Body Cameras Have Arrived at Select Patrol

I HAD DECIDED to equip my patrol employees with body cameras . I had been aware of body cams for sometime, and I knew that somewhere down the road we would  have them. However, a recent event that involved one of my employees accelerated the process.

 THE EVENT that kick-started my move towards cameras occurred early one Saturday morning after 2:00AM. We provide nighttime patrol for a large church campus in the San Gabriel Valley. My patrolman, Hector, (pseudonym), happened upon a man who had built something of a shelter from a cardboard box and was presumably asleep inside. This was within the walls of the sanctuary courtyard and the man and his "fort" had to go. However, no sooner had the patrolman called out to the sleeping man inside the box, when suddenly the box flew off and Hector was immediately set upon by a burly man in his 20s who came at Hector with clenched fists. Fortunately,  Hector is an experienced patrolman and had positioned himself to his best protective advantage; he stood over 20 feet away from the encampment and held is chemical defense spray at the ready.

As soon as Hector's assailant came within the 20 foot perimeter the man was hit with a steady burst of 1.3% Oleoresin Capsicum and the assailant was halted in his tracks. At that, the man turned heel and stumbled out of the courtyard and to a motel across the street. There, he used the lobby desk phone to call the police claiming that he had just been "attacked by a security guard".

Now, what usually happens in circumstances such as these, the police generally regard the first person to make the call to be the "Victim" and the other party involved to be the "suspect". The police arrived within a few minutes along with a paramedic unit to de contaminate Hector's attacker of the residue OC particulates. Predictably, the man told the officers that Hector  approached the man as he slept on the pavement , and hosed him down with pepper spray without warning. The officers then approached Hector and he gave the officers his account of what happened. Hector sensed the officers were familiar with his attacker and were not buying the sprayed-while-asleep story. On the other hand, Hector did not have anything or anyone to corroborate his account of how things went down.
 Good New/Bad News

The outcome of the police officer's  investigation had mixed results. The good news for my employee Hector was that he was not taken into custody on the dubious word of his attacker. The bad news was Hector's attacker also avoided jail time. Given the circumstances, this outcome is not unusual.  In my 30 plus years in the private security field it is more or less standard practice to for police officers to handle similar  incidents as mutually contentious "fights" as opposed to a self-defense action on the part of the security officer. It is a default position law enforcement will check when corroborative evidence is not available.
The right tool for the job

Clearly, as the above incident illustrates our need is for a camera that above all allows the patrolman to view recorded events in real time. After researching the available products on the market I chose the Patrol Eyes SC-DV1. 

The device is loaded with advanced features and is very user-friendly. The video camera offers instant play-back and displays 1080 dpi video on a two inch wide LCD screen located on the back of the device. The instant play-back is probably the most useful feature as it eliminates the need for a patrolman to have to scroll through batches of video clips to find the one he needs at a critical moment.

The camera can also shoot still photos in 16 megapixel quality . Both video and still images can be shot in infared mode with the press of a button located on the side of the device. Additional clip-on wide angle camera lenses in both infared and daytime modes can be purchased separately for about $150.00 a piece. 

These are only the highlights of the many features offered by the Patrol Eyes SC-DV1.  Lastly , I will say the price was very easy on my eyes. (under $250.00 per unit). I believe the Patrol Eyes will be the standard for many private security organizations based on its price. 

In researching policy guidelines for the body cameras I found law enforcement sources supported the concept of allowing police officers descretionary authority to record or not to record within policy prescriptions. For example, officers could turn off the camera in casual conversation or when interviewing witnesses  who may be concerned about confidentiality. Similarly,  most sources agreed that officers ought to be able to review video following an incident.As I had mentioned previously the instant play-back feature of our camera of choice was the deal maker as far as I was concerned. For the private patrolman who finds himself surrounded by skeptical police following an incident, the patrolman  must have the ability to produce video evidence that will immediately exonerate him. Otherwise,  in the absence of such evidence, he  will likely find himself suffering the indignity and potentially hazardous circumstance of being taken into custody in uniform for further questioning at the police headquarters.

