SECURITY OFFICERS: WEEKLY ROUNDUPViolence Against Hospital Security Officers | Senators Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Improve Security at Federal Buildings | Plan to End Mandated Hiring of LEOs as Security Guards in Chicago Schools, and more
· CapMetro to Deploy Private Security Guards at Austin, Tx. Busy Bus Stops
The guards would report incidents to the transit agency’s new public safety dispatch center
· Enfield, Ct. Officials Debate Whether to Again Staff Schools with Armed Security Guards
The plan that has divided the Town Council along party lines
· Violence Against Hospital Security Officers Highlights Need for Retention Strategy Revisions
Hospitals must regularly revisit their recruitment and retention strategies to best protect and keep their security employees
· West Virginia Legislature Spars Over Language in School Security Officer Bill
West Virginia House of Delegates spends hours debating an amendment to remove three words from a 14-page bill concerning the hiring of school security officers
· Plan to End Mandated Hiring of LEOs as Security Guards Awaits Chicago School District Approval, Union Says
Chicago Public Schools is seeking to remove the requirement that part-time security candidates “must have the legal authority to effectuate an arrest”
· Concern Growing Over Armed Security Guards at Raleigh Bus Station
Calls are growing to disarm security at the downtown Raleigh bus station after a private armed security team recently started patrolling the transit center
· Senators Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Improve Security at Federal Buildings
Legislation requiring agencies to respond to recommendations from the Federal Protective Service within 90 days, after a GAO investigation and congressional hearings revealed the vast majority of security recommendations go ignored
· MCC to Arm College Security Officers with Rifles
The Monroe Community College Board of Trustees has decided to arm college security officers with “rifles”
· Oakland-Based Clorox Hires Security Guards to Escort Employees Downtown
Clorox is the latest business downtown to take steps to protect its workers from crime
· Halifax Alehouse Security Officer’s Actions Caused Death of Man, Lawsuit Alleges
Family of Ryan Sawyer filed 2 lawsuits against the Halifax Alehouse, former security officer
CapMetro to Deploy Private Security Guards at Austin, Tx. Busy Bus Stops (Nathan Bernier, KUT News)
For the first time, Capital Metro is planning to station unarmed security guards at major transit hubs, including North Lamar Transit Center, South Congress Transit Center, Republic Square Park and the Tech Ridge Park and Ride. The transit agency says the decision was driven by a flood of complaints about safety.
“These will be eyes in the field for us,” said Gardner Tabon, a CapMetro vice president who oversees public safety. “Whether it’s drug deals or some other behaviors that are totally unacceptable on our property that, quite frankly, we wouldn’t want our customers exposed to.”
“We are trying to enhance and grow our ridership, and we feel like this may be just another tool in the toolbox to get that to happen,” Tabon told a committee of CapMetro board members this week.
CapMetro plans to contract security guards through a private firm, which hasn’t been chosen yet. The transit agency said it couldn’t provide a cost estimate. But the security guards are expected to be on the job within six weeks.
The guards would report incidents to the transit agency’s new public safety dispatch center. A dispatcher could request help from a police department or send a CapMetro social worker, whose job is to connect customers with mental health resources or other help.
Enfield, Ct. Officials Debate Whether to Again Staff Schools with Armed Security Guards (Susan Danseyar, CTInsider)
Despite ending a similar program nine years ago, town officials are revisiting a proposal to bring armed security officers back to public schools, a plan that has divided the Town Council along party lines.
Council members on Tuesday voted 7-2 to authorize Town Manager Christopher Bromson to sign a memorandum of understanding between the town and Board of Education for armed security officers paid for by the town, pending approval by interim Town Attorney Tom Tyler and Shipman & Goodwin, the district’s legal advisers.
Violence Against Hospital Security Officers Highlights Need for Retention Strategy Revisions (Amy Rock, Campus Safety)
Several hospital security officers sustained injuries in recent weeks after being attacked by both patients and non-patients, reiterating the need for hospitals to frequently revamp their recruitment and retention practices as healthcare employees continue to leave the industry at an alarming rate.
