Security Guards Serve and Protect the Public

The security realm in the United States is a $100 billion industry

They’re known as “office creepers” – thieves who sneak into workplaces, posing as employees or service personnel, looking for unattended cubicles where they can steal laptops, purses, and even data stored on hard drives or USB flashes.

It’s just one security threat that Cristina Machado has to watch out for in the 38-floor Boston high-rise where she works as a security manager of an enforcement force of 40 officers.

“With the economy tanking, we are definitely seeing more activity,” said Machado, 30, of G4S Secure Solutions. Machado said that the safety concerns that exist today are quite different than when she first started as a mall security officer over a decade ago.

There has been a rise in workplace violence, property vandalism, vehicle break-ins, and parking lot muggings and other crimes. The security realm in the U.S. is a $100 billion industry, deploying protection in healthcare facilities, industrial plants, residential communities, universities, and other facilities, according to the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), which is pushing for consistent minimum standards for the training of security guard. “People tend to look down on security officers, but we take our job very seriously,” said Machado, of Fall River.

Read the story: Security Guards Serve and Protect the Public