Overall, the policy considerations were pretty straightforward; patrol staff cannot erase or edit any video clips. Unless a particular video loop is needed for either a criminal investigation or client-related inquiry, all videos are erased from our system after a 30 day period.
I will write a follow up article once our program has been implemented company wide and share our experiences.
DW

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Sanctuary and Safety

The house of worship is universally regarded as a sanctuary both
 in spiritual and literal terms. The church is often sought as the last refuge for people in the most desperate of circumstances. However, as the numbers of the nation's homeless populations have grown exponentially, many religious campuses have found themselves reluctant hosts to scores of homeless men and women camped at their doorsteps. This has led many congregations to adopt measures to discourage itinerant lodging in the interests of safety. Not surprisingly,churches and their affiliated schools, account for about 10 percent of our client roster. Short of hiring a private patrol service there are things that can be done by churches to discourage itinerant lodging on their premises.
First, the most effective way for church staff to handle the the matter is to be proactive, and to address the issue immediately whenever it occurs. As always speak respectfully, and to the point. Avoid the pitfalls of exceptions to the rule; allowing personal belongings such as bicycles,clothing bags, etc.to be stored on property. This will lead to confusion and make matters much more difficult to deal with. The goal is to communicate a clear-cut policy without misunderstanding. It is also a good idea to have a printed hand-out that spells out Church policy in regard to lodging on campus, and also to offer information about other homeless resources available in the community such as meals, shelter and mental health.

Second, prepare for the long term. Properties that have had a long-established homeless presence require time and patience to bring under control.One resource that must not be overlooked is law enforcement. Many police agencies in towns large and small now have officers whom are specialized in working with local homeless populations. Do not hesitate to call the authorities for help.

SELECT PATROL REPLACES iBUTTONS WITH QR CODES

 Select Patrol is in the process of replacing its current patrol tour system with a newer technology that will eliminate the wand scanner commonly used throughout the security industry. The new system is actually a feature of the real-time reporting software that has been used by Select Patrol since 2011. Select Patrol employees can now scan checkpoint locations on their routes with  android phones without the need for a separate scanning device.

The benefit for Select Patrol customers is the ability to see the patrolman's reports in real time, and also view time-stamped location patrols in a single reporting format.

In addition, the scanning software uses pressure sensitive QR code decals that are easier to remove than the former systems' metal ibuttons that were installed with screws or adhesives.  The decals measure one inch by one inch square. For clients who currently use the ibutton system known as Deggy, Select Patrol will discontinue the weekly reports as soon as the new decals are in place.

COMMUNITY ROBOTS

In December of last year, Amazon.com made headlines when the company announced plans to develop a drone to deliver small packages within small geographic areas in under 30 minutes. At the same time, other stories appeared that described robot technology designed specifically for security applications. One example is the Knightscope Inc K5, a five-foot tall, 300lb bowling pin whose makers describe as an “Autonomous Data Machine”. Among its many features, the K5 has a 360 degree camera, a night-vision camera, Optical Character Recognition (The ability to read license plates), Behavioral Analysis software and the ability to detect biological, radiation and chemical elements within its environment. While the K5 and offerings from its competitors; the Robotex Avatar lll and Mobilerobots’ Patrolbot, are far from the bipedal humanoid of science fiction, these devices represent what lies directly ahead in today’s world of security technology. Now of course, one cannot say "Security Robot" without acknowledging concerns about privacy and job elimination. In my view the robots headed our way are no more ominous than all of the other cameras and sensors that capture our movements every day. Another feed of telemetry gathered about our not-so private lives, to me, is not going to reveal much more than is known about each of us already. In terms of jobs, I do not see the coming generation of robots as a threat to the relevance of private security guards. The purpose and abilities of the machines are matched to roles that augment, rather than replace, human security forces. In other words a more a capable K9 and without the bite. From my perspective as a security contractor I see the technology as a good thing. For one, the robots will perform the most mundane of security assignments and relieve human guards to complete other tasks. For example, a group of robots can be deployed in a condominium to provide continuous coverage of the gated parking garages and leave the human guard to handle noise complaints, after-hours pool use, and all of the other issues that can require the complex social skills that are unique to humans. If the robots in the garage do happen to detect suspicious activity, that data can be relayed directly to the guard’s smartphone with streaming video and audio. The guard can evaluate the data from a safe location and decide if police are to be notified. Safety and efficiency will be the strongest assets that robotic technology brings to the private security industry. DW

