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An article from a Lodge 7 Magazine sponsor
I’m through being the police and want to go into the private sector...
For a variety of reasons, there are many law enforcement pro- fessionals who are currently considering retirement or ending their law enforcement careers. The bad news is that our profes- sion will hate to see you go, but the good news is that the private security industry is expanding rapidly and is looking for people who possess a lot of what law enforcement professionals have to offer. Making the decision to leave a law enforcement career is never easy, and people should be cautioned that they should consider the following: Don’t leave before you’re ready, but once you’re ready, don’t hesitate to leave.
Transitioning from public to private sector
Although a second career in private security can be excel- lent, there are some things to consider. Someone coming from law enforcement to the private sector has dramatic changes to face — they can abruptly find themselves surrounded by peo- ple with whom they have little or nothing in common, nor any shared experiences. In addition, the profit motive, which is very important in any business, is sometimes hard to understand and accept.
Law enforcement professionals usually fall into one of three transition groups:
Group 1: Those coming up on retirement but not ready to ful- ly retire, and looking for a second career. These people are still young enough to work full time and are usually on a pension, which provides a level of financial security but can cause issues with new co-workers, sometimes based on jealousy or on nega- tive feelings toward law enforcement.
Group 1 difficulties: They miss the camaraderie with peers that they grew accustomed to in their law enforcement day-to- day work and sometimes find it difficult working in a profit-mo- tivated environment
Group 2: Personnel in mid-career looking for something dif- ferent — they are not near retirement and are thereby taking a big risk by leaving the security of law enforcement. They some- times feel stifled due to limited upward mobility in their law en- forcement agency.
Group 2 difficulties: They must be willing to spend extra time learning more about the business — inside and out — because the job is not only to protect, but to better enable the people in the company. There also needs to be an understanding that cor- porate security is not law enforcement — some of the investiga- tions may seem rather mundane. In law enforcement, probable cause usually leads to an arrest. In a corporation, the security team does not hold that power, and often the company does not want an arrest, even for criminal acts.
Group 3: These people did not progress in rank past patrol officer or detective. Although they may lack supervisory expe- rience, they can perform very well in the corporate world in the right position. They have got to be extremely flexible and pre- pared to learn a whole new way of operating.
Group 3 difficulties: Group 3 has fewer difficulties than
Groups 1 or 2, which can be an advantage. They are usually more flexible, and they can more quickly merge into the private security culture.
Realistic expectations for the transition to private security
Do you meet qualifications, and are you truly competitive with other applicants? One way to become more competi- tive is to expand your networking with private security. Many chiefs-of-police organizations, including the Illinois Chiefs, have public-private liaison committees, which afford law en- forcement professionals the opportunity to develop contacts with the private sector and can lead to learning about private sector positions and developing a network. The Illinois Security Professionals is another great organization that welcomes law enforcement personnel.
You should also consider using programs such as LinkedIn to your advantage and exploring private security associations, such as the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), which offers training programs and professional certifications such as CPP (certified protection professional), PCI (profes- sional certified investigator) and PSP (physical security profes- sional). While these acronyms might not be significant in law enforcement circles, they are in the private security industry.
Other things to consider: Positions in private security can often be lucrative, and supervisory positions and even promo- tions are often available for qualified individuals. In addition, health insurance programs, 401(k)s and other savings programs are often available, and unlike with public sector positions, sometimes bonuses and profit-sharing programs are available for private security personnel.
Prior to applying for a private security position, carefully re- search the company where you’d like to apply. Look for things like business prospectus, pending litigation and employee turnover. Many of these things can be examined online. Make certain that you understand exactly what is expected in the po- sition and that it is something that you would find interesting. You probably haven’t applied for a job in many years, so have someone review your resume and application, and carefully prepare for any interviews or assessment centers.
Here is the good news: You have all of the experience and skills that employers find very attractive and which many em- ployers see as very hard to find. You possess the ability to ac- curately read both people and situations, you work very well under pressure and you have basic integrity and a true sense of right and wrong.
This article is courtesy of P4 Security Solutions. For more in- formation, call 312-502-1702, or to apply online, go to p4secure. com/employment.
70 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ SEPTEMBER 2021