Murder Meals Business

Archive for the ‘Law Enforcement Career’ Category

The role of the private detective has changed since the days of wide brimmed hats and trench coats. Today’s private detective offers a wide range of services and beginning this career path can lead into a variety of industries. Modern investigation services are diverse and help all manner of clients gather information for a number of reasons.

For those thinking of becoming a private detective they must appreciate the role that must be undertaken. Fundamentally private investigators gather information for individuals and businesses. They assist those in the legal profession with financial, personal and legal problems; often their clients are in the insurance industry.

The majority of private detectives are trained to undertake physical surveillance on a subject. This can often be for extended periods of time so to be a private detective, perseverance is a necessity. The ability to use computer databases to find information rapidly is also a large part of the contemporary private investigation industry.

The work of a private detective also includes questioning suspects, photographing suspects ‘red-handed’ and bringing illegal activities to the attention of the police; subsequently private investigators are often asked to testify in court.

In terms of the skills and attributes you need to become a private detective a number of qualities are a must. Firstly you must not be afraid of confrontation as your presence as a private detective is often unwanted. The ability to think on your feet and come up with solutions on the spot is vital as private investigators usually act alone without support; the majority of the time you will be responsible for your own safety.

Secondly any private detective must possess good interviewing and interrogating techniques. These are usually acquired in past careers in the law enforcement professions although training courses on these elements of the business are available.

Finally a private detective must be able to present their information in a clear and coherent manner. This is a vital part of the job role as going to court and giving information in front of juries in order to obtain convictions is a large constituent of being a private detective. Making this information believable is also crucial.

Although no formal education is required to become a private detective increasingly firms are looking for university graduates to fulfil positions. Advisable subjects for those wishing to enter the career are law enforcement, security administration, criminal justice and forensic sciences. Although these subjects will not guarantee a job they are believed to give a good head start into the industry.

Becoming a private detective straight after the education process however is not easy, competition for jobs within the industry is fierce. There is a large amount of retirees who enter the industry from law enforcement and military careers making it difficult for those without experience to enter the job role.

Entry level positions such as store detectives offer the best way to begin in the private investigation industry allowing candidates to accumulate experience. Such jobs can be found with large shopping chains and shopping malls.

As the need to protect confidential information, fear of crime and litigation cases in both the business and personal spheres increase; the work of private detectives will grow. As this seems almost certain to happen becoming a private detective can be viewed as a job with good long term career prospects.

If you feel you possess some of the skills discussed here and believe you could perform the role efficiently, maybe becoming a private detective is the right career choice. Added to job satisfaction of doing something to prevent illegality, this is a worthy cause to devote a working life to.

The Security Guard: Protector Of Life

The Common Impression On A Security Guard

People had a picture of a security guard as someone uniformed who stands guard all day in banks, schools and related establishments for the safety of the people who are working or going in and out of these buildings. It is very rare that these people are seen in action. In fact, all they seem to do is to provide a sort of visual warning to the possible threat of crime. Much like a security camera, a security guard can prevent the event of a planned crime from happening by simply being present in a building.

The security guard is the underdog of the security industry. People have this impression that a security guard is less of an action hero and more of an annoying presence greeting the visitors with suspicious stares. This is very true for some, but what they do not know is that the security guard is a building or establishment’s only line of defense in the event a crime. Security cameras are only supporting evidences to the crime. Security guards, however, are the real-time defense to stop a crime. This thought makes establishment owners aware of the importance of carefully choosing the right security agency.

Though some people thought of the job of a security guard as being lowly, more and more people are now seeing a different picture of the security guard. Crimes are never promised to disappear and the simplest of crime such as harassment will require the mediation of a security guard. More than acting as a protector of the establishment, the security guard is also present to assist visitors of the building in the absence of an information booth. But these are just some of the real work that security guards do that are visible to the public.

The Job Of A Security Guard

As mentioned earlier, security guards scan visitors, issue passes to control access to the facilities and give assistance to visitors and direct them to the proper areas. Basically, a security guard will need to have a good photographic memory. To effectively monitor the guests and visitors that come and go, he cannot rely on security cameras and instead must rely on his own ability to recognize faces in real-time. There have been cases of prevented crimes from happening or cases solved because the security team has identified a criminal or a wanted man entering the premises.

