How Security Guards Stay Safe in the Field

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Security Guard Holding Up Hand to Prevent Trespassers

Security guards have a job that puts them at personal risk while doing their duties. How do security guards stay safe in the field?

Who watches the watchers? Criminals and people up to no good are often on the lookout for anyone who wants to thwart their plans. Therefore, security guards have to outsmart them. They can vary their routes so they’re not predictable.

For instance, if criminals always know when and where guards are, they know exactly where to attack them. But if guards vary their routes and such (including arrival/departure times), that throws bad guys off, and that’s a good thing. Smart guards are intimately familiar with their working environment(s), knowing where stairwells, doors and exits are.

What about protective clothing and equipment? Maybe guards wear bulletproof vests. Maybe they carry weapons on their person. And, since they have to be active at certain times, it’s important that their clothing doesn’t restrict movement. Good footwear is key, too. Guards can utilize security equipment to help stay safe in the field. Equipment might include mobile phones, radios, CCTV, and/or alarm systems.

Security guards should know their limits. They should be trained to handle several situations, and if there’s a need for back-up or police officers, guards should know how and when to call for help. Safety tools in place might include panic buttons and notifications, especially for workers who work alone– that way, they can “check in” with someone else if they desperately need help for whatever reason.

C.O.P. Security of Rochester, New York, provides security guards for a variety of places and situations in Western and Central New York, including Buffalo and Syracuse. From foot patrols to camera surveillance, C.O.P. can fulfill your private security needs. Please call 585-750-5608 or email rbarton@copsecuritycorp.com for more information.

Avoid These Red Flags When Hiring a Security Company

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Security Guard Checking Security Cameras

Do you work for a business and you’re tasked with hiring private security to help protect that business, including its property and people? What should you avoid when hiring private security?

First things first– avoid hiring a company that’s not going to tailor their services for your business. No two businesses are the same, so each company has uniquely specific requirements. Do you want your security team doing things their own way, paying no attention to your wants and needs? Of course not! So make sure the security team you employ is willing to tailor their service to your particular business. They’re there to serve you!

Next, you want to avoid hiring security that’s unnecessarily too aggressive in their operations. After all, you don’t want to have a potential lawsuit on your hands. Ideally, security guards should be about prevention– helping prevent incidents and crime– rather than escalating problems where they get totally out of hand.

Also, don’t make the mistake of not reading any reviews before you hire security. There are online reviews, and you can also consider asking for references to call, before you sign any contracts. It’s important to know whether past clients were satisfied or not… and why.

Will a security team wear a certain uniform or not? Does that matter to you? Avoid hiring security teams that don’t want to dress the part.

Ask if a security company is licensed and see if that license is current or expired. You want to make sure they’re legally licensed to provide services for your business. Also check their insurance coverage.

Finally, avoid the mistake of immediately hiring the lowest “bidder” among competing companies. You get what you pay for, so if a company’s price seems too cheap, you might end up with more headaches than results.

Are you looking to hire security in Upstate (Central and Western) New York? Consider C.O.P. Security– call 585-750-5608 for details.

The Debate of Hiring a School Security Guard

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Security guard in front of school

If you’re of a certain age, you can remember a time when it was pretty much unthinkable that violence would occur at school. Today, however, it’s almost become “the norm,” sadly, and that’s why many school districts, whether rural, suburban or city, hire school security guards.

The Debate on Whether Schools Need Security Guards

There is a debate on whether or not to hire guards for schools, because there are pros and cons to having them there, highly visible on school grounds. Some people might ask, “Do we really need them?” Others might say, “Can we afford them?” Then, of course, there are people, especially parents, who say, “Of course they should be there! I want my kid protected!”

The Pros

Having school security guards can be a good thing if you want competent and caring adults monitoring school grounds to help prevent crimes and/or intervene if and when something’s “not right.” Guards help ensure that people and property don’t get hurt or damaged, so that’s a good thing. Meanwhile, their presence lets people know they’re being watched and if they do something wrong there is someone watching who will report them to authorities– and they’ll likely face consequences. Furthermore, schools today can have emotional, physical and even sexual abuse going on between students, teachers, employees and/or visitors– a lot could go wrong if no one’s watching, right? Imagine if a stranger finds their way into a school, and they have a knife or gun and want to do harm… a security guard would be the person to notice them and call the cops. Guards are also on the lookout for any would-be robbers who want to steal computers or oddballs who want to kidnap kids.