Select Patrol Update

First news is that we have added a new EPSA page to selectpatrol.com. The EPSA page features an interactive membership application which allows Echo Park residents to join without delays and the hassles of paperwork. We accept Paypal and membership is immediate upon completion of the application. Point, click and the patrolman brings a yard sign to your door. Select Patrol is on the move. In late March, we located our offices from Atwater Village to the City of Pasadena. In 20 years' time we have come full-circle. We had originally moved to Los Angeles from the corner of Colorado Bl and Euclid in 1992. Now, we are a few blocks from our former location at Colorado and El Molino across from Vroman's. The decision for our move was based primarily on economics. For the past five years we paid for an office and a separate parking facility for our vehicles. The new location consolidates the office and parking onto a single site. In addition, there were also the tax considerations which favored relocation outside of Los Angeles. The revenue-based formula in Los Angeles worked out to be a huge chunk of money that we have had to part with the first of every year. Now we can get some relief and do something that truly benefits the patrolmen of Select Patrol. Something that had concerned me for a long time was the fact very few of my staff can afford to buy new body armor. Not difficult to understand, however since new protective panels and carriers run in the range of $350.00 to $1000.00 and higher. As an alternative, most patrolmen either receive hand-me-downs from law enforcement friends or buy used vests at gun shows.These pieces are well beyond their warrantied life and do not provide the optimal level of protection they offered when new. This is a circumstance that I have found unacceptable. Especially in the face of statistics which show that out of 112 US private officer fatalities in 2012, 65 were caused by armed assailants. In many of these cases the officers were unarmed. By the end of this year, I am resolved to provide each of my patrolmen with new body armor free of cost. I cannot think of a better cause. DW

Mental Health Public Safety

In the weeks since the mass murders in Newtown, Conn., many voices have articulated theories as to the “how” and “why” of this particular mass murder, and the preventative steps that can be taken to avoid future atrocities. In addition to the calls for a renewed federal ban on so-called assault weapons and tighter restrictions on firearms purchases, there have been productive discussions concerning mental health. I believe that addressing the issue of mental health care – and ensuring access to services by families of the mentally ill – is the overarching component in preventing mass killings in schools, the workplace and the family home. I recently came across a report about Laura’s Law, named for Laura Wilcox, a 19-year-old college student who was murdered in 2000 by a man who suffered from late-onset schizophrenia. She was shot four times at point-blank range while she worked as a volunteer at a mental hospital during Christmas break. Passed by the State of California in 2002, Laura’s Law was designed to provide housing and treatment for dangerous mentally ill persons reluctant to seek help. Under Laura’s Law, a judge can order outpatient treatment for up to six months for a seriously mentally ill individual proven likely to pose a danger either to himself or others. The process can be initiated by family members, social workers or the police. The irony is that despite having been passed into law more than a decade ago, Laura’s Law has been effectively nullified, through lack of funding, in nearly all but two counties in the state. Nevada County, where Laura Wilcox had lived, is the only county in the state where Laura’s Law has been used as an instrument of the court in 54 cases. Los Angeles County has recently begun a smaller pilot program based on Laura’s Law. Critics of involuntary treatment say the process takes way the rights and dignity of the individual. This argument has been at the core of opposition to Laura’s Law and similar measures throughout the US. The public is hesitant to empower the State with the ability to force citizens into care too swiftly. The image of the State Hospital runamuck with corruption and unchecked powers is an indelible one. No one wants a return to the dark days of mental health care and all of the ghastly images that era conjures. Despite this understandable reluctance, I believe we must acknowledge that the current voluntary care system does not meet the public safety needs of modern society – a point proven all too well by the cases of Jared Loughner, James Holmes, Adam Lanza and too many others to name. To effectively take control of public safety, the State must have the ability to step in and administer care when necessary for the severely ill who have long refused treatment and are likely pose a threat to themselves or others. To learn more about Laura's Law, you can visit the website www.mentalillnesspolicy.org.org. To encourage Los Angeles County to continue and expand the Laura's Law pilot program, please contact Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina's office at molina.lacounty.gov. DW