Throughout his duty as a security guard, he will have to enforce the mandate of the establishment or building he is serving. This is his duty to primarily serve his employer and enforce regulations to maintain order at the establishment or public event that he is working at. There have been cases of brushes with other security guards or law enforcement agencies because the objective of these law enforcers conflicts with the orders given to the security guard of the establishment.

The security guard of an establishment also has job functions other than standing guard at the entrance of an establishment. A security guard can instead be assigned in patrol of areas that is considered either a hazard or is private from the public eye. Patrol of areas can also due to its protection from vandalism, fire and theft.

Aside from this, a security guard can also be assigned in a designated control room. A control room is a place where feeds from security cameras are usually located. The control room is used to monitor activities at strategic points in establishments or public places like the airport or the mall. Related to this is the work at the airport security checkpoints where security personnel check every luggage of passengers for dangerous weapons or hazardous substances.

People have thought that security guards are not mobile and only stay at the employer’s establishment. But this is not always the case. A security guard may be assigned to man armored trucks and vans that deliver cash and valuables to the bank, atm machines and retail customers or partners. They must ensure safe delivery of money from the main bank to ATM machines in different areas of the city. A security guard assigned to an armored van or car is mobile; wherever the van goes, he goes as well. He will only leave his posts only when the transfer of money from van to ATM machines has been effected. The security guard is in a great risk when mobile and carrying huge amounts of cash or valuables that is why banks usually uses dummy armor vans so that criminals will have no idea of the exact schedule of transfer or delivery of valuables.

Lastly, a security guard must ensure that emergency and safety procedures are followed in the event of a fire alarm, bomb threat and such other emergencies.

Current Conditions For The Security Guard

A security guard usually works in private security agencies, in retail stores, industrial establishments, museums and other organizations. Based from current statistics, the highest concentrations of security guards and other related occupations can be found in Nova Scotia and Quebec while the lowest concentrations are present in Alberta and Newfoundland.

Though, worldwide, the employment growth for security guards is above average, continuous advancement in surveillance technologies have decreased the need for security guards. Establishment owners, however, cannot disregard the assessment abilities of human against machine even with the statistical calculating power of machines.

In general conditions, security guards are required to have earned at least a high school diploma to be employed. If one wants to be employed as an airport security guard or work for the federal government, he is required to undergo specialized training from his employer. To be an armored car driver, a prospective security guard needs to have a professional driver’s license. Most of the time, security guards are required by their employers to carry a service firearm. If this be the case, he needs a gun license.

There are many criminal justice scholarships for those interested in pursuing an education in this field to enter into a rewarding career in law enforcement, security or a variety of legal professions.  The competition is fierce, but if you don’t apply to any scholarships for criminal justice, you’ll never know if you could be selected.  The following are the top 5 criminal justice scholarships that are worth considering if you are studying or plan to study in this field:

1.    StraightForward Media Law Enforcement Scholarship – There are four $500 awards available to students studying to become law enforcement professionals each year.  Application deadlines are March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31.

2.    R.C. Hentges Scholarship – Two $500 awards are available each year to students majoring in fire service, law enforcement, legal (prosecution) or insurance (investigation) fields at accredited Iowa colleges.  The deadline for applications is July 1.



3.    Correctional Association of Massachusetts (CAM) Scholarship – Two $500 criminal justice scholarships are available to undergraduate students who have either completed at least 15 semester hours with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, or held a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher and have been accepted into a criminal justice program at an accredited college.



4.    Monster Scholarship for Government & Public Service – This $2500 scholarship is available for current or incoming government and public service majors.  Applicants must submit essays explaining why “today is the day,” and are judged on academics, school and community involvement, work experience, and the quality and content of the essay itself.

5.    Alphonso Deal Scholarship Award – The amount of this scholarship varies, and the deadline is June 1 for those interested in applying.  Graduating high school seniors planning to attend two-year colleges or four-year universities to major in law enforcement or a related field can apply.  Applicants must be United States citizens, and awards are based on character, high school transcript and letters of recommendation from principals, counselors or teachers.

There are many other scholarships for criminal justice majors; this top 5 list is just a sampling of some of the good options that are available.