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Ashley Tatum ENGL 1102 Ms. Hinnant 4/10/14

Extended Inquiry Project: Respect of Security Officers and Their Importance to Public Safety The Epicentre is like the unofficial town square of Uptown Charlotte. Towering into the sky with over four floors, the Epicentre provides the people of Uptown Charlotte epic dining, entertainment, and events throughout the year and all day long. With all of the hustle and bustle going on and the fact that Charlotte has one of the highest crime rates in America (according to security officer Mike Darnell) it is important for the safety of the public for the Epicentre to be patrolled by security officers. In fact, its important for many public facilities to be guarded by security officers such as banks, ATMs, malls, hotels, corporations, and more. Security guards have limitations to their authorities compared to police officers, which causes them to be taken less seriously. My goal is to show how little security officers are respected and how serious their role truly is to public safety. Interview with Security Officer Joe Fullerton It was a cold Monday evening in mid-January when Joe and I casually indulged in burgers and fries at Five Guys at the Epicentre while I asked him questions about working as an Epicentre security officer. I noticed when we ordered our food the cashier didnt charge him for his fries because of his job as security personnel there. After my interview with him I learned that security officers are not allowed to arrest people, but only detain them until

police arrive. I also learned that the only training they had were two days of classes. Learning these things was important because if security guards have limited enforcement and very little training, then they are not equal to police officers. Security guards will not be respected as real authority in the eyes of the Epicentre guests. There are certain situations where security officers are perceived to be equal with police officers such as, in prisons. Security guards in prisons are actually respected more by prisoners than security guards in the community are respected by average people because prisoners view them as being equivalent to police officers. (Jacobs, JB, Kraft, and Soc for the Study of Social Problems 306). This quote is a good reflection of how security guards are respected in different settings. I directly asked Joe if he felt respected as an officer in the setting of the Epicentre, and he said there is always a stigma that they are just rent-a-cops but most people comply with their authority except for the drunken ones. Regardless of the stigma that has been put on them, security guards are leaders of public safety too. Leadership expert Terry Anderson and several wellknown leaders in the law enforcement and criminal justice profession quote: Public safety leaders (in corrections, fire, customs, immigration, security, courts, etc.) can implement the Transforming Leadership process, skills, and principles such as organizational skills, being versatile, consultative skills, problem management, and character. Community members and the police administration are gaining higher expectations for public safety leaders. (91-99). This quote gives a scholarly voice to my research by reinstating how important the role of security officers have in regards to public safety. It also shows how security guards are leaders of public safety too and how the demand for public safety is growing. Even though the public may not respect security officers as leaders, but the businesses obviously respect their protection because of the discount Joe received.

Habits It was a cold Friday night during my first observation of Epicentre security guards. As I entered the main entrance to the Epicentre there were four guards standing in the center talking, laughing, and carrying on. They didnt seem to be paying much attention to the surrounding people like their job requires. There was a fifth guard standing to the right of the entrance. He appeared to be in his late forties to early fifties and about six foot tall. All of the security officers uniforms are solid black with a badge on their chest similar to a police badge. Authors of Crime and Justice say theres a grey area between distinguishing a private officer (security) and a public officer (police). (Shearing and Stenning 196). From my observations, this statement is disproven. Private security officers wear different uniforms than public police officers do. Police uniforms are always blue and black whereas, a security guards uniform may be a different combination of colors or one solid color. As I continued watching, I noticed the guard next to the entrance was observing everyone that walked by intently as if he took his job seriously. I would say his maturity had a lot to do with it, since his companions that were chatting away in the center, appeared to be about in their twenties and thirties. The Epicentre is a four story tower of restaurants, bars, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a hotel, and a CVS Pharmacy in open space. As I went on through the entrance and came to the center where the elevator is, I noticed another guard standing there. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties but a little shorter than the other man. Just like the other man, he looked like he took his job seriously. I made my way all around the first, second, and third floor. I observed that there was a security officer in each corner and in the center of every floor. Most of them were doing their job well in keeping an eye on the busy crowd except for the