Private Security Training Day at North East Division

Over the years, I have participated in several police-private security summits. For the most part these events were geared towards bettering the relationships between senior police officials and their private security counterparts. No complaints there. However, I have always preferred those events which provided practical tools for the officer in uniform.
The information presented at the March 7th seminar, was absolutely spot-on. This meeting was not about lofty speeches. It was strictly nuts and bolts for the working security officer. The meeting got underway just after 9:00AM in the Northeast Roll Call room with about two dozen security officers and managers from different organizations which operate with within the North East Division’s geographical area. Select Patrol was represented by five officers including two of the three Echo Park patrol officers, Ed Aguero and Raul Lopez.
Opening remarks were made by Lt. Steve Flores, of the North East Detective Division . According to Lt. Flores, the inspiration for Northeast’s outreach to the local private security industry owed much to the court-ordered release of 34,000 state prison inmates which began in late 2011. The goal of the training summit was to multiply the numbers of eyes and ears of the police on the street level in anticipation of the thousands of repeat offenders returning to their old neighborhoods.
The training itself was divided into three segments. The first was communications and included an overview of the LAPD communications system and a step by step tutorial in how to make an effective report by phone to the police.
The second segment was titled “Being a Good Witness” and focused on definitions of the types of crimes a security officer may encounter on the job as well as a review of the laws relevant to private person’s arrest. The presenter, Detective Armando Romero, established good rapport among the meeting’s attendees and fielded many questions from the audience.


After a terrific lunch provided by our hosts, we attended our third and final evolution in which participants were selected to view and then give their feedback on different, potential use of force scenarios. The live-action video clips were projected onto a screen which gave the effect of separate, life-sized encounters with an agitated emergency room patient, a bar fight, and a drunken bar patron. The instructor, Officer Craig Orange emphasized the point of the exercise was provide private officers with options to successfully navigate through potentially volatile encounters, and avoid the pitfalls of a no-win situation.
I thought Officer Orange clearly understood the extremely grey world in which private officers operate. For example, a private officer may be summoned to intervene in a situation not necessarily covered under a contractual agreement but simply because the private officer was the first uniform in sight. Unfortunately, it has been precisely this kind of circumstance and the resulting actions of the security officer, which has contributed to what has been a muddled perception in regards to private security’s role not only with the public but also in the eyes of the police. I thought this element of training and the low key approach that was encouraged demonstrated a better understanding of what is expected of private officers.
No doubt our instructors had as much opportunity to access our collective skill level as much as we had the opportunity to learn. It is my hope that our March 7 training date will be something to build upon for the future. My thanks our host Senior Lead Officer Nina Preciado and the other officers who participated in the event.



DW

Video; A Useful Tool But Not The Complete Picture

I frequently hear it mentioned that one cannot get away with anything these days because of the video cameras which seem to be omnipresent in our lives. If only this were true.
Because despite the proliferation of multi camera CTTV systems, video surveillance does not provide the single-source solution to fighting crime, or addressing quality of life issues. In my my experience I find that while video can be very useful in the documentation of incidents and the identification of criminal activity,cameras by themselves offer little in the way of actual crime prevention.

Case in point are the panhandlers and vagrants who troll the strip centers and retail outlets serviced by our vehicle patrol. In the numerous encounters I have had with panhandlers, the persons whom I have approached were either unimpressed or unaware of the cameras focused on their activities. What got these folks to move on was my presence and communication with them. In my opinion, it is the uniformed security officer who is not only the best deterrent to conspicuous criminal activity but also it is the officers who are the primary tool to engage private policy on the street level.



