When Hiring Armed Security Guards Makes a Business Less Safe
I run a security company. A big part of what we do is help businesses build armed guard programs that actually reduce risk, instead of creating new liability.
Most people hire armed security after something scares them.
A fight. A theft. A threat. A weird incident that makes leadership realize, “We’re exposed.”
So they do what seems logical. They put a gun at the front door.
Sometimes that helps. Sometimes it creates a new set of problems that the business wasn’t ready for. And those problems have consequences. Legal. Financial. Human.
I’ve learned a simple rule over time: a firearm on-site magnifies whatever your business already is.
If you’re organized, consistent, and serious about rules, armed security can reduce risk.
If you’re inconsistent, conflict-avoidant, and running on vibes, armed security adds pressure to an already messy system.
De Becker’s worldview is practical: pay attention to signals, don’t ignore the obvious, and don’t confuse comfort with safety. Businesses get hurt when they buy symbols instead of systems.
Here are four ways armed guards get misused in the real world.
1) Post orders that don’t mean anything
If your post orders are generic, the guard is going to freelance.
And freelancing with a gun is how small issues turn into big ones.
I see post orders like this all the time:
“Observe and report” and also “prevent theft”
“Do not detain” and also “stop shoplifters”
“Be visible” with no guidance on intervention
“Call police if needed” with no definition of “needed”
This creates two predictable outcomes.
Sometimes the guard does nothing when action is needed.
Sometimes the guard does too much when it wasn’t needed.
Either way, the business owns the result.
What good post orders look like is boring and clear:
Mission: what success looks like here
Boundaries: what the guard will not do, period
Authority: what rules can be enforced and how
Escalation steps: what happens first, second, third
Police threshold: exactly when to call and what to say
Reporting: what gets documented every time
If you can’t describe the job in one clean sentence, you’re gambling.
2) A visible guard with no authority
A lot of businesses want deterrence. They want “presence.”
But presence without authority turns the guard into a costume.
And people test costumes.
This is how it usually plays out:
The same offender comes back because nothing happens
Someone challenges the guard in front of staff or customers
Staff loses confidence and starts doing their own thing
The guard gets frustrated because he is being embarrassed daily
That frustration is where bad decisions show up.
If leadership will not back enforcement, don’t put an armed guard in the middle of that. You’re creating confrontations and calling it security.
You need an authority ladder that everyone agrees to:
Guard: what they can direct and control
Supervisor: what they can approve quickly
Leadership: what they will back consistently
Law enforcement: when and how they get involved
If leadership won’t back the guard, the guard should not be armed. Full stop.
This is also one of the most common reasons businesses call us after the fact. The fix is almost never “add more guards.” It’s giving the guards clear authority, clear boundaries, and leadership that actually backs the program.
3) Armed security with no process behind it
A guard is not a plan.
A gun is not a plan.
A plan is written process, repetition, and leadership follow-through.
When the business has no process, everything becomes reactive. The guard becomes the last line of defense for problems that should have been handled upstream.
No-process sites usually look like this:
“Stand by the door”
No visitor rules
No access control standards
No trespass workflow
No incident trend tracking
No rehearsed response for the most likely scenarios
So the business waits until impact, then expects the guard to solve it in real-time.
That’s not prevention. That’s hoping.
What real process looks like:
written access rules, including exceptions
a repeatable, legal trespass workflow
comms standards and chain of command
incident reports that feed a weekly review
simple playbooks for the top risks: disputes, theft, threats, aggressive behavior, medical
clean handoff rules with police and EMS
Without process, the firearm is just another way for things to go wrong.
4) The false sense of security
This one is subtle.
Once a business “has armed security,” everyone relaxes.
Staff stops reporting early warning signs.
Leadership tolerates repeat issues longer.
Small violations become normal.
That’s how businesses miss signals.
And missing signals is how incidents build.
If your security team has been saying the same thing for months and leadership shrugs it off, you’re not protected. You’re stacking conditions for a predictable problem.
The question every decision maker should answer
What problem are you trying to solve?
Not “crime.” Not “safety.” Specifically.
Then answer these:
What is the most likely threat here?
What warning signs show up before incidents here?
What do we want the guard to do at each escalation step?
What do we want staff to do, and not do?
What will leadership enforce consistently?
If these answers aren’t clear, armed security becomes guesswork. Guesswork with a gun is expensive.
If you already have armed guards, do this now
You don’t need a massive overhaul. You need clarity.
Rewrite post orders in plain language, one page
Put authority in writing, and back it every time
Standardize escalation so it’s the same every time
Run a 10-minute weekly scenario drill
Track patterns weekly and fix what keeps repeating
Most businesses don’t fail because they lack security. They fail because they lack consistency.
Closing
Armed guards can be the right move.
But armed guards are not a shortcut.
If you want armed security to reduce risk, your business needs structure behind the uniform.
If you want my one-page Armed Guard Readiness Checklist, subscribe and reply “audit.”
If you’re a business owner or operations leader and you want help building this the right way, I also offer an Armed Guard Readiness Audit. It’s a short review of your post orders, authority, escalation, reporting, and your most likely incident scenarios. Reply “audit” and I’ll send the checklist and the scope.
Sincerely,
Jason Essazay
Jason Essazay is a U.S. Marine, founder & operator of Mayer Security Services. We build and run armed security programs for businesses that want real deterrence without unnecessary liability.