand, take it like a man (or woman).  99.9% of the time, you screwed up!  Don’t try to argue about or belittle the situation.  Admit your guilt, take your reprimand and don’t let it happen again.

Although this list of pointers is not all encompassing, it should give you a little insight as to what is expected of you as a security officer.  Security guard jobs are easy to come by.  Professional and dedicated security officers are not as easy to find.

Good luck in all of your future endeavors.  Remember, you never know when or if you’ll have another chance, so make every minute your chance to make a lasting impression.

There are several different paths one could take to become a security consultant.  Here are just a few recommendations to keep in mind as you explore your desire to become a security consultant.

How to Become a Security Consultant

1. Obtain a degree from an accredited university.  Although your degree may be in any field, I would personally recommend a criminal justice degree with a minor in English.  Additional language courses will be a plus.
2. Decide which industry you would like to work in as a security consultant.  If you have ever been convicted of a felony crime, you may find it difficult, if not impossible, to find a legitimate program to certify you as a security consultant.  Speak with an attorney to find out how to have your felony conviction expunged from your record.
3. Get a security job in the industry you have chosen.  Even if it’s an entry level position, you should move up the ladder quickly with your degree.  If you are not offered positions with greater authority and responsibility, seek employment elsewhere in the same industry.  Always give two weeks notice before you leave any employment and never burn bridges!
4. Work your way up to a management position, which you should hold for at least three years.  If you do did not complete your bachelors degree, most professional certification courses may require up to eight years of verified work experience in the security field.
5. For additional information about how to become a security consultant, visit the International Association of Professional Security Consultants or ASIS.  Both IAPSC  and ASIS are respected and well known throughout the security industry as leaders in security consultation certification courses.
   
6. Once you complete a certification course, let your employer know that you wish to begin doing some consulting work.  If your employer does not offer this type of service, ask if you can head up a new division.  If your request is denied, seek employment with an agency that can use your level of experience.

If you have prior military or law enforcement experience, some of your years of service may count as verifiable work experience.  If you are a retired law enforcement officer, you may have enough training and experience to qualify as a security consultant.  As with any job, continuous self education is a must.  Subscribe to a wide variety of security management, loss prevention and investigative magazines to help in your study efforts.

So back to our original question “how to become a security consultant”.  The simple answer is years of education, years of experience at different levels within a particular industry and continuous study.  Within time, you just might have what it takes to be in business for yourself as an independent security consultant.

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