Ready When You Are CB

As I mention, cameras can very useful in the documentation of activity, but the capabilities of the video system must be matched to the objectives of the particular video customer in order to be effective. One may be surprised at how many times I have found video systems totally lacking in their ability to accurately record. For example, I have seen exterior-mounted cameras on commercial sites that relay quality images during daylight hours, but at night show only a blacked-out screen. Then there are the video streams to no-where; cameras which display live feed but do not have a functional DVR to record the images. In these cases the systems were about as useful as a sleeping security guard, and potentially just as costly.



Ultimately consumers must see video for what it is; a component of a complete security plan. A useful tool to document activity at critical moments, and to alert first responders to the first signs of trouble.

DW

Select Patrol Transitions to Less-Lethal Weapons

As of February 18th, Select Patrol employees no longer carry firearms on duty. With myself excluded, all previously armed employees may continue to carry less lethal defense weapons such as pepper spray, batons and Taser guns.

I had begun to phase out firearms last year. But the process was hastened by my worker's compensation carrier who has excluded coverage for armed employees.I had anticipated this move for some time based upon my own experiences and what I saw as a growing trend among other private patrol services who had transitioned away from firearms. For myself, I found there had been a clear shift in attitude towards firearms over the past decade. Requests for armed security officers declined and objections to guns, by clients, grew. Added to that were the cost prohibitive factors such as the apartment complex in Echo Park which required Select Patrol to increase its general liability coverage from $2,000,000.00 to $5,000,000.00 solely because my employees were armed.
Finally, there was the fact that in 26 years of operation no Select Patrol employee had been involved in a shooting incident. This is due in no small part to the scope of the officer's duties and the degree to which I allow my employees to directly involve themselves in situations they encounter on the job. To those who may now wonder how this may affect the ability to my staff to protect Select Patrol clients, I can assure you that our operations have not been affected in any way. We shall continue to do the job as we always have..

Learning The Ropes

It was six years ago that I first put to paper my designs for an in house 40 hour training course. The plan was a full year ahead of the State's regulation that would expand the eight hour Powers to Arrest training to a full forty hours of instruction known as AB2880.
My 40 hour course would apply to all newly hired employees, and would closely parallel the BSIS model in terms of its content. There was the mandatory Cultural Diversity, and Observation and Documentation courses which were required to be completed within the first six months of employment. Once done, an employee was classified as "Security Guard 1". If an individual was so motivated he/she was open to further their career prospects and go all-out for the "Security Guard2" classification which included the basic BSIS firearms and baton courses. In completing these courses, an employee was then eligible for promotion to vehicle patrol assignments.
Now all of this sounded great as a concept and was eventually accepted by BSIS as our official training policy. However, in practice this was a course we never taught. Because not one of the employees whom we hired in 2003-04 made it beyond their first six months with the company. This was not for a lack of communication on our part.We had spelled out what our expectations were right at the start, and followed up with reminders at the three month mark, and finally near the end ; "Time is running out...” Some were surprised that we would actually let them go for failing to complete the training. Others seemed puzzled. But none complained. They simply picked up their final wages and left.
The fact that AB2880 became law on July 1st, 2004 did not change the dynamic. The few newly minted officers we came across had only eight hours of initial training. One by one, they too fell off the roster for their refusal to follow up with the balance of their required training. For the time being, I decided it would be better for us to simply stay with the sure thing of choosing from the still large populace of pre-AB2880 applicants.
While this satisfied BSIS regulatory requirements, there was still the issue of my own 40 hour training program. In its first incarnation, the bulk of the curriculum would be taught at one of the local security training schools. At that time, I was looking to train entry-level employees to work in unarmed fixed post assignments. However, by now, I had decided that Select Patrol would focus itself exclusively as a provider of vehicle patrol services, and would no longer market fixed post services. Thus eliminating a path for entry level workers. I had to go back and re tool my program to meet the training requirements of armed patrol officers.

