Interesting meeting

[u/Juany118]

Well I have been site Lead (and armed officer) for a security team at a public school since October. The company has less than 500 employees and primarily handles schools and houses of worship but obviously has some commercial accounts to keep money rolling in when school is out for the summer. Well last week the COO scheduled a Microsoft Teams meeting for this afternoon to save on travel time from my school to the home office. I sign in and there is the COO, CEO and Executive Director. Welp, once the school year ends in June I am going to be an Ops Manager, over school contracts primarily as it's my speciality, who is going to be getting CPP, PSP and PMP certifications on the company dime. I had 27 years in law enforcement before I joined the company, much of it as a liaison with a school district so I demonstrates that I know how to talk to clients, and that was apparently added into the metrics but still I am hoping that it doesn't cause friction with other site Leads who have been with the company longer. In hindsight this really wasn't an interview, it was more of a "We are looking for 2 ops managers and a bunch of field supervisors which do you want?"

Anyone ever have an issue making a jump like this from site lead straight to Ops? Is the friction I am concerned about a real thing? I have noticed some people on the Reddit here complaining about what they see as favoritism towards former LEOs and Veterans but don't know how prevalent that really is.

[u/DefiantEvidence4027]

I knew a few to make the jump, one retired from Emergency Services and another retired from State Homeland Security.

None of the real Security Officers wanted the job because they knew it was a 24/7 job, with the Statutory Minimum Salary for OT exempt employees.

They came in with the idea they were Geniuses, and would try emphasizing their previous, largely unrelated experience, is what they needed to preach to Guards. After getting called out so many times one quit the other evolved.

The Ops that evolved looked into what the seasoned Security Personnel were citing, cross polinated that data. It's like the Military saying "if you need to know something ask a Captain, because the Captain knows the Sergeant who has the answer".

Pertaining specifically to Schools, my first thought is if it accepts Federal Grant Moneys, if it meets the threshold to mandate the School to comply with Clery Act [Federal]. If yes to Clery, who in the district is doing the report, and what data is mandated for them to report, at the time. Second thing I seek is Local Ordinances and such.

[u/Juany118 → u/DefiantEvidence4027]

Well I told them straight up in the meeting that they weren't getting a 24/7 person physically. Obviously I will respond to Teams messages after hours but they will get 10 hours extra out of me a week + bonafide emergencies, that are going to be defined in writing, because this is a retirement job, not a 2nd career. I basically said "you came to me and I am content where I am" and they at least said this was acceptable in the meeting.

Also, at least in my experience, guard experience really doesn't amount to much either, in the big scheme of things, because there is little standardizing. The state I am in is very balkanized with multiple school districts per county, before you even get into the private schools, and every school district wants their security done differently. Some have their own Chief of Security that dictates to us, others have us run things, others have the individual principals dictating policy so you have have 15 different ways of doing something in one district. Because of this a guard in one district can suddenly feel like a complete noob if he has to fill in elsewhere.

We don't have any colleges so the Clery Act really isn't a thing for us, though the state has recently enacted a similar law, that isn't tied to funding, it's just a blanket mandate, but it only applies to specific crimes. That's probably why they didn't mind so much my ask for how much time I commit. When the vast majority of your contracts are K through 12 schools, and houses of worship, that only care about guards being present when students and congregants are present, you have minimal 24 hour stuff going on.

[u/DefiantEvidence4027 → u/Juany118]

Some have their own Chief of Security that dictates to us, others have us run things, others have the individual principals dictating policy

That's precisely what some Guards double check. A company shouldn't risk theirown policy for a "Moral Hazard" (insurance definition) created by a reckless client acting in bad faith while assuming Guard Company will be holding the bag in a Tort Case.

Clery Act really isn't a thing,

If all your schools don't have the Fed Grant moneys, or Credited classes obligating them to it, I suppose that is a plus, one less headache.

the state has recently enacted a similar law, that isn't tied to funding, it's just a blanket mandate, but it only applies to specific crimes.

That sounds interesting, if you can pass the name of the act of to me, that's precisely the type of data I seek, and post at times.

houses of worship, that only care about guards being present when students and congregants are present, you have minimal 24 hour stuff going on.

They have theirown set of odd legal nuances, which I would hope someone in a Security Company knows, so the Security Company doesn't get held to account for voiding any 501(c)(3) , State, or FEMA funding they may receive. And/or certain indemnifications are listed in the contract.

Sounds like you seriously have a full plate.

Also, at least in my experience, guard experience really doesn't amount to much either, in the big scheme of things, because there is little standardizing.

Guards can play big roles in pointing out where the discrepancy is at their location. Some naturally inquisitive look into certain "why's" about policy/law and theirown task at hand. Guards are either loyal to the client, money, or the Security Company they are employed by.

Some Guards read the contracts, if tasked with searching bags in the atrium, clients new hierarchy comes out asking them to also check 100 doors, they should have the forethought to say, "let me check with ops"; Guards have seen both outcomes of ops, acknowledging a diminishing marginal productivity ops could say no, and add another Guard or more to the contract offseting the additional liability, or those 'giving away the store'. If your predecessor said yes to all the clients demands, you may need to corral that, and make suggestions to revert back to the original contract. Save the Security Company and the Security Insurance, before saving the client.

Your in a chair of accountability and consequence, I wish you luck on it.

[u/Juany118 → u/DefiantEvidence4027]

To my knowledge Clery only applies to Colleges, Universities, etc, not K-12 institutions, regardless of funding. Here is some of the laws that I mentioned.

https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/secure/pacode/data/022/chapter10/chap10toc.html

https://www.palegis.us/statutes/unconsolidated/law-information?sessYr=2025&sessInd=0&actNum=44

The school community also includes faculty and staff, for the purposes of notification and the notification can be for something mundane, like a small pocket knife, it doesn't have to be what you typically think of as a weapon.

Mandatory reporting is serious assaults, sex offenses, drug delivery. Discretionary is simple possession of controlled substances minor assaults/fights, thefts etc.