guard on the second floor standing in the corner next to Whisky River. He seemed more interested in his cell phone. I observed the guards on another day. It was a Tuesday, on February fourth, and on this day the guards were walking around instead of being stationary as they had been on Friday night. There were two guards on each floor and they made routes back and forth across the floors in opposite directions of each other. These guards were older than the ones I saw on Friday. Most of them appeared to be in their forties and fifties. I even saw one guard that looked like he was in his mid-sixties. My assumption is that since the week days are much less crowded than the weekend nights, the security officers need to patrol the Epicentre by walking around instead of remaining stationary. Also, it is better for the older gentlemen to work on less crowded shifts. If someone is in a position of authority but they dont take their role seriously, then people will not respect their authority. That is human nature. For example, the group of officers that were talking and laughing with each other, and the officer that was texting away on his cell phone didnt appear to be taking their job seriously. If security guards are not taking their job seriously, then they are not contributing much to public safety which defeats the purpose of their role. Sometimes when an Epicentre guest is not respecting a security officers authority, it could be because they brought it upon their self. Interactions Fortunately, I was able to be present during two exciting interactions with the guards and the public. The first occasion occurred on a very busy Saturday night. The Epicentre was crowded with young adults hanging out in the bars. I was on the first floor when I heard

someone yell Yeah! Woo! at the top of their lungs. It was a drunken guy, and after he yelled he slowly sank to the ground and laid flat on his back with his arms and legs sprawled out. He was laughing his head off as some of his friends were taking pictures of him with their phone; others were trying to get him up. A security guard from somewhere in the corner of CVS Pharmacy walked over and tried to get him up. The officer had to keep being persistent with the man before the man finally staggered up with the officer assisting him. Then the officer walked with him to the sidewalk and made sure he got a taxi. The second occasion also occurred on a busy Saturday night with a homeless man in which the guards nick-named Skunk Beard. The security officers nick-named the man this because he is a black man with a long beard with a gray streak going right down the center of it. Someone reported to them that night that they had seen a homeless man crouched down and sleeping in a hollow, ditch-like place in the Epicentre parking garage. It was Skunk Beard. This is not the first time they had dealt with him. He had been caught another time before, trying to sleep overnight in that same spot. The security guards kindly asked him to leave but warned him if they caught him there again he would be arrested by the police. There was a third incident that happened on a weekend night when I was not around. I found this out from a security officer named Sean the next time I came to observe them. A drunken man became hostile towards people around him. The security officers tried to get him to leave but he would not. Then the man became violent towards the guards, and they had to detain him in handcuffs until police arrived to arrest him. In all three of these occurrences the people had to be asked multiple times to comply with the security officers requests. Not only are these occurrences happening at the Epicentre but

there is a lot of incompliance taking place within schools now. Escalations in student violence continue throughout the nation, but inner-city schools are hit the hardest, with classrooms and corridors infected by the anger, aggression, and criminality endemic to street life. The security system, with its uniformed officers and invasive high-tech surveillance, has assumed authority over students' bodies and behavior, negating the traditional roles of teachers as guardians and agents of moral instruction. (Devine 131-142). This quote clearly shows how students dont take security guards seriously any better than the troublemakers I described from the Epicentre and how security officers are not as respected as they should be. If regular police officers had dealt with these situations, the people involved would have probably listened to them sooner. People dont realize that in the future, security guards will most likely outnumber police officers. According to an article (The Future of Policing) in the Law and Society Review: The driving forces behind restructuring of policing are fear of crime, the inability of government to satisfy societys longing for security, the rise of mass private property, and cultural individualism. Poor communities will be self-governing through grant money and private policing will become the paradigm of public policing. (Bayley, David H., and Shearing 596-600). If the public were aware of this and the fact that having security guards within the community keeps them safer, then they would comply with security with less apprehension. Uniqueness I had the opportunity of speaking with a security officer by the name of Mike Darnell during my fifth observation of the guards. He had noticed my visits of coming to the Epicentre and sitting there observing them while taking notes, so he politely came up to me and started talking. He started off with introducing his self and asked me how I was doing.

