# One survivor's post-shooting mission: more respect between cops and security



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*10-8: Life on the Line*
*- Sponsored by Blauer*

with Charles Remsberg

It's no secret that LEOs often sneer at security officers as "wannabes" and "rent-a-cops." But consider Matt Prindle, a security captain in Dallas. His brush with death during an attempted bank robbery - and the cost he's paid for winning a gunfight - may make you reconsider the stereotype and appreciate some commonalities.
For nearly three years, 36-year-old Prindle, who stands 6 feet 2 inches tall, guarded a small branch of Chase Bank in a rough-and-tumble inner-city neighborhood known as Oak Cliff. The bank, with seven teller spaces along a single counter and a scattering of desks in a tight lobby, sits exposed on a corner and shares the immediate area with an aging VA hospital and what Prindle describes as "rundown crack houses and hooker hotels."
Customarily, Prindle spent much of his 12-hour shift in the parking lot. "Keeping a visible presence there tends to shut down a lot of wrongdoing before it happens," he says. Plus, the lot affords a good vantage point for keeping an eye on a nearby rapid transit station and adjacent street traffic.
A lot of drug deals, prostitution solicitation, and gang activity went down in his sight, Prindle says. Sometimes customers were beaten up and robbed after they left the bank. When police patrolled through the area, the street creatures scattered. But as a "mere" security guard, they pretty much ignored him. 
"They'd say, 'I know you can't bust me,' and keep on doing their stuff," he says. He'd surreptitiously jot down license plates and call the cops about what he saw, and from time to time his tips led to significant arrests.
On December 16, 2008 the weather was a howling bitch in Dallas - below freezing, alternating between snow and stinging sleet, with a piercing wind that stabbed right through Prindle's layered clothing as he escorted customers to their cars and kept his watchful presence in the parking lot. By about 1:30 p.m., seven hours into his shift, he needed to thaw out indoors.

Full Article:One survivor's post-shooting mission: more respect between cops and security


----------



## 263FPD (Oct 29, 2004)

mikemac64 said:


> Having spent a considerable amount of time as a manager in the private security industry (ie 125-150 employees under my area alone), I can reasonably say this guy is the exception to the rule.


You really got to elaborate on that. Though I think I knowwhat you mean.


----------



## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

Is there a reason why my post was removed ?


----------



## L4G81 (Nov 12, 2006)

Yep. It means it was TOO good to post...hahaha



7costanza said:


> Is there a reason why my post was removed ?


----------



## Guest (Jun 10, 2009)

it's all fun n games until the mall cop gets popped........ juss sayin' 



263FPD said:


> You really got to elaborate on that. Though I think I knowwhat you mean.


not busting your stones but........ I haven't opened a SINGLE THREAD today that you haven't posted in. You on a mission? LOL


----------



## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

Hey, not for nothin' but these guys can be helpful. They're not all wackers, many but not all, and thankfully I never had to do security or be a jail guard (almost, but got my golden ticket just after the offer of employment) but I did have to suck it up to do equally horrible jobs to build the resume. My hat's off to these poor bastards for the disrespect, god awful hats and crap they take until they finally get on the job somewhere.

No matter how fancy your current uniform, never forget where you came from.


----------



## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

> My hat's off to these poor bastards for the disrespect, god aweful hats and crap they take until they finally get on the job somewhere.


Thanks.....now pardon me while I go pull my car in the garage , start it and run a hose in through the window


----------



## L4G81 (Nov 12, 2006)

LOL!



7costanza said:


> Thanks.....now pardon me while I go pull my car in the garage , start it and run a hose in through the window


----------



## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

7costanza said:


> Thanks.....now pardon me while I go pull my car in the garage , start it and run a hose in through the window


Oh crap, he's offline now too. Do we have an area car to swing by for a well being check


----------



## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

> Oh crap, he's offline now too.


Invisible baby!!



> Do we have an area car to swing by for a well being check


Bring the pink paper :woot:


----------



## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

Cancel that, were good - he's just on the down low.


----------



## Guest (Jun 10, 2009)

If a company puts a vest and gun on a guy and posts him in a bank to catch bullets, for all intents and purposes, he is a cop to someone who wants to rob a bank. The article mentions disrespect towards people in the security industry, and that certainly happens. If this guy was out patrolling around the bank property, and pulling over suspected bank robbers, obviously there is a problem. If he was doing his job by maintaining a presence, and someone delivers a shit-sandwich to him, that's not a whacker in my book. Know your role, know your jurisdiction, do what you are trained to do, and don't pretend to be something you are not. Pretty easy.


----------



## 263FPD (Oct 29, 2004)

LGriffin said:


> Oh crap, he's offline now too. Do we have an area car to swing by for a well being check


Wait a few minutes. Ambulance before cruiser


----------



## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

> If a company puts a vest and gun on a guy and posts him in a bank to catch bullets, for all intents and purposes, he is a cop to someone who wants to rob a bank. The article mentions disrespect towards people in the security industry, and that certainly happens. If this guy was out patrolling around the bank property, and pulling over suspected bank robbers, obviously there is a problem. If he was doing his job by maintaining a presence, and someone delivers a shit-sandwich to him, that's not a whacker in my book. Know your role, know your jurisdiction, do what you are trained to do, and don't pretend to be something you are not. Pretty easy.


Couldnt be said any better 5-0....know your job dont act beyond it and certainly dont act beneath it.


----------



## MetrowestPD (Oct 21, 2008)

Just like in every occupation they have to "know their role" some are armed, some not, but they are not police officers and should not act like they are or hold themselves out as police. They can be helpful and assist if called upon, but should not overstep. When I go to court I do not tell the white shirts how to do their job, but I will assist if asked to. When I show up to a fire I do not grab a hose as it is not my role. 

If only the Sheriff's knew their role (no offense meant to those who work behind the wall).


----------



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Maybe this is why this is a relevant thread.

The security guard has died,he was just doing
his job.

Having worked for one of the larger security
companies that are armed,Brinks Inc. they are not
on the streets playing LEO.

I employed many active and retired LEO's with the
companys I managed.

Yes there are many whackers out ther that work
armed for security companies but not every security
guard is a wacker.

Gunman, Guards Exchange Fire In Holocaust Museum


----------



## SgtAndySipowicz (Mar 17, 2008)

*Re: Security Guards*



LGriffin said:


> Hey, not for nothin' but these guys can be helpful. They're not all wackers, many but not all, and thankfully I never had to do security or be a jail guard (almost, but got my golden ticket just after the offer of employment) but I did have to suck it up to do equally horrible jobs to build the resume. My hat's off to these poor bastards for the disrespect, god awful hats and crap they take until they finally get on the job somewhere.
> 
> No matter how fancy your current uniform, never forget where you came from.


I worked Security at a busy airport hotel in LA years ago. It was a good stepping stone. A bunch of guys from there went on to Federal and Local LE careers (LASD and US Customs to name a couple). I agree that a Security Guard needs to know their role, but you'll never see me talk down to one of them, unless of course they do something really stupid. Most are good people who want to get into LE, and need a paycheck in the meantime.......


----------