My challenge was not so much in identifying the specific skills needed to perform successfully as a vehicle patrol officer as much as it was to be able to learn these well enough to teach to others. Some of the more unique skills had to do with the firearms. In addition to shooting skills, an armed patrol officer must also know how to guard against his/her weapon from being snatched from its holster and used against the officer.

Unfortunately ,Weapon Retention is not something that is taught at most of the security training schools that I am familiar with here in the L.A. area. Now, there are those out of state schools with the cool names, but I did not have the budget to send my people to any of those.For this, Ed Aguero, our day patrol supervisor, and I studied Lenny Magill's Handgun Retention Techniques DVD. While I can't say that Ed and I became black belt masters from watching a single DVD, we did learn some techniques that my people had never been exposed to previously.

For our class on verbal communication, we used the performance evaluations designed by Lt. Phillip Satterfield. This is an old but highly practical method of role playing scenarios that many security firms have utilized for over 20 years. This addresses the most difficult part of any security officer's job; dealing with people. We could see the frustration that some of our students felt as they attempted to verbally maneuver with angry clients, quarrelling couples and the mentally disturbed. This was probably the only "practice" our people would receive ahead of finding themselves in a real encounter. Here they could see that getting angry themselves did nothing to calm a tense situation. A lesson better learned in our classroom than on the job.

The final class in the series has to do with emergency preparedness, and our overall disaster plan. A new item we added to our trucks this year is a basic emergency survival pack for the officer's survival following a disaster - most likely an earthquake. In addition to a food bar, and water we included a hart hat, work gloves and a 100 foot length of kermantle rope. The idea is that an officer can toss a rope to someone who may be down a hillside or an embankment. As part of the training I taught the class how to tie five basic knots; square knot, two-half hitches, Bowline a figure eight and a sheets bend. It took me a week to learn, but to my surprise my students had the figure eight mastered in about five minutes. A teacher's joy.

DW

It Came Down To The Wire

This week a client in Los Angeles has taken the extraordinary step of installing razor wire along the walls of a long-vacant plant to keep out the large group of homeless drug users who had invaded the property.



For three years, we have patrolled the large vacant commercial property which is in a state of limbo as neighborhood residents and the properties' owners debate its future. For the most part, our tours had been uneventful. We did have an odd gnome who haunted the one of the buildings on a regular basis. His name was Don, and he liked to wander the corridors of the building and talk to himself. We considered him more of a nuisance than a criminal.

Don was mild mannered in contrast to the posse of a dozen or so men who descended on the property in late March. They used bolt cutters to slice off our padlocks and installed their own. Although we had detected their presence early, there was little we could do to keep them out.
We contacted SLO Art Gallegos of LAPD Wilshire Division. We had met Officer Gallegos at the property back in February. He walked us through the paperwork for the No Trespass Authorization which allows us to arrest persons for trespass on the property. He also recommended the grounds be thoroughly cleared of overgrown shrubbery and debris.

Once all of these steps were completed, the owners of the property made the decision to top the walls and fencing with coiled barbed wire. This was not an easy decision to reach. The owners were reluctant to install barbed wire in a mixed use neighborhood in such close proximity to homes. However, there was no other choice. Of the nine men Gallegos and his officers identified in one afternoon sweep, four were taken into custody for parole violations. During the clean up operation there were dozens of spent hypodermic syringes scattered about the rooms of the building where the men had camped.

Clearly, the owners of the property chose to do what was in the best interests of the communities' safety.


DW

More Street Lighting in Echo Park

Select Patrol has teamed with The Echo Park Security Association and Positive Energy Group to enhance street lighting in the Echo Park and Angelino Heights communities.

