Security firms turn away New Year’s business

David Strow

Monday, Dec. 27, 1999 | 11:04 a.m.

Need a security officer New Year's Eve? Good luck.

Las Vegas security firms say they're booked up for the big night -- and in most cases, have been for months. But that hasn't stopped the growing flood of phone calls, as business owners grow more desperate in their search for security forces on Friday.

That's made life difficult for security companies in turn, as they search for new employees to meet surging demand.

"The job pool is so dried up that we elected not to bring on any new (clients) on New Year's Eve," said Ed Eckels, director of security at Total Safety Inc. of Las Vegas, which has 155 guards. "We're serving our regular clients, and making sure they're happy.

"The quick business and quick money just isn't worth the problems that come with (indiscriminate hiring). The manpower's just not out there."

It's hard enough to find qualified labor in the security business, where payscales are traditionally low, turnover is high, and background checks are a necessity.

"We go through 1,000 employees a year," said Annette Lexis, owner of Security Unlimited of Las Vegas, whose company typically keeps 250 employees on payroll.

But throw in the usual spike in business for New Year's -- and combine it with the unusually heavy celebration expected this year, the uncertainty of Y2K and fears of New Year's Eve violence -- and the security guard job pool dries up quickly.

"Companies are cannibalizing each other to get employees," said Bob Irwin of the Gun Store, which provides training classes for armed security guards. "We're training about 25 guards a week. It was probably 15 a week in June. I'm sure some are Y2K-related."

Pay scales are starting to rise as a result. Twenty-two ads for security guards appeared in a Sunday edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal/Las Vegas Sun this month. One offered $18 per hour for the night. Another offered a $250 signing bonus.

Lexis said rates at her firm have tripled for New Year's, but said that's a function of demand for security workers, rather than an effort to maximize profit. The 250 guards working at her firm will be primarily assigned to hotel-casinos, who are hiring outside guards to supplement their own security contingents.

"We have to pay the guards a lot more," Lexis said. "I would think all of the companies would have to do that now.

"I hired out (all employees) probably in February. We stopped taking orders a long time ago."

But other security companies aren't raising rates, because they fear angering long-time clients. Tony Sisneros, district manager, said Pinkerton will charge 50 percent more than usual, but added that's the typical rate for holiday work.

That's come at a price for Pinkerton, which is trying to beef up its 200-guard staff. It's been running into difficulty, even though it's offering a long-term job, rather than a one-night or two-night gig.

"The competition is getting pretty stiff, in terms of getting people hired and the demand for them," Sisneros said. "Because of our prerequisites, sometimes it just takes a little longer than most (hirings) do.

"Have we met the demand? No, not really. We're going to have to do a lot of things to ensure we're providing the security officers for our clients. We're going to have to be creative to ensure we have the folks out there to cover everything."

That means that Pinkerton has been unable to take on any outside business. But Sisneros said it's still possible, just days before the big night, to provide extra security for existing clients.

"We went to our clients in September, telling them they needed to let us know what their needs are," Sisneros said. "It's possible (to get extra guards now), but very difficult."

More difficult still is the hunt for armed guards.

"It's a lot harder to find armed guards than unarmed guards," said Lexis, whose firm primarily uses unarmed patrols. "Most firms don't have a great amount of armed guards, because the liabilities are so high.

"If you're looking for armed guards, that's really tough to do, because it's a whole new ball game. It's much harder, because of all of the demand out there."

Besides the state license required of all security guards, armed guards must take a 12-hour class in handgun training, receive special licensing from the state and receive a card from Metro that allows them to carry firearms on the job.

At Total Safety, where 90 percent of guards are armed, armed guards must pass a 40-hour firearms "academy," Eckels said. That means it takes about two weeks for an armed security guard, after being hired, to be ready to go on patrol.

"Over the past 90 days, we've seen requests to go to armed guards go up significantly," Eckels said. "I'm not sure if that's just New Year's, or a sign of what's to come in 2000."

Total Safety is also capping its rates at normal, but is having to turn away a good chunk of business.

"We're probably turning down eight to 10 calls a week," Eckels said. "They all ask who we can refer them to, but there's no one to refer to. We've turned down major hotels and banks."

But as New Year's approaches, Lexis thinks many clients may have overestimated the amount of security needed -- and that may be the direct result of fears that caused customers to hire more security in the first place. Local casinos have run crowd control drills, and Metro held a bomb detonation drill at Circus Circus this month.

"I don't think it'll be as busy (New Year's Eve) as they think," Lexis said. "I really think (terrorism fears) will deter a lot of people (from going out)."