Are Private Buildings At Risk In D.C.?

May 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Paul Rothman

Lack of training and low wages for security guards are undermining anti-terrorism efforts in our nation's capital, according to an 11-page report compiled from government statistics, press accounts and other sources by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). And Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) has proposed new training standards for Washington security officers.

“[There are] no federal or Washington D.C. laws requiring trained private security personnel, as in the federal sector, to protect the public,” says Norton, who plans to champion legislation requiring security guard training for the benefit of large office buildings in the district. “Often, people will find employees working for poverty wages and benefits so low that they guarantee astronomically high turnover rates — yet commercial security guards often perform tasks no different from better-paid federal security guards.”

Improving training and wages is essential to improving overall building security in Washington D.C., Holmes stresses. With neighboring federal buildings under the blanket of higher-priced guard services, she contends the lesser-protected buildings will become targets for terrorism.

“Congressional efforts here and throughout the country to seal the federal sector from terrorism may turn our enemies to where the people really are — in commercial office buildings,” Norton says.

According to the SEIU report, the majority of office buildings in the D.C. area contract out guard services to private companies. The security contractors, in an effort to win bids, keep their wages low, sometimes as little as $8 an hour with few if any benefits.

While there are no federal requirements for guard training, the District of Columbia requires security officers to pass a criminal background check; however, it does not require companies to offer even a minimum number of hours in training for unarmed officers.

“After [the Sept. 11 attacks], officers expected changes — everybody did,” says Timika Clay, a security officer for Barton Protective Services. “But nothing's different now. I want to do a good job, but I feel as though they aren't letting me protect my building.”

The relatively new terrorism threats have added a new dimension to security officers' duties — especially in the D.C. area. The officers may not be considered “first responders” by the textbook definition, but often they are literally the first to respond to an emergency in their own buildings. SEIU's report notes that officers who are not given adequate training in building evacuation, or, due to high turnover, have not been on-site long enough to be thoroughly familiar with a building and its tenants, may not be able to perform properly during an emergency.

The report further notes that turnover rates among guards in this country range from 100 to 300 percent a year. “Security likely has the worst retention rate of any service-based industry,” Fred Fleet, former director of security at the Arco Center in Los Angeles recently told The Los Angeles Times. “Most of the security officers I know today would rather work at McDonald's for more money.”

Meanwhile, the real estate and office building markets in Washington continue to boom. In 2003, the D.C. market ranked first in the nation in net absorption of new office space, and the vacancy rate was just 8 percent.

Arguably, improving training and wages for guards in the D.C. area would have a positive impact on the economic and real estate well-being of the community — not to mention the general safety of the population. Therefore, Norton plans to introduce federal legislation requiring additional training of security officers for commercial offices, shopping centers and apartment buildings. The legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue a guide on the training and standards. Also, Norton plans to introduce similar legislation at the local level, particularly since the D.C. City Council can act much more quickly than Congress.

Legislation is still necessary, however, because, as Norton points out, many federal agencies are currently housed in commercial office space.

“No owner should be put at a competitive disadvantage because of increased wages and benefits to ensure a stable, well-qualified security staff,” Norton says. “The value of trained security guards was demonstrated at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

“When the 1993 WTC bombing happened, private security officers did not know how to respond,” she continues. “Afterwards, the WTC gave extensive training to its guard force, and the result was thousands of lives saved on Sept. 11.”

Norton and SEIU plan to adopt a collaborative model to improve guard services in the D.C. area. Borrowing from already successful efforts in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, SEIU is working with D.C. building owners, security companies, public officials and community leaders to identify the necessary skills and develop effective training programs.

SEIU wants to raise standards for the job by allowing employees to earn a living wage, thus reducing turnover, creating a more stable workforce and better jobs for the community. The Union also plans to partner with guard service contractors and building owners to improve training standards through a collective bargaining agreement.

“This is the time and the nation's capital is the place to face the first responder obligations that private sector security guards have had since Sept. 11,” Norton says. “Considering what it means to be located in D.C. today, building owners are late in starting to correct these deficiencies.

“The public must be wondering if buildings where people work, shop and live are as safe as the federal buildings next to them,” she continues. “They are not, but they can be.”

For more information on the SEIU, visit http://www.seiu.org.

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