With the recent spike in thefts from automobiles in the residential neighborhoods, Select Patrol has partnered with the North East area's leading crime prevention organizations in an effort to identify locations for added street lighting. The light itself is provided through the DWP's Utilitarian Light Program which installs regular street lighting fixtures on existing power poles.
The plan is to go through the community, and assess lighting needs street by street. This will be completed by a volunteer group made up of Select Patrol staff, EPSA members and other neighborhood residents. They group will identify each proposed lighting location by pole number and the nearest street address. A compilation of all proposed sites will be presented to the DWP for approval.
The goal of the plan is to improve illumination and remove the shadows where crimes may be committed easily under the cover of darkness. It is not the intention of this effort to drastically alter the look of the neighborhood at night by installing the type of high-intensity lighting many resident would find objectionable.
In addition to the installation of new street light fixtures, the volunteer group shall also report to city council staff locations where existing street lamps are obscured by trees. The project to identify proposed locations is estimated to take six weeks from start to finish. It is not known how long the process will be before new lighting is installed. However, submitting a community wide request for lighting is far more efficient than one street light at a time.
For more information on how to become involved please contact Select Patrol at 323.644.1014, or email selectpatrol@earthlink.net

Living Up To Our Own Advertising

When I was eleven, I had sent away for a 100 piece play set of soldiers that had been advertised on the back cover of a comic book. Most guys over 45 will likely recall this promotion and its extraordinary offer. The set included planes, ships, tanks , cannons, soldiers and even female military personnel all for only $1.25! Looking at the picture of the amassed army and navy, I wondered how much space I would need to set all of this up. I waited for weeks on end. Everyday, I would look to see if the big package had arrived.

One day, there was something in the mail for me . It was a package about the size of those free samples of laundry detergent that we used to get. But there was no way this object could be the 100 piece army that I had waited half the summer for. Or could it? I opened the box, and inside was a tangle of green plastic shapes. Spreading these shapes onto the kitchen table, I realized that I had been had.I picked up one of the pieces and saw that it was a "tank". A two dimensional plastic silhouette on a base stand. Everything was here; the soldiers, the ships, the cannons . They looked like pieces from a board game. Not at all what I had expected.

I think about what it would be like for a new customer of security services under similar circumstances. First, he's drawn in by an idealized image of an immaculately attired security officer featured on a companies' website. Second, the prospective client is reassured over and over in consultations with the sales team; "You're making a wise decision here." Finally, when the big day arrives, the officer who reports for the inaugural shift is not the super patrolman from the website, but a different fellow altogether; 45 minutes late, dons his uniform in the parking lot and ambles in at his own pace.

I do not condemn those who use generic images of models in their advertising. Nothing wrong with that . What counts , of course, is the service we deliver. If one's goal, is to provide a superior brand of service, the effort invested into that goal will come through in the officers whom are hired to do the work. They are the ones who can be counted upon to arrive a few minutes early, fully dressed and ready to work from the very first shift to the very last.

Don't abandon Your Commercial Buildings

In a recent article, authored by a consultant who specializes in the sales and acquisitions of security companies, there was a reference to security guards hired to protect the empty buildings of down-sized companies.I recall that during the last recession in the early 90s, Select Patrol provided service for several empty buildings around the San Gabriel Valley. So many, in fact, that at one point we had considered a dedicated route just to handle the "Ghost Towns" as we called them.

There were a mix of properties that we serviced at that time; an industrial plant in Monrovia, two side by side warehouse structures not far away, and a complete business park nestled in the foothills of Pasadena. While some of these structures were slated for demolition and re-development, others faced an uncertain future. At the point where we had been brought in by property managers, many of these properties had already begun to suffer the effects of long-term neglect and abandonment. Interior water leaks, homeless camps and overgrown vegetation had taken their tolls on these once viable commercial buildings.

My point is that regardless of whether or not a building or complex is scheduled for demolition, the problems caused by neglect could have been either largely mitigated or avoided altogether if the properties had even a minimal amount of maintenance.

For example, a landscaping crew, even on a monthly basis, not only serves the purpose of maintaining the lawns and parkways, the presence of a work crew sends a clear signal the property has not been abandoned. Routine inspections by engineering staff can remedy broken windows, and paint out graffiti; The universal "Vacancy" sign for the homeless.

By taking a few of these measures, property managers can do much to not only preserve their buildings, but also greatly minimize liability risk , and nuisance complaints from the community.

East Side Hospitality Association Highlights Cooporation Between City and Taverns

Since its formation in late 2007, East Side Hospitality has forged a unique relationship between neighborhood prosecutor and tavern owners in North East Los Angeles.

