Texas Among Leading States in Security Guard Training
Texas is among the nation�s leading states for security guard training and conducting of background checks, according to statistics from a recent USA Today article.
Security officers are the first line of defense against terrorists. But more often than not, private security guards who protect millions of lives and billions of dollars in real estate offer a false sense of security.
Most of the nation�s 1 million-plus guards are unlicensed, untrained and not subject to background checks. Our burgeoning, $12 billion-a-year industry is marked by high turnover, low pay, few benefits and scant oversight. And according to government officials and industry experts, little has changed since Sept. 11, 2001.
As the demand for guards increases, many security companies �find someone on the street and put him in a uniform, and before he�s finished buttoning up, they put him on a post,� says Henry Nocela, vice president of Professional Security Bureau, a private company based in New Jersey that employs about 4,000 guards.
For 16 months since terrorists toppled the World Trade Center towers and destroyed part of the Pentagon, government officials have worked to secure the homeland. But there are no federal laws governing the private security industry. Efforts in Congress to mandate training failed last year; sponsors expect better results this year.
State laws remain spotty. While the tiny fraction of guards who carry guns go through training and background checks, most of those who patrol office buildings, apartment complexes, shopping malls, sports arenas, warehouses and cargo terminals are unarmed. Twenty-nine states and The District of Columbia do not require training for unarmed guards. In 22 states, they don�t have to be licensed. The people who hold the keys, have access to the ventilation systems and know the escape routes are not put through background checks.
Many large companies hire top-flight security firms. They teach guards how to spot suspicious packages, monitor security cameras and evacuate buildings. But of the 11,000 security firms nationwide, many do not provide any training at all, or do any background checks on employees.
In contrast to the findings of USA Today, Texas requires considerably more pre-employment training than most states in the country, and of course performs a statewide and FBI background check on all officers. Texas law even requires the verification of past employment. In comparison, states such as Colorado require no training or background check, or leave the governing of our industry up to each municipality. For example, guards working within the city of Denver must be free and clear of any outstanding warrants for traffic violations. Other criminal acts are not searched for when acquiring a Denver security license. Just forty miles south of Denver in the town of Monument, anybody, regardless of past criminal acts, can work as a security officer with absolutely no training.
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