Recession Effects on Security

As Chicago's two-year contract negotiations with the city and its police union comes nears its end, Mayor Richard Daley is now proposing giving security guards the ability to write citations for minor infractions, which as of today only police officers are legally allowed to do. The irony here is that just a few years ago police departments looked down on security companies.

Several major security monitoring firms worried that law enforcement in certain cities were taking over home and business alarm monitoring.According to Chicago's Mayor Daley, by allowing security officers to ticket people for graffiti, parking violations, and other minor infractions real trained police officers would be freed and more readily available to combat more serious, violent crimes. Recently Chicago sold its parking meter operation, including parking tickets, to a third-party business.  The move is worth exploring according to Daley because it could also possibly create more revenue for the city while simultaneously enforcing minor ordinances. It's not a bad idea," Daley said. "The more police you have out there...I like the concept...it will help us." Last week the police union publicly rejected the idea complaining that there is no way of knowing how properly trained armed security guards are.

Since most armed security guards can be hired from any private firm, the police union argue that security officers could half several different training backgrounds causing inconsistent logistics. Police Supt. Jody Weis said,  "It's in the concept phase... anything we can do in today's times that would put more officers on the street to address crimes of violence, is worth looking at." There has been much public complaint about the increasing number of broken or damaged parking meters. Daley thinks that the matter should be handled by the private firm that has taken ownership for public parking.

“We had a lot of things wrong, that is why we got out of this business," Daley said. "The city knows nothing about parking meters, and that's why it was important to get out of it. Let's not blame this new company. They'll be complaints, but like anything else, they will get to those complaints." During times of economic struggles, it is apparent that Mayor Richard Daley is attempting to prioritize the allocation of law enforcement and third-party security firms throughout the city. The clear impact on our global economy is eminent and even England's  British Security Industry Association (BSIA), which is advising organizations who may be contemplating cutting back on security during these uncertain economic times to think again.

Recession-related crime only highlights the need for investment in tight security measures to not only prevent crime but also curb the financial, physical and emotional impact that becoming a victim of crime can have. Many private and public sectors may decide to cut back on security when times get tough but realistically this is the time when even increased security makes more sense. BSIA CCTV Section Chairman, Pauline Norstrom, said, “According to recent media reports, some local authorities may be contemplating cutting back on their proactive CCTV monitoring provision. Such a decision should not be taken lightly. A withdrawal of funding will leave town and city centers vulnerable to what can be serious incidents to which a CCTV operative could previously have quickly responded. The Police and emergency services will not receive the timely information they require to make prevention decisions and target their resources. This can leave people and assets at a higher level of risk.”
What a difference a recession makes.