Its 2:ooPM Tuesday, as Donna Wong calls to order the fall meeting of the East Side Hospitality Association, a loose confederation of bars and nightclubs from East Hollywood, Silver Lake and Echo Park. Wong, a deputy city attorney who serves as the Neighborhood Prosecutor from the LAPD's North East Division, is the group's founder and chairwoman. This is the fourth meeting of East Side Hospitality this year. This afternoon, the meeting is held on the dance floor of The Echo nightclub in Echo Park.

She stands at the front of a mostly male audience made up of bar managers, doormen , and bouncers. There is food, soft drinks and handouts to go around. The theme of today's gathering is bar and nightclub security. A nuts and bolts presentation of how to's and don'ts co-presented by Wong and veteran Rampart senior lead officer Louis Ford . She speaks not as a lecturer , but as Donna, a friendly and informative guide to city departments and officials relevant to the proprietors of LA's nightlife.The message of today's presentation is simple and to the point; it is in every one's best interest to turn away unruly patrons peacefully than rather than by trading punches. As Donna explains, " We, (in the City Attorney's Office), will have a much more difficult time filing against the guy who starts trouble in your club if he turns up with a black eye." Its a message that her audience listens to carefully.

In the previous three meetings of East Side Hospitality, Donna Wong has facilitated get togethers between city officials and tavern owners at venues such as the Echo, in the early afternoons before opening time. The meetings are designed to give business people the opportunity to ask questions and to develop strategies to help avoid endemic problems such as noise complaints from neighbors.

In regard to the noise issue itself, Donna Wong observed at the August meeting, that outdoor patio seating is often the "Achilles Heel" of restaurateurs especially if the area had not been disclosed as part of the initial permit approval process.
The best advice is sometimes served with lunch.

For more information about the East Side Hospitality Association please contact Donna Wong at 213.847.8045 or donna.wong@lacity.org

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Saving Money on Security Costs in Tough Economy

There is a widely held perception that hard economic times are a signal for property managers and facilities directors to beef up security officer coverage. Higher unemployment is often a factor associated with a higher rate of crime. However,the simple truth is that during periods of recession, property management must come to terms with smaller operating budgets. Costs must be cut from all accounts, and security services are not immune from the budget axe. For example, a business park that suffers the loss of a single major tenant, or a string of smaller businesses will likely have to cut back on the 24 hour on-site security officer, and focus on the after-hours coverage exclusively. The same scenario may be applied to office buildings, condominiums and apartment complexes. The bottom line is this; loss of revenue will bring about tough budget decisions.
One option that has steadily gained momentum in recent years is vehicle patrol. To those not familiar with the concept, patrol is intermittent visits to a property by a uniformed security officer in a boldly marked patrol vehicle. Commercial property patrol is not simply drive-by protection . The officers often duplicate the duties of the stationary guard; locking doors and closing gates at specific times, and walking common areas to detect unusual activity.
Since 2001, we have altogether replaced thousands of monthly billable guard hours at office centers, apartment buildings, schools and retail stores. More recently, we introduced the service to a large senior living complex.
Much of the rise in our vehicle patrol business is due to technological advances in video surveillance systems, lighting and access control. Whereas in the past, it was the security officer on the graveyard shift who kept watch, and answered the door when visitors arrived ; the scene is now monitored remotely by either facility directors or even principals in their homes, and code access determines who may be allowed in at any time. Vehicle patrol is the intermediary step between the all night security officer and technology.
Now, this is not to dismiss the concept of the standing or static security officers. There are circumstances when only on-site coverage will do. The common scenarios include hospitals, sporting events, shopping centers and business improvement districts. These are environments where a certain level of safety and security is anticipated and where access and activity must be acutely monitored. Another instance would be the traditional fire watch detail where an officer is required to conduct patrols of a location at regularly scheduled intervals. This is usually occurs in apartment complexes when the fire sprinkler system is out, or is undergoing maintenance.
It is my belief that both static security and vehicle patrol will continue to grow well into this century.