PROTECTION OF CITIZENS

By DELL ARTHUR 

           

           While out shopping at a local mall recently we had the chance to strike up a conversation with one of the security guards working outside one of the stores. It was a nice sunny day warmed by spring temperatures and a soft breeze. The crowds were busy and folks were going in and out carrying their packages stuffed with all types of items. That’s what aroused our curiosity. What could possibly be in those packages?

            With all the coverage of terrorist’s attacks around the world it seemed to us that one of the most vulnerable targets could be a shopping mall. That’s what sparked our interest.

            The security guard was an affable fellow who had been on the job for the past three years. He was an older man and a retired police officer. His job was simply to monitor the crowds, run off panhandlers and bike riders and skateboarders off the sidewalks. You would think such a job would be mundane and uninteresting. But after talking with the security guard we gained a far different impression.

            It seems, even though he was a retired police officer, he wasn’t permitted to carry a firearm. “Only guys working at the banks or companies like that are authorized to carry a gun” he related. “Our job here at the mall is strictly to observe and report any activity that would require police assistance.” The only “weapon” he carried was a company telephone.

            And that is where years of experience as a police officer came in. Even though his company prohibited his carrying a gun nevertheless he did. Under his jacket he had concealed a 9 mm automatic and was prepared to use it if necessary. “I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by six,” he said with a firm grin. And I can’t blame him.

            He mentioned that there have been times he had to call 911 to either trespass someone or have a drunk picked up. “Even though the mall is open to the public it is still private property and we do have rules here. We get all types of people shopping here but our biggest problem is vagrants who panhandle, get drunk or simply hassle customers. When I run into situations like that I call 911 and have the cops taken them away.”

            But there are other times that things can get more serious he said. “A while back a guy who claimed to be a member of the Bloods threatened me. He said he was an ex-con and he didn’t like anyone wearing a uniform. I told him he needed to leave the property before he got into trouble and he started to advance towards me. I then told him to stop but he didn’t. That’s when I told him I was a former police officer and he needed to back off before he got into more trouble. He didn’t listen too well!”

            Hitting the emergency button on his phone the local police were immediately alerted. The security guard was able to control the attacker from fighting him when a police cruiser pulled up and took the aggressor into custody. “If he had tried to pull a weapon or cause me bodily harm I probably would have had to take some action to protect myself. Fortunately I didn’t have to,” he related.

            Most of the time his job proved boring he said. And that is the way he liked it. But now with all of the problems with foreign terrorists’ invading our country he has found himself more alert to peoples activities. “You never know who is who these days. Profiling people isn’t politically correct but when you see a guy walking along with his wife wearing a burka following behind three paces it makes you wonder.

            One problem with his job he said was that he had no authority that extended into stores. “The stores have to rely on their own security people—if they have any. The only time we can get involved is if someone causes a problem outside the stores or in the parking lots.” Thieves rummaging cars is another problem. Security guards can’t be everywhere at one time so it’s hit and miss type of thing to apprehend the criminals he said.

            But what concerns him most was the possibility of someone setting off a bomb or shooting up the inside of the mall—especially during holidays or busy weekends. One thing for sure he said with a stern expression, sometime, someday it will most likely happen.

            Hopefully not at his facility.