Then he informed me of seeing there on frequent occasions taking notes, and asked me if he could help me with anything. Personally, I think he was just doing his job and finding out what in the world I was doing without directly asking it. I explained to him about my research and ethnography I am working on, on the topic of respect of security officers at the Epicentre. Then, Mike informed me of much useful and unique information about the Epicentre that I did not know before. He told me how the Epicentre is technically private property and how anyone can be arrested by the police for trespassing if they are asked to leave by the guards and refuse to do so. Also, because it is private property, they can patrol the main floors of the Epicentre but they cannot patrol the inside of the businesses unless a business owner asks them to do so. Even then, if an incident breaks out inside a business all the security officer can do is ask them to leave. No one can be detained unless they are outside of a business. The development of private security has grown due to shifts in private property relations. (Shearing and Stenning 237). The driving forces behind restructuring of policing are the rise of mass private property (Bayley, David H., and Shearing 596600). These pieces of scholarly information reinforce Mikes statements about the Epicentre being private property. Overall, in Mikes opinion, security officers at the Epicentre are not respected as much as a police officer. They are taken for granted. He said if the security officers were not there, the whole place would be overrun with thefts and violence, even possibly gang violence. After this statement is when he informed me that Charlotte has one of the highest crime rates in America. Language

The language from the security officers at the Epicentre to the public is polite. People come up to them asking them for directions to certain places, how late a certain restaurant stays open, and things of that nature as if they were information kiosks. From my observations, the guards answer their questions nicely. This shows that the security officers respect the public and they dont try to intimidate them. The officers are assertive in their language when need be, but like Joe mentioned during our interview, they try to avoid any hostility as much as possible. The security officers language with each other seems to be pleasant. I usually see them chatting and laughing. They appear to all get along with each other well which means they respect each other. Police officers and security officers seem to respect each other also. There didnt seem to be any jealousy or tension among them contraire to the Crime and Justice journal, which states that there is conflict among private and public security and the roles they have in the community. (201-204). Once again, my observations seem to disprove a scholarly quote.

Copy of Interview with Security Officer Joe Fullerton on 1/20/14 Me: Are you allowed to arrest people? Joe: I can't arrest. I can detain in handcuffs in certain situations. Me: Do you carry anything like pepper spray or any other kind of self-defense stuff on you? Joe: Some officers do. You have to take a class and get certified to carry it. There is a big liability if it has to be used on someone. I haven't taken the class, so I don't carry it.

Me: Oh ok. Can you tell me what your training was like? Joe: Two days of classes. We were told about what the risks of work were. Proper procedures when talking to people and dealing with situations; how to observe people's behavior and assess their demeanor; counteract and make it seem like it was their idea to leave the property to get them to do what we want. Also the liabilities we face when having to act with disgruntled or disorderly guests. Me: Cool. Was there any physical training required? Joe: No. In training for the job we are taught to be non-physical and non-confrontational. However, that is for indoor mall security. With the property we are on and the people we are to deal with, physical confrontations do occur and training for that is continuous and day to day. All defense and subduing until proper authorities (police) arrives on scene to arrest. Me: How many guards secure the Epicentre each shift? Joe: Between three and eight depending on the shift. Me: What do you think the Epicentre would be like without security? Joe: Chaos. A lot more youths causing problems. Property damage, theft, assaults. Me: Do you feel less respected than a regular police officer? Joe: Yes. There is always a stigma that we are rent-a-cops or mall cops. Most people comply with what we have to say when we use our authority but there are others that, when they get intoxicated or something, have no respect for anyone. We cannot allow ourselves to escalate the situation any further.

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Me: Wow you guys are way under appreciated. Joe: Yeah, it pretty much sucks most of the time. But it has its perks. I got two girls numbers last night. Bibliography Anderson, Terry. Every Officer is a Leader: Transforming Leadership in Police, Justice, and Public Safety. CRC Press, 1999. Web. Bayley, David H., and Clifford D. Shearing. "The Future of Policing." Law and society review (1996): 585-606. Web. Clifford D. Shearing and Philip C. Stenning. Modern Private Security: Its Growth and Implications. Crime and Justice. Vol. 3. (1981): 193-245. Web. Darnell, Mike. Personally informed. 15 Feb. 2014. Devine, John. Maximum Security: The Culture of Violence in Inner-City Schools. University of Chicago Press, 1996. Web. Fullerton, Joe. Personal interview. 20 Jan. 2014. Jacobs, JB, LJ Kraft, and Soc for the Study of Social Problems. "Illinois-Integrating the Keepers-A Comparison of Black and White Prison Guards." Social Problems 25.3 (1978): 304-318. Web.