Boston armed guards run amuck, police say www.privateofficer.com
Boston MA Aug 5 2009
Armed security guards within Boston are not individually licensed, and Boston Police have no idea about most of these guards’ backgrounds.
City Councilor Rob Consalvo has filed an ordinance that would require all armed security guards be registered with the Boston Police. Thus, the BPD would know the backgrounds of the guards, and also know how many guards are present at any time at particular places.
Consalvo often sees a group of fatigued and armed security guards outside a bank at City Hall (and there are also armed security guards in the Parkway), and most people believe they are actually police, but they aren’t. Consalvo has been asked numerous times by residents about the armed guards.
“This is a preemptive effort to regulate the armed guard industry like most other cities do,” said Consalvo. “This is about coordinating with the BPD [of security guards] who are in our city, on our private ways, with guns. If something happens like 9/11 or at the Holocaust Museum … so when police are responding, they know who’s there and how many security guard are there.”
Calls to the Wackenhut Corporation, an international security guard company, the same company that was present at the Holocaust Museum when a white militant opened fire, were not returned.
Consalvo said that several companies have supported the legislation, but Wackenhut has yet to embrace it.
Right now, Boston Police do not have full listings of armed security guards at different locations. Some security companies have registered their individual employees with the city and continue to let the BPD know about their employees, but some do not.
The BPD would also train the guards and give them certification. The security companies would have to pay the fees that go with the training and certification, said Consalvo. His legislation would require individuals to be a special officer of the BPD in case something were to happen.
“They [would] become special police officers in an event or special incident. What if something were to happen? Right now they wouldn’t have the legal authority, but to stand there. But the public thinks they’re police officers,” he said.
“Right now, we assume the companies who have hired them did necessary background checks, CORI checks and firearm training. There’s nothing that tells us that, we don’t know this,” said Consalvo.
The Boston Police Patrolman’s Association is 100 percent behind the legislation, said Jim Barry, legislative agent for the BPPA.
“These are unregulated armed security guards throughout Boston,” said Barry. “They skirt the local laws by registering as private detectives. But they’re uniformed. They’re not private detectives.”
Said Barry, “We would know where these individuals are, and know when we’re answering a call whether it’s a holdup call [or something else] so we would know if we have another armed individual there. We are also responsible to the public that they’re properly trained.”
Both Barry and Consalvo said the legislation would add uniformity to the relationship between the security guard industry and the BPD.
Several other states already require individual security guards to be licensed, including Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Armed security guards within Boston are not individually licensed, and Boston Police have no idea about most of these guards’ backgrounds.
City Councilor Rob Consalvo has filed an ordinance that would require all armed security guards be registered with the Boston Police. Thus, the BPD would know the backgrounds of the guards, and also know how many guards are present at any time at particular places.
Consalvo often sees a group of fatigued and armed security guards outside a bank at City Hall (and there are also armed security guards in the Parkway), and most people believe they are actually police, but they aren’t. Consalvo has been asked numerous times by residents about the armed guards.
“This is a preemptive effort to regulate the armed guard industry like most other cities do,” said Consalvo. “This is about coordinating with the BPD [of security guards] who are in our city, on our private ways, with guns. If something happens like 9/11 or at the Holocaust Museum … so when police are responding, they know who’s there and how many security guard are there.”
Calls to the Wackenhut Corporation, an international security guard company, the same company that was present at the Holocaust Museum when a white militant opened fire, were not returned.
Consalvo said that several companies have supported the legislation, but Wackenhut has yet to embrace it.
Right now, Boston Police do not have full listings of armed security guards at different locations. Some security companies have registered their individual employees with the city and continue to let the BPD know about their employees, but some do not.
The BPD would also train the guards and give them certification. The security companies would have to pay the fees that go with the training and certification, said Consalvo. His legislation would require individuals to be a special officer of the BPD in case something were to happen.
“They [would] become special police officers in an event or special incident. What if something were to happen? Right now they wouldn’t have the legal authority, but to stand there. But the public thinks they’re police officers,” he said.
“Right now, we assume the companies who have hired them did necessary background checks, CORI checks and firearm training. There’s nothing that tells us that, we don’t know this,” said Consalvo.
The Boston Police Patrolman’s Association is 100 percent behind the legislation, said Jim Barry, legislative agent for the BPPA.
“These are unregulated armed security guards throughout Boston,” said Barry. “They skirt the local laws by registering as private detectives. But they’re uniformed. They’re not private detectives.”
Said Barry, “We would know where these individuals are, and know when we’re answering a call whether it’s a holdup call [or something else] so we would know if we have another armed individual there. We are also responsible to the public that they’re properly trained.”
Both Barry and Consalvo said the legislation would add uniformity to the relationship between the security guard industry and the BPD.
Several other states already require individual security guards to be licensed, including Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
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