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Originally Posted by TTrent
well i am not a security guard but i am curious where you are and what company you work for to figure out why there seems to be such a discrepancy between what you say and what i've heard. i'm not saying that you dont do what you've been told and trained to do, especially being like i said, not a security guard.
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Due to the privacy of my employer I cannot give full details, however I work for a major player in the contract security game with divisions world wide. I currently work in a high tech office building which again I cannot name nor explain what they do. Previous work sites have included malls, protection of the Right Honorable Jean Chretien, banks, retail outlets, and of course the dreaded construction sites.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TTrent
after reading this i decided to talk to a regional manager for one of the largest pharmacy chains in the U.S that i use to work for and he says that the rules and training are very specific and that thieves can be restrained if caught in the act or on camera.
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Main issue here is you talked to a man who hires what I would assume are either in house guards or contract guards who work the entire area. If a guard works in house (works for the pharmacy and not a contract company) and the company owns the parking lot than this is correct as the man is still on their property and can be detained. If the man was spotted on camera, the camera operator must maintain a visual on the man the entire time. If there are two guards on duty than this is also correct as one can work the camera and keep in contact with the guard on the floor. However if the guard on the camera loses sight of the perp you must IMMEDIATELY stop as it than becomes illegal, the tape can be used as proof. Main thing that will happen in a pharmacy would be theft, in which case it does not become a crime until you attempt to leave the building with the merchandise. You are allowed to go anywhere and place objects in your pocket, but the second you try to leave without paying for them you have stolen. If you leave a building you will end up on their land as all landowners own the land leading to and from the exits, this is where your confrontation can happen. Anything beyond this becomes illegal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TTrent
they can be tackled to the ground, they can be held and if the thief uses violent force that the security personnel can escalate to an even level of self defense though ideally their goal is to restrain the thief until further help arrives which i'm guessing is in the form of more security or police. i know for a fact that in the past the security guys have had to go to the level of punching, choking, in one case i mentioned a police officer brandished a tazer and i was told by the security guys that cops have even had to pull their guns out in extreme cases.
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I will confirm that you can tackle, kick, punch, and otherwise defend yourself. It is much easier to get away with in the states. That said I work in Canada and our justice system is set up so that even a rapist is a victim its rather sickening. However this is how the use of force goes:
If there is passive resistance, ie you have placed them under citizen's arrest and have told them to come with you, if they begin to walk away you may use soft physical control. This would be GENTLY directing them back into the store. However the citizens arrest MUST be made in full, and its in your best interest to have a witness present in case you are dealing with a career criminal.
Next is active resistance, this occurs once soft control has been attempted. If while trying to direct the man to the store he shrugs you off he has become an active resister. At this point you may grab clothing or the individual in an attempt to have them stop resisting and come with you. 9/10 this just escolates.
Assaultive resistance, this is the pushing, punching, kicking. Again in the states you can get away with alot more. Up here however, if somebody punches me with a little bitch punch and I crank him in the face full force breaking his orbital, I face jail time. In the states, I get a wicked story to tell coworkers LOL. Essentially you can do whatever they do to you. They punch you, you can punch them. Depending on where your from you can bust out an ASP. But thats illegal over here, so its pretty much GnP time.
Next up is grievous bodily harm or death. This is where they have pulled a knife or gun, or you believe they are attempting to seriously fuck you up. At this point you must be fearful for your life. You can do whatever you want here. I had a coworker get stabbed by a junkie downtown, he ended up smacking the junkie in the face with a brick. If there is a weapon on the ground you use it, better them than you.
What cops do, is their own business and nothing to do with security. They are the ones who take care of everything and if they feel they need to pull a tazor on somebody, i fully support their decision and hope to god its not me they aim it at LOL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TTrent
the general manager also said that they are allowed to go outside the store and even into the parking lot. this seems to be a difference in the mall company policy vs this particular chain's policy.
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It depends on the land owned by the company, and/or how much land is covered in the contract if it is a contract company.
Hope that helps
