Up until the mid-1980’s, a significant percentage of proprietary (in house) security departments armed and in many cases commissioned (police authority) their force. This includes Universities, Hospitals and schools.That changed due to a number of factors. First and foremost, corporations determined that the potential liability of misuse or abuse outweighed the value of officers carrying firearms at work. Secondary, but equally important, was the perceived intimidation felt by employees and visitors.
The current climate in our society has necessitated consideration of a change. A recent incident in Cincinnati, Ohio illustrates the need to re-think arming officers. A shooter walked into the Fifth-Third Bank Center in downtown Cincinnati and opened fire on anyone he saw. The result was three people dead and two others severely injured. The only action available to the security officers was to get patrons and employees out of harm’s way and wait the three to five minutes until police could arrive. They lacked the necessary equipment and training to engage the shooter and neutralize the threat.
The first issue which must be addressed is the training required to arm security officers. The State of Ohio requires a twenty hour training program for guards under the licensing requirement of the Department of Commerce. There are no statutory requirements whatsoever for proprietary security forces. Ohio police officers are required to complete sixty hours of firearm training in the basic police academy and the differentiation in training hours makes absolutely no sense.
Armed security officers should receive the same firearm training as their law enforcement counterparts. That training would include the techniques and practices to effectively neutralize the threat immediately. It is totally unreasonable to expect unarmed officers to interact and intercept an active shooter.
Corporations have an obligation to provide a safe environment for their employees and visitors and the failure to do so presents its own liability issues. The costs associated with equipping and training a security force is a necessary cost of doing business.