The Death of the "Physical Deterrent"

 

In a city like Houston, where the "Jugging" crews and "Catalytic Converter, Rims & Tires "rings are professional and organized, visibility is not a deterrent.

• 
  The Scam: Placing a guard in a high-visibility vest or a car with amber lights.
  

• The Reality: For a professional Houston crew, a static guard is just a timer. They watch the guard’s predictable 20-minute loop, and the moment the guard turns the corner, they have an 18-minute window to strip every car in the garage.

• We have to educate the clients. Visibility without unpredictability is useless. If a guard isn't performing "Randomized Interval Patrols" or using "Counter-Surveillance" techniques, they are just a clock for the criminals to sync their watches to.

3. The "Training vs. Title" Gap

Texas has four levels of security licensing, but 80% of what you see in Houston is Level II (Non-Commissioned).

• The BS: The title "Security Officer" sounds authoritative.

• The Reality: A Level II guard in Texas requires only six hours of training—mostly about "Ethics" and "Law." They have zero training in defensive tactics, de-escalation, or emergency medicine.
  You wouldn't hire a doctor with six hours of training. You wouldn't hire a plumber with six hours of training. Why are Houston HOAs and Business Districts hiring "Security" with six hours of training to protect multimillion-dollar assets? But that what the client wants Cheap hourly cost

4. The HPD "False Sense of Security"

Property managers love to say, "Our guards are in constant contact with HPD."

• The Hard Truth: Every 911 caller is in "contact with HPD."
  Because Houston is so massive and the police department is focused on high-priority violent felonies, a private security guard at a retail center in The Heights or Montrose is effectively an island. If that guard isn't a Level III (Armed) or Level IV (PPO) officer who can legally and physically intervene, they are functionally no different than a doorbell camera.

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If the contract says 'Observe and Report,' you are unprotected. 

If the contract says 'Proactive Intervention and Asset Protection,'  you have 

REAL SECURITY. 

In Houston, 90% of the contracts are 'Observe and Report' because the owner is too cheap to pay for the liability of actual protection.

Mr. Traylor