Security Guards
NY’s Security-Guard Industry Grows Amid Lax Oversight
Adam Wisnieski |
Laws and regulatory agencies have failed to keep up with the explosion in demand for security services, with consequences for guards and the public they serve.
Private security guards are everywhere in New York City, from construction sites to department stores, in banks and in homeless shelters. But New York’s laws and regulatory agencies have failed to keep up with an explosion in demand for security services after September 11, a City Limits investigation found, with consequences for guards and the public they serve. This project was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Photos by Adi Talwar.
Laws and regulatory agencies have failed to keep up with the explosion in demand for security services, with consequences for guards and the public they serve.
The negotiations could prove to be a watershed moment for 32BJ’s growing Security Division, as some members feel that a new contract will show that their work is a vital component to the city.
Becoming a licensed security guard in New York State isn’t very difficult. Yet the “diploma mill,” where schools hand out certificates for a price, as well as schools that don’t make guards stay for an entire day, is still a problem.
The reporter talks about our series on the booming but often under-regulated security-officer industry.