Reasons Why Some Are Skeptical

security guard using walkie talkie at school

What, then, would be some reasons people might object to having security guards in schools? For starters, it might make the students nervous or scared to have uniformed authority figures around them. They might feel so distressed that they avoid coming to school. Is this a bit irrational? Sure. But it happens. Also, there’s the cost. School budgets are notoriously tight, and for that reason there might be objections over paying guards to be there. With that, there’s also the cost of insurance for school security guards, which could cost “too much.”

If you ask most parents, though, paying school security guards to be present and working on the grounds of their kids’ school is totally worth it. They want to know their kids are protected from potential harm, and in today’s day and age, with all the crazy, somewhat unexpected violence happening in schools, having guards there becomes a necessity.

In Western and Central New York, if you need to hire school security guards, call C.O.P. Security at 585-750-5608. We have years of experience providing private security services, and all of our guards are fully trained and equipped to handle all types of situations. Although we’ve made our name in the Rochester area, we also provide schools security services throughout Western New York, including but not limited to Orleans County, Ontario County, Monroe, County and Wayne County.

Should Your Business Beef Up Security?

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Young businessman checking in at a security gate

C.O.P. Security serves several Western and Central New York counties, including ones around the cities of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.

What are some reasons your Western or Central New York business needs to beef up their security presence?

Employee Safety

First, do you have employees who have to walk to their vehicles in the parking lot late at night? If so, wouldn’t it be good to have a security guard escorting them to their cars? No one likes to be alone at night in a dark parking garage or parking lot where anyone could be up to no good.

Location

Next, is your business located in an area where crime is on the increase? Have you noticed more car break-ins lately? Are there shifty characters walking the streets, harassing people for money? Are the streets littered with trash and seemingly abandoned by people who care? If your business is located in a “bad area,” then it makes sense to have a security presence. This is especially true if the police have decided to delay their response and/or kind of given up responding to calls in the area. 

Issues From Within

Finally, what about your employees? Can you trust them? Maybe you have a whole bunch of new hires and they aren’t the exact employees you wanted to hire, but they were who were available… And some of them might want to stir trouble… Having a security presence at your business can help keep an eye on employees who may be stealing from you; They can also protect law-abiding employees and visitors from any potential criminal on your premises. You might want to consider hiring armed security guards– those with weapons help deter most criminals.

If you want to hire security guards for your Western or Central New York business, call C.O.P. Security at 585-750-5608 or email rbarton@copsecuritycorp.com for more information.

Why Parking Garage Security Guards Are a Smart Investment

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Picture of Parking Garage

Thieves and malevolent opportunists like to operate at night, when it’s dark outside. This way it’s harder for people to notice what they’re up to. And they’re usually up to negative things that can annoy otherwise respectable and nice people. For instance, take parking garages. These places can be downright scary at night. You’re walking in the stairwell, and it’s 1am in the morning, and there’s some rambler muttering to himself in a corner. He looks at you and starts asking for money. Do you feel safe? No way.

Parking garage security guards are a smart investment if you want the people who use your garage to feel safe, especially in the wee small hours of the morning– those overnight times when few people are around and there can be a general feeling of creepiness in the air. After all, strange things can happen at 4 in the morning!

Basically, it’s a good idea to have security guards walking the premises and/or monitoring security cameras to make sure nothing weird or bad is happening in parking garages. This will ultimately help people using the garage feel safer– including “employees and customers.” It’s nice to know there’s a guard to “walk me to my car so I don’t feel alone.” Furthermore, it’s a good idea to have guards watching over expensive vehicles so they don’t get broken into or otherwise damaged by miscreants.

Security guards can also make sure parking garage rules are followed. They’re the eyes and ears of the garage, always on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Deterring vandalism and theft are high on their priority list.

Rochester’s C.O.P. Security provides parking garage security guards in Western and Central New York. Please call C.O.P. Security at 585-750-5608 for more info.

