As I watched the news unfold on the latest, greatest “man-on-man” national tragedy, I wondered, could James Holmes, a 24-year-old former doctoral candidate, and all around nobody, be conspiring with CNN and the NRA? First, there was the new CNN tragedy driven soundtrack, custom made for a ratings spike (I guess Wolf Blitzer gets to keep his day job). Followed by, the endless spool of eye witness accounts and a host of security professionals selling everything from bomb detection to armed guards…these security “bad-asses” call these locations “soft targets”, I thought we call them movie theaters? Ah, and then there’s the  NRA with their second amendment, flag waving, freedom seeking enthusiasts fronted by Wayne La Pierre unwilling and unavailable to accept responsibility. Wayne and his friends in government and industries that build assault weapons, Kevlar piercing ammo, large capacity magazines and body armor, for over-the-counter retailers, would rather you believe that these 12 innocent victims were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. A tragedy that any law abiding, gun toting, NRA card carrying member could have put down had he been enjoying a family night out at the movies…not. Who is Wayne LaPierre? Typically, when one serves their [...]

For years, I have been telling old clients and prospective new ones about the great illusion created by companies like G4S, Wackenhut, Allied Barton, FJC and alike volume based globally recognized security firms. With the illusion of grand operational capabilities and unlimited resources & logistics, supported by smoke and mirror marketing tactics, these companies have done more damage to the professionalization of an already stressed and under compensated industry. Using bottom-feeder tactics to win large contracts, G4S and similar volume based providers, have reduced the competitive marketplace to just a handfull of players, none of whom can deliver the final product without the help of local mom and pop security professionals who are typically partnered with to support these contracts. Aside from the obvious question, how G4S, a foreign company to the core, continues to thrive both here in the US and abroad, the larger question is why? Why are these companies with more documented failures, high employee turnover and an inability to sustain long term client relationships growing in wealth? Why has performance, interpersonal relationships, and client values and culture become replaced by quantity and sub par billing rates? At a time where many municipalities and private institutions are cowering under [...]

Recently, we received a call from a potential client who found our company the old fashion way, the yellow pages.  The potential client stated that she is a single mom, with two young children.  She was currently working part time, but was recently asked by her employer to work full time. Even though she had family obligations, she did not want to pass up the opportunity to make more money.  However, who would watch her children while she was at work.   Her current babysitting needs were being met by using teens that were recommended by friends.  While the client felt secure, the teenagers were becoming unreliable due to their own social commitments, and they would not be able to babysit during working hours because of school.  Furthermore, the potential client was unable to use a “Nanny” agency because of the cost. She understood that using such an agency would alleviate her from having to screen potential candidates (interviews, background checks, etc.). So, to cut costs, she decided to conduct the interviews, and use our company for the background checks.   Her first question pertained to the necessity of doing a background check, or would the interview process she was undertaking suffice?  Next, [...]