Interviewee Kathryn Stalls
Job Title: Safety and Security Officer
Years in Field: 17 years How did you become a security guard? When I got a job at Frederick and Nelson in 1980, I didn't even know they had security. I'd stand there and look up and see these guys chasing people out the door with toasters, and they were wearing jeans. I thought, hey, I want that job. So I applied to get into retail theft. I was in really good shape, I had a great trainer, and I really liked the job. You wear jeans and tennis shoes, and wander around all day looking for people who are shoplifting. I did that for a long time, until I was recruited by my current boss. The hours here were 8-4, Monday through Friday, and I wanted to get out of retail. Even though I loved the work, the hours were tough. And this job offered medical and dental benefits, and it was a different kind of security work.
 What do you most enjoy about your work now? I like working with the students. I like to be able to help with problems or facilitate getting outside help. We deal with a lot of things: assaults, domestic violence, theft, stalking, fights. We interact with the police department and the fire department. I've had people come back and thank me for calling the fire department, even though they didn't want me to at the time. I've dealt with women who are being assaulted by partners at home. We provide information and the support to help them get out of life-threatening situations. We try not to pressure them, but to impress upon them the potential danger in the situation. It's rewarding to find out when they can get out of that situation and continue with their education. I don't have to sit at a desk. I get to walk around a lot. I also enjoy putting together reports because of the precision they require. Incidents are like puzzles, and I like putting them together in a cohesive way. The busier I am the happier I am, and the more I can help people the better it is. I look for the rest of the story. Maybe the guy is mentally ill, or maybe he didn't do it, or he was under the influence of drugs. There are several defenses; you're fighting for someone's life and liberty. You make sure the prosecutor is doing their job right, and you try to get the best deal for your client. What skills are most important to be a security guard? Being able to spell correctly and articulate clearly. You must put down enough information on even a curt report that you will be able to remember the incident, sometimes years later. I can't tell you some of the egregious reports I've seen. Because of them, officers aren't able to recall what happened. I've also seen officers in court getting a hard time for misspelling or using a word they can't explain. The defense attorney will nail them in court, "What are you, stupid? Did you graduate from high school?" Another important skill is patience, which is something I've had to learn. I've just never been a very patient person, but I had to learn to have patience on this job. Things don't always happen quickly, or turn out the way you would like to see them. So what's a typical day for you? Last Wednesday started calmly. I issued parking tickets. We had a medical call; a kid was having a seizure. Then we had a disturbance between 5 girls, and we had to get them separated and find out what was going on. We got called back 45 minutes later that the girls were at it again. Then those contacts had to be written up, so that took the afternoon. Some days we have a stolen car, or more often a car prowl. I take reports, and explain to people how to contact the police, and talk them through contacting their insurance. I walk around a lot, talk to people and give directions. Sometimes someone will come up and say "I want to talk to you about this, I just want to run something by you," and they don't want to make a report, they just want to know how to handle something. It's not always a security issue, but I try to get them going in the right direction. I do some first aid. We have a culinary department, and students are always cutting themselves up and getting burned. Sometimes I just help them clean and bandage the wound. If they need stitches, we get them to emergency. Sometimes you have to talk people into having the medics come here, finesse them into it. I tell them it would make me feel better, that they don't mind coming, we do this all the time. Any advice for people interested in becoming a security guard? This is not a job to go into if you want people to like you. Sometimes you have to make decisions that are really unpopular. You deal with issues that are uncomfortable for the victim to talk about. Part of your job is to make it easy and comfortable for them to report what's going on. If you take things personally, or get your feelings hurt easily, or the sight of blood makes you sick, or you have issues with confrontation, this is not the job for you. You need to think on your feet and make decisions quickly. It can be really rewarding. I've developed a relationship with a lot of students, watched them grow up on campus. It's great to see people learn a skill, open up, and start engaging the world around them. People let us know that they're glad we're here, and that they're comfortable enough to call us.
Related Articles: Criminal Justice Home
Paralegal Articles & Resources | Find Criminal Justice Schools |
