Topic: Hiring police presence

I oversee a 32 unit apartment community in a high crime area. A lot of houses just passed us are boarded up. Bus stop is in front of the property. Heavy foot traffic to the convenience store 2 doors down.

People walk in and out constantly and our local police rep tells me we have a drug dealer living here. I suspect more than just the one.

We are hiring weekend off duty officers and I need some input about it for a letter to the residents.

I want to let them know what authority we are giving them.

Annoy suggestions?

There are few things to consider before hiring police on your property depending on your needs. It’s given that police officers are usually more trained and enjoy more power than private security companies. However a good reputable security agency might just do the job fine. For an example,

1) If you want longer hours (anything more than 4 hours) then you might need to consider a private security company to do the job. Police have the regular and long working hours already and how long are you expected them to work?

2) What type of service is expected? If you are looking for customer service or foot patrol type, police tend to be inpatient and using their hands and fists more than talking. So you want to figure out what is your community.

3) Punctuality. If you really want someone to be there on certain hours, then police would not be the answer. Taking into consideration the emergency situations they might face coming to work or during working hours. Also, if they arrested somebody they need more time for transportation, reporting and booking.

4) Cost. Police would usually charge more than private security companies. So, for the same service you could get more for your bucks. I my work, I've witnessed very bad communities turning to nice once with private security presence.

If you need more information, or free consultation you could contact me during business hours and you could also read my article on LinkedIn (Maher Husseini) about “12 signs that your business needs a security guard service”. You can reach me at (832)252-9397 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Good Luck
MK

Sandy, off-duty police officers are definitely a benefit onsite for the performance of securing your property. For a really problematic property, I highly recommend hiring off-duty officers who are familiar with your property, its particular challenges and who have a relationship with the law enforcement agencies. They are no more prone to hitting and bullying behavior than some "Rent-a-Cops" who strap on a gun and walk around thinking they are one impenetrable defender.

However, the caveat is this: who you hire must respect your community's rules. They are there to check the property, buildings, parking lots, and common areas. They are not there to sit in a parked car somewhere on the property for 20 minutes with a revolving strobe light on top "warning people security is present." They oftentimes will fall asleep or simply "check out." Those security "guards" do not Guard at all. They are a waste of money.

You have to know what you want before you can find the right person for the job. Trust me - a lot of companies who offer "paid security guards" often hire pretty much anyone and don't pay much. That is why there is so much turnover in that industry. So, beware and set the schedule for what you want. I used to go to the property at midnight, 3 am, and every time in between. NONE of the security companies were any good and I ended up working with police back up and patrolled my own property myself.