Why Security Guard Training Is Essential
How Hiring an Unlicensed Guard Nearly Ruined My Business
I own a discount cosmetics and beauty supply store in a lower income neighborhood. I have to deal with shoplifters for years and still lost a significant amount of merchandise and profits to shoplifters despite my best efforts to keep my inventory under lock and key. I finally made the decision to hire a security guard when I caught a young girl red handed behind the counter stealing merchandise. Unfortunately I had no idea at the time how important security guard training would be for my business.
I thought I could cut a few corners by hiring a high school kid as a guard. He was a really nice guy and took his job very seriously. At first having him around actually was beginning to really pay-off too as I saw a dramatic decline in my loss of inventory.
Everything was great until my guard caught a junior high school girl pocketing a tube of lipstick. When he attempted to stop her at the exit, she ran and he chased after and tackled her. She was pretty bruised up and when the police arrived, to my surprise, they took both the shoplifter and my security guard into custody on charges of assault and unlawful arrest.
To make a long story short, I had to bail my guard out and pay for the girl’s medical bills. Fortunately for us, the girl’s parents agreed to drop the assault charges against my guard as long as I was willing to do the same for her shoplifting charges. The whole episode ended up costing me about sixteen hundred dollars. I was actually quite fortunate though because the girl was a minor and, had her parents decided to sue me for assault, it could have ended my business.
I have since learned that all guards must have a valid, state issued, security guard license by law. Most licensed guards are properly trained to arrest shoplifters without risk of injury. Hiring licensed guards may cost a few dollars more per hour, but the reduction in risk and liability is well worth the added expense.
