Casino Security training presents a number of unique problems, and none have been fully solved in the fifteen years I have worked in the casino business.
For eight years, I have been training Casino Surveillance personnel, and in 2008 and 2009 we branched out also into training Casino Security personnel at the most basic levels.
I should state right at the beginning, because I do not wish to mislead anyone, that we do not attempt to train Casino Security Officers at state certification level: We are training in matters far more basic than handcuffing, use of weapons, search and restraint. The materials we teach will help an officer to get the most out of his or her certification classes. Many of the classes may deal with portions of the same information. These classes are theory, backed up by videos, photos, exercises and drills. Officers must still take the classes required in your own state jurisdictions for use of weapons, search and restraint methods and other certification areas.
Our classes are extremely valuable, and all of our materials are taken from real-life situations that happen in casinos and other security environments. We also train in the law necessary for a Security officer, and we train in real-life English: you really do not have to be a lawyer to learn this material. The authors of the class presentations have received formal training and been certified, have many years of casino surveillance experience, or have had many years of law enforcement and casino security experience.
One of the biggest problems in the casino environment has been that most casino Security and Surveillance departments and personnel have never been trained to work together. This results in many cases in non-cooperation, even rivalry and sometimes bad feeling between two departments that by rights should work very closely together.
Each has their own set of unique functions, each backs up the other. Security is eyeball observation, hands-on function, personal interaction. The function of Surveillance is to gather, retain and present evidence, especially video evidence, so that the actions of Security are shown to be fully justified. In many situations the “Mark I Eyeball” observations of Security are necessary in order for Surveillance to focus its observation and recording functions, and in other situations the video evidence recorded by Surveillance is needed in order to show in court that actions taken by Security were fully justified, thus safeguarding the officers and the casino itself from unnecessary liability.
The training received by Surveillance, for instance, very seldom has included materials such as what is legally required in order for a Security officer to detain a person. This is a serious problem, because to the Surveillance person, there is evidence sufficient for an arrest: but the Security officer on the floor has not seen this, and has no grounds for arrest. Chain of command between the two departments is often ignored or bypassed, due to lack of training on both sides. These are serious problems and can result in major liability to the casino.
Having worked with both bad departments and supervisors, and some of the best in the business as well, and having been trained and certified in Security, and with the experience of a law enforcement veteran on tap, Casino Surveillance News has prepared a set of very basic training classes for Casino Security officers. This training is designed to educate Security officers in the potential liabilities and risks of their jobs, in how to make the most of their positions for the greatest benefit to the casino, and to bring their knowledge into line with Surveillance training so that both departments are working with the same information where the two departments share activities and goals.
Surveillance training as well has been modified so that the Surveillance side of the equation also understands the unique problems associated with Security in the casino environment.
The second major problem with Security training has always been the amount of turnover in Security departments. Security is a manpower-intensive operation, though technical aids have brought the number of people necessary for a department down. You still must have enough people on patrol or behind the Security cameras to handle physical problems that do occur in the casino environment. It takes patrol officers, supervisors, sometimes mobile units and other patrols to practice full due diligence in a Security operation, in order to safeguard the assets and especially the patrons in a busy casino environment.
Because of the amount of turnover, and the fact that new security officers are generally not really highly paid, often as soon an an officer has two or three years of experiecne he can find a new job at higher pay, often as a Supervisor in another environment. This leaves the casino always with a group of untrained or sometimes poorly trained officers, often operating without knowledge of what they are to do in situations, especially in cases where a shift supervisor might be fully occupied in one area while other situations are occurring.
This in fact makes those green officers a liability to the casino. Without training, they can make mistakes. Without training, priorities may be incorrect. Without training, actions may be taken which put other officers, the casino or its guests at unnecessary risk.
Without training its officers, the casino itself is at risk, because training of vital, hands-on personnel such as security patrol officers and supervisors is EXPECTED, before they get into situations of guest risk, detention of suspects or use of force.
The basic-level training we offer will immensely help with the new officers. It is offered at a level where green recruits can understand and apply the information they learn on an immediate basis.
In order to give this new program a fine kick-off,
a good beginning,
I will give the first five casinos
a full 35 percent
off the purchase price
Inquire with jimgoding@casinosurveillancenews.com