Should a Business Park Have a Security Presence?

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Business Park Security Guard Monitoring Video Surveillance

No matter where they’re located, business parks should have a security presence, especially in today’s world. Ideally, businesses in business parks want to keep their employees and visitors safe from harm. They also want to make sure their money, equipment and valuable assets are protected from thieves. Business parks can benefit from having security cameras as well as armed or unarmed guards roaming the premises.

Security Risks

What are some of the security risks for business parks? Vandalism is a big one. It’s not unusual for graffiti artists to “use” walls to “create their art.” Vandals can also break into businesses or parked vehicles and steal things. Guards can be on the lookout for unwanted visitors who loiter on the premises, and/or bother people such as asking for donations. It’s a good idea to have security guards on the premises, especially at night, to help prevent muggings and physical assaults.

Business parks have a lot of people (and vehicles) coming and going at different hours. Guards can help enforce parking and visitor rules. They can also monitor suspicious behavior and report incidents to local authorities.

If you want to help provide peace-of-mind to your business park tenants, hire security guards to patrol the premises both day and night. Their presence lets tenants know you care about their safety. They help “keep the peace.”

In Rochester, New York, and surrounding cities and counties, C.O.P. Security is the private security company to call (and hire) for business park security needs. Please call C.O.P. Security at 585-750-5608 or email rbarton@copsecuritycorp.com  for more information. You can also use the online contact form, here.

C.O.P. Security has been serving Rochester and the surrounding area since 1997. When you need dependable professional security, trust C.O.P.

Should Warehouses Have a Security Presence?

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security guard protects warehouse entrance

If you were a smart criminal, would you rob one house to get one high-end TV or would you go where the TVs were plentiful, like a warehouse full of them? Obviously, warehouses should have a security presence.

Criminals know that warehouses are full of items they could steal and make money on. Any unsecured warehouse could be a target of thieves. Inventory, and the people who work there, are technically always at risk! It doesn’t matter if the warehouse is in a big city like Buffalo or Rochester, or if it’s on a rural backroad– thieves are on the hunt everywhere these days.

It’s a smart idea to hire C.O.P. Security to guard your Western/Central New York warehouse. A guard or a team of guards can be on the premises to provide a watchful eye over your inventory and employees. Want to help give your employees better peace-of-mind about where they work? Hire a guard or two. This shows you’re doing something to help ensure their safety and make their workspace more comfortable. Guards can also welcome visitors to the warehouse and let them know they’re politely being watched.

Security guards at warehouses can detect and deter criminal activity, whether it’s “in-house” from employees, or from outsiders, who often break-in at night when a skeletal staff is on-duty. Guards can also monitor the comings and goings from warehouse entry/exit points, as well as watch surveillance camera feeds to notice if there’s any suspicious activity going on. By hiring a company like C.O.P. Security, your Western/Central New York warehouse would be taking preventative measures against losses due to theft.

Finally, it’s a good idea to have security guards on-hand because they’re trained in emergency response procedures should the need arise for that.

For more information about C.O.P. Security, please call 585-750-5608.

As Outdoor Events Make Their Comeback, Remember to Hire Security Guards

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security guard working at public event,

The coronavirus pandemic meant the cancellation of many events, including outdoor ones. That said, it looks like things are getting a bit back to normal such that more outdoor events will be scheduled and actually take place this year. What types of guards should you consider hiring for them?

Bodyguards

If you’ve got someone famous at your event, consider hiring a bodyguard for that person. He or she offers specialized personal protection for famous people like celebrities and government officials.

Gatekeepers

What about the entrance/exit at your event? You should hire a gatekeeper who makes sure only intended people enter the premises. Concerts, for instance, usually have gatekeepers set up not only for the general public coming into and out of the venue, but also near the stage to further protect the talent from anyone and everyone just wandering around there.

Crowd Control

For outdoor events with a lot of attendees, and/or alcohol, it’s a good idea to have security guards who specialize in crowd control. They should be trained to control a crowd, and that should be their main task as they direct the flow of traffic and handle any situations that may occur.

