New York's Private Security Industry Is Booming, but Oversight is Lacking

WNYC News | May 3, 2016

There are more than two times as many security guards than police officers in New York state, but a City Limits investigation found that state agencies tasked with overseeing the industry are struggling to uphold training standards.

Reporter Adam Wisnieski said the Security Guard Act of 1992 was intended to professionalize the system, but there's been few updates since then and oversight and proper training is lacking, even as the industry is growing.

"We found a very messy system of schools," he said. "New York State doesn't see any difference between a guard who is in Erie County upstate and a guard working at One World Trade Center."

He said the system is so broken that it's even possible to "buy" a training certificate without actually going through the mandatory training.

 

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