Well, I Feel Secure

[Ben_Who]

God, I love the security company in this building.

Bearing in mind that I know next to nothing about their duties:
--
I leave the office at about 2 AM. Often, the only people in the building are myself and the security guy at this point. The elevator makes a loud "Ding!" when it hits the lobby, and the lobby floors are marble. This is important.

I get to Lobby Level ("Ding!") and start the long, lonely trek across the empty lobby. A second later, some distant warbling voices cease, I hear running feet, and I see a mustachio'ed face peering down at me from the Mezzanine, with a look of fury that could burn a hole in a concrete wall. I had, apparently, interrupted the guard's Movie Night; he was watching some comedy on the big-screen in the boardroom and had come rushing out to see if he'd been ratted out. I gave a friendly wave; he gave me the face of fury. I don't know if he went back and watched the rest of the movie or not. Come to think of it, I didn't see him again.
--
A few days ago, I reach the lower level ("Ding!") and hear the sound of loud, rushing water; someone had turned on all the fountains in the lobby. The escalators, as well, were running, which was odd for 2AM. (I presume this stuff burns a lot of power.) I passed the security desk on the way out, and I HAD to ask the guard, who looked young enough to shave with a dry washcloth, why all the equipment was still running five hours after the building had closed.

He said, "Oh, it's my first time on overnights and the quiet was creeping me out."

I feel safer already.

[MoonCat]

Reminds me of the elderly guard we used to have in our lobby. The guard was supposed to walk women out to their cars after dark, if requested. He was so old that we used to joke that if anything happened, we'd have to protect him!

[Grendus]

Reminds me of the elderly guard we used to have in our lobby. The guard was supposed to walk women out to their cars after dark, if requested. He was so old that we used to joke that if anything happened, we'd have to protect him!

. Now I have this mental image of a thuggish type bragging about the time he jacked a car AND a walker at the same time.

Back when I worked at Wally World, we used to have a police officer who stood at the only open entrance. Most of the time he or she would just sit in one of the chairs in the Subway where he/she could watch the front and read the paper or mess around on his/her phone. Unless there was trouble, of course, then they were in the security office watching on the monitor. Really made me feel "secure".

[mathnerd]

These stories make me glad of the kick-ass security around my house. Now, my house is in a bit of an odd area. It is completely surrounded by a commercial plant nursery (and a very, very large one at that). The nursery has 24 hour security, and as this property is smack in the middle of their property, they consider us a security hole, and pay the guards to watch our property as well. They call us any time they see a car they don't recognize coming onto our property or see anything else that could be suspicious. They're totally awesome.

[Pagan]

I know I feel "safer" with our "security" patrol.

This is the same one that didn't seem to find it all concerning that I was calling them at 2 in the morning to report some creepy homeless dude that had decided to camp out on my porch, using rugs he had stolen off my neighbors porch for blankets. They also supposedly report all calls to the office. Except, when I was in the office a couple of days later for something else and mentioned it to them, they had no idea what I was talking about. Not that they seemed too concerned either. Which you think they would because, as small as it might be, there is the possibility of someone getting shot.

[Antisocial_Worker]

A few days ago, I reach the lower level ("Ding!") and hear the sound of loud, rushing water; someone had turned on all the fountains in the lobby. The escalators, as well, were running, which was odd for 2AM. (I presume this stuff burns a lot of power.) I passed the security desk on the way out, and I HAD to ask the guard, who looked young enough to shave with a dry washcloth, why all the equipment was still running five hours after the building had closed.

He said, "Oh, it's my first time on overnights and the quiet was creeping me out."

Maybe it's just me, but I think having the fountains and escalators going at 2AM would creep me out. Places that are designed to be busy are creepy as hell when they're still going full-tilt, but have no one to take advantage of them.

[protege]

At least you have security. Where I work, if I'm there after hours, the only thing protecting me from the neighborhood crackheads...is a locked door. A locked, *glass* door, in a building that has the entire front wall made of glass. If I'm upstairs, and someone forces their way in...I'm fucked.

[Aethian]

See Protege, this is why I don't always like that we carriers are told to get back to our trucks if we're threatened. Two great big door windows and a huge wind shield...it's not that hard to break the windows.

[Chromatix]

At least in your truck you have a chance of driving away. That's probably the logic behind it.

[Aethian]

At least in your truck you have a chance of driving away. That's probably the logic behind it.

Maybe but with some of the rules we have and with some of the ways people have attacked the trucks I dunno if we could even do that safely.

[Jay 2K Winger]

One thing I know for certain is that I'm safe where I work. They do not fuck around.

Where I work is a secure facility, which means I can't take my cell phone inside, but I know that I don't have to worry about any random passerby breaking into my car.

I've lost count of the times I've driven up to the gate to flash my ID badge to get in, and found them not just standing by to wave me through, but with their shotguns or assault rifles at the ready for whatever reason.

[LillFilly]

I find it funny that the guard was creeped-out by the silence; he's forgetting that now he can't listen for problems as well. I worked overnights at several places and it was funny that the guys I worked with complained how much the mall/hotel/empty lot/etc. scared them at night! In defense of security though, if I'm assigned a post, I might be reading or making notes, but I am still watching everything even though I make it seem like I'm not The keys is to always be aware of your surroundings. It's a technique I can't break off the job; I'm always scanning around me, even while having a conversation/out to lunch/etc., and I have to apologize that I'm not bored or being rude, it's just a habit.