Mobile Patrols

If you have an event that takes place over a large area of land, consider hiring mobile patrols who can utilize cars, bikes, golf carts or motorcycles to cover a large area, including places like campgrounds or parking lots.

Armed or Unarmed Security Guards

Finally, there’s the issue of whether or not your event should have armed guards. Certain crowds are rowdier than others. Hire armed guards if you think attendees might carry guns or knives on their person.

If you’re having an event in Western New York, including the cities of Rochester or Buffalo, talk with C.O.P. Security about your specific security needs. C.O.P. Security can supply trained and able-bodied security guards for your 2021 outdoor events. Call 585-750-5608 for more information.

How Security Guards Can Help Us Return to Normalcy

Posted by & filed under Miscellaneous, Security Guards, Security Services.

Security Guard Checking Temperature At Building Entrance

The health experts and government leaders have spoken. You need to “mask up” to use most professional services. It’s for your safety and the safety of others during these pandemic times. No one wants to get the coronavirus. It could cause lingering side effects or even death. With that in mind, security guards have a new duty on the job: enforcing the wearing of masks.

The March Back to Normal

Will we get “back to normal?” Businesses that have been closed are opening again. Events are happening again. It seems like everyday the goal posts change, and we’re never quite sure what’s going on and what’s ahead, but one thing’s for sure: masks are everywhere. You can hardly go anywhere in public without encountering them– even at the beach!

Security guards are tasked with checking to make sure people are wearing their masks. And when they’re not? People can get quite vocal and even violent because they don’t want to be told to put on a mask. Security guards are the men and women who have to deal with people who don’t want to conform to rules. 

Meanwhile, many places have had to change the way they do business. Instead of letting people inside their doors, business is transacted in the parking lot or in some outdoor public place! Thus, security guards who normally patrol indoors are now asked to stand guard outdoors, sometimes in makeshift situations.

Security guards also have to enforce social distancing regulations. They have to watch over safety and sanitation protocols, too. 

It’s a very stressful time to be alive. Security guards are helping businesses of all sizes navigate these difficult, confusing times. 

If and when you don’t have the staff to handle the enforcement of distancing or mask rules, and/or you need a guard to make sure your place doesn’t have too many people inside to warrant a fine or closure by the government, hire security guards to help out— in Western New York, you can call C.O.P. Security at 585-750-5608 to discuss your unique challenges and needs. 

How the Job Description of a Security Guard Has Evolved Over the Years

Posted by & filed under Miscellaneous, Security Guards, Uncategorized.

Security Guard in Uniform Using a Walk Talkie

We see security guards around town and take them as a “given.” They’re normal and not at all unusual in today’s modern society. But it wasn’t always like it is today. For hundreds of years, there weren’t law enforcement agencies or security guards. There were, however, “watchmen,” who kept watch over people, groups or places. Their job was to literally just observe things.

Well, the job of watchman evolved into the job of security guard. Today’s guards are highly visible– they want everyone to know they’re present and keeping an eye on things. They are authority figures who protect people, groups and places. Security guards want to keep everyone in line as well as prevent crime. 

The presence of guards helps keep people from doing illegal or inappropriate things. A guard is pretty much always on duty, unlike other jobs where workers take smoke breaks or grab a coffee. A guard’s job is to be alert and aware of whatever’s nearby. They need to keep their eyes and ears open… they even have to notice smells! 

Security guards help maintain order. It takes social skills to keep people calm. It also requires quick reaction times. Guards typically have a lot of training on how to deal with all sorts of issues and problems. Their job often involves making sure people follow rules and policies. 

What are some duties modern security guards do? They may search for concealed weapons, inspect bags/equipment, verify appointments/visitors, and/or prevent access to certain areas. If there’s an emergency situation, they can call for help. And, sometimes, they’re around to offer directions to those who ask simple but important questions like “Where’s the bathroom?” or “Where’s the exit?” And in the crazy past year we’ve experienced, they’re used to take temperatures and make sure masks are wearing before employees, patrons or students enter buildings.

Guards observe and report. They help protect people and places and keep them safe. In some cases, they even help save lives!

If you’re looking for a reliable security guard company who can handle jobs of nearly any size in the Rochester, NY and greater WNY area, contact COP Security today.