Security Guard Jobs Are Increasing Within The Entertainment Industry
By 2022, nearly 130,000 additional security guards nationwide are projected to have already found employment, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This marks a moderate increase in the number of guards that were hired to protect people and property in 2012. Entertainment has become a leading industry, with a sky-scraping concentration of active assignments. Nagging concerns about impromptu violence at some of Los Angeles' more well-attended nightclubs have resulted in beefed-up systems to help stonewall criminal activity.
"We are now taking a systematic approach, which includes making security and safety everyone's responsibility," said Dennis Riera, security director at Noble-LA Events. "From bartenders and doormen to servers and valet, every staff member is aware of indicators and behavioral patterns that could lead to security issues."
What catches your heedful eye?
"After screening guests, we keep a watch out for such behaviors as over-intoxication, guests repeatedly leaving the venue and returning, or attempting to bring alcohol or other substances into the establishment. Those are certainly security and safety red-flag indicators."
How will nightclub security systems change by 2022?
"Security will become more of a central hub for communication with greater integration of policy, procedures and technologies."
What defines an astute guard?
"The ideal guard is vigilant and cognizant of various causes or actions that threaten any security plan."
What is the best way to prepare for a career in this field?
"Security is no longer guards, gates and locks. It requires a heightened level of awareness and communication to thwart certain vulnerabilities that may challenge any event or nightclub setting. Gaining knowledge from many resources and translating the information into a security plan that works is a highly valued quality for long-term success."
What is your message to nightclub security guards?
"I advise them to remove from their minds the 'bouncer' mentality. This reactive type of security is not only dangerous, but short-lived. To thrive in security moving forward, security staff must plan in advance by utilizing the resources of social media to research talent history and fan-based types. They must communicate in advance any information which will support a security program."
Sharon Raiford Bush is an award-winning journalist who covers topics of social interest in greater Los Angeles. Some news articles she has authored have been archived by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Sharon also contributes to Examiner.com.