Private Security Guard Robs, Shoots Employer

Case Overview

This case takes place in Maine and involves the shooting of a man during a robbery. Prior to the shooting, the man had hired a security company to provide an armed guard for an apartment complex that he owned. The security company made representations that they performed background checks on all of their guards and employees. The company provided the man with a guard for his building, but, after a few months, the guard and another accomplice robbed the complex. During the robbery the guard shot the man who had originally hired him. Following the shooting, it was discovered that the security company didn’t perform the advertised background check, and in fact the guard had a violent criminal history.

Questions to the Security expert and their responses

Do you work at a private security company? If so, do you preform background checks?

We utilize a dual-database system whereby we check the background of an applicant with one database, and will conduct a second review with the second database if any information from the first is suspicious or questionable.

How do you preform an adequate background check?

If the results from the second review indicate a questionable background, we may follow-up with the court of record where the violation/incident occurred.

How do you decide who is employable and who is not following a background check?

Because of the nature of our industry, as well as the trust placed on us by our clients, we maintain a very selective hiring process that reviews each candidate to ensure the level of quality is present in each security staff member we utilize for every client. The line is usually drawn at crimes of violence, crimes involving theft, drugs/narcotics, sexual/indecent exposure, and any incident involving a child. If a candidate has an underage drinking violation, for example, we will consider that along with other factors (education, military service, prior experience, etc) before making the decision to automatically disqualify the candidate. But for professional and insurance purposes, we maintain a level of consistency for the safety of our clients and our company.

About the expert

This highly qualified former police officer holds a masters degree in both criminal justice and information systems security systems management. During his time in active police service he spent time on both the K-9 and uniformed units in densely populated precincts. He is a member of several professional organizations including the American Society of Industrial Security, the International Association of Emergency Managers and the Fraternal Order of Police. He is currently the president of a private security company which brings a combined 70 years of law enforcement and private security experience and training to the Philadelphia-region. His company provides a broad range of services, from executive and high-net work individual/family protection to private investigations to property protection and concierge security.