"We Are Angry, Yet We Are Proud"

My name, for the moment, is irrelevant. Most call me Barney, Top Flight, Rent-A-Cop, or a flashlight cop. These are the ones who resent my occupation. Some call me the Guard, Doorman, or the Information Guy. These are the ones who have little respect for my occupation. A few call me Security Officer. These are the ones who appreciate my occupation.

Then there are the ones who call me Dad. These are the ones who respect my occupation for all that my wages provide, just the basics like rent, food, children’s clothes (x4), but no healthcare, no benefits, no hope.

Most officers that I know would need a $7.00 per hour increase in wages just to meet poverty level in the state of Minnesota. It’s a shame that the owners of multi-million dollar office buildings don’t know how much of the money spent on security actually goes to the officers who put themselves in harm’s way to protect these buildings and the tenants who work in them.

We are not the stereotyped sleepy, time-clock-toting, donut-eating, bumbling night watchmen. We are trained professionals. We are the responders who contact the first responders and provide care until they respond. We are the ones who escort you, your co-workers, perhaps even your mother to a vehicle after hours in a dark parking ramp. We are the eyes and ears of the police, the fire department, and the building engineers. We are angry, yet we are proud. By the way, my name is Howard, and I am a Security Officer.

Howard Worley, American Security, 1/21/2008