Your company is about to terminate an employee who has a history of temper flareups in the workplace and was once written up for shoving a co-worker. You’re fearing the worst and are researching armed guard services.
But is an armed security guard really what you need? What do you get when you hire a guard who has a gun, versus an unarmed guard? Will an armed guard really provide the protection you require?
These are tough questions to answer—which is why we’re going to walk you through the decision process.
Why Armed Guards Are Not Created Equal
First things first: do you know the main difference between armed and unarmed guards? Technically, it all boils down to 32 hours of classroom training.
That’s right: any regular security guard who wants to make a couple dollars more per hour can undergo the required 32 hours of training in how to operate, carry, and clean a firearm and become an armed guard. So, when you engage armed guard services and that guard shows up at your business, you’ll know that he or she has completed 32 hours of gun training.
Feel any safer? Probably a little bit. But you’re not interested in a little bit of protection for you, your staff, and your customers. You want to be sure you’re engaging a security professional who can handle any situation.
That’s why Creative Security provides a detailed consultation session to each new client. And that’s why Creative Security hires only experienced ex-law enforcement professionals to work in our armed guard services.
Inside Creative Security’s Armed Guard Services
Let’s get back to the scenario we outlined at the beginning of the article. You’re about to fire an employee who has a checkered employment history. At Creative Security, we won’t just say, “Sure, we’ll send you an armed guard.” Instead, we’ll dig deeper to determine what you really need. We then discuss with you a set of options for you and your team to consider.
We consider this our duty as security professionals. By sending you an armed guard who has minimal experience and limited ability to handle a variety of threats, we would be doing you a disservice.
So we’ll begin by asking you about this employee’s employment experience, paying special attention to any troubling incidents that have occurred. We’ll also be very interested in knowing whether this person has made any specific threats, whether to a manager or peer, about what he might do if he were ever disciplined or fired.
A specific threat of harm is generally a clear sign that you need armed guard services, but we always want to get the full story before we make a recommendation. That’s why we’ll also perform an in-depth background check on the employee in question.
What are we looking for with all this research? We want to get as much information as we can possibly gather about not only whether we need to send an armed guard, but which of our armed guards would be the best fit for your needs.
Our armed guard services are staffed with ex-police officers—not just guards who took the state-required 32-hour course. The typical career length of a police officer is 10 years, which amounts to about 20,000 hours of real-world threat-assessment experience.
How We Deploy Our Armed Security Guards
With our armed guard services, not only do we strive to send the right highly experienced professional to your location, but we also want to make sure they’re ready for exactly what the assignment will entail.
For example, in some situations, it may make sense to deploy a guard in uniform with gun visible. But in many others, it’s best to have him in a suit and tie with the gun concealed. This gives him an authoritative, businesslike appearance but takes the focus off of the gun.
You don’t want your armed guard to have to use that gun—you want him to be able to defuse the situation using strategies he learned during his many years of law enforcement experience.
Remember: when you look for armed guard services, you’re not hiring a gun—you’re hiring a professional. At Creative Security, our professionals are up to any task, even yours. Call us today to find out how we can help you with your most challenging security situations.
