Page 87 - Novem December 2016

The Real World
holds true for Private Security Officers. Criminals and terrorists will not take the

time to differentiate between a Security Officer and a Police Officer. All they will
see is a uniform. It’s very important, and I can’t stress this enough, to be aware of
your surroundings. Many Security Officers report for work and have a false sense of

protection because they believe that by dialing 911, help will immediately be there.
D With everything that is happening today, Security Officers should be able to respond
E in such a way that if Law Enforcement were delayed for any reason, the Security
C Officer would be able to, minimally, delay the progress of the crime, evacuate

E others and apprehend offenders if possible among other responses.
P

T Lastly, the Private Security profession as a whole and the States must come up with
I higher and stronger standards that can be applied across the country. What we have
O right now is a patchwork of eligibility and training requirements, some of which

N need to be updated to fit today’s environment. We can’t allow the additional

expense of training and equipment stop us from providing the best possible
protection. Everyone involved in private protection should support raising the bar

in keeping our profession professional. That means we train our Security Officers to
a higher caliber, we support all efforts to professionalize the industry and we come
to the realization that private Security Officers play a critical role in security people

and property.

In every training session we hold, one of the first things we tell our participants is
that they are on the front lines in almost all cases. Security Officers should seek out
training whenever possible. Many Law Enforcement agencies have Citizens

Academies or similar programs. They offer a lot information that can easily be
applied to Security Officer techniques. The Federal Emergency Management

Agency (FEMA) and many undergraduate and graduate schools offer online
training covering a range of topics from Public Safety to Emergency Management
to business most at no or little cost. I strongly believe each of us is responsible for

how we approach safety and security. It’s time to finally step into the real world!

Donato is an innovative problem-solver with more than 17 years of security, supervisory,
instructional and management experience complemented by a solid background in security and
public safety. He is the author of “The Art of Private Patrol: What You Really Need to Know”
and “How to Game Change Personal Service: Seven Principles.” Donato is the co-owner of
Sound Training Group LLP at http://soundtraining.wixsite.com/soundtraininggroup/services

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