Crime Is On The Rise. Are You Protected?

April 8, 2012 - PRLog -- April 8, 2012 -- Palmetto, FL -- It is possible to find dependable and cost effective security officers in Southwest Florida (Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas, and Hillsborough). Buyers beware! Security companies must follow certain laws in hiring, training and providing officers to the public and business community. Many people use security services for themselves or their business at some point. Price is usually the driving factor for selection of the company and this may have led to many unsatisfied customers, lost business, theft and even lawsuits against the people or businesses that hired the security company.
Southwest Florida has seen an unprecedented rise in crime this year due to the bad economy, high unemployment rate and other factors. Law enforcement can take a report or respond to a crime in process but that is about it. If a property owner wants to protect his business or property they must do it themselves. Many turn to security guard companies as a deterrent to prevent crime. This proactive approach can actually make customers feel at ease and allow businesses to see an increase in revenue even in down times. People and business owners sometimes must have a security officer to protect their property because of theft, emergency, disaster, fire or threat to an employee. This urgent need may cause a security consumer to pick up the phone, type in a few words into Google and take the first company that answers the call. Consumers can find a reliable resource for security here: http://www.statewideprotection.net/

Consider that the individual security guard who protects you and your property can have a huge impact on your business. You would like to think that everything is taken care of but this is not always the case. Officers must be supervised and held accountable. Companies must be licensed and insured. Officers must be trained and state certified.
In Southwest Florida there is established case law for premises liability, vicarious liability and other civil legal concerns for people and businesses. Many laws are common sense while others are not. It is the duty of the business owner to know the rules.
People don't always know these rules and laws and again, with low price being a driving force for the buying decision, consumers are at risk for making a poor decision. Cheaper isn't usually better in the security industry. Sarasota in particular, has had a host of problems with unlicensed security companies and officers. A handful of officers have been arrested in the past year because they were felons in possession of firearms. Many security companies were sued by people for use of force issues and the business owner or person who hired them was always brought in as a defendant in the lawsuit. Most people don't consider the liability for hiring a negligent security company or guard.

Premises liability is a somewhat fuzzy term which serves as an umbrella for many kinds of proceedings counting those relating to structural design flaws, unsafe conditions, environmental hazards, improper traffic patterns and a wide variety of other issues.

In numerous cases, security-related premises liability matters involve issues such as physical security standards and generally accepted security practices. In addition to any existing standards, crime statistics, event history, community standards and specific risk considerations play a part in determining whether an adverse event was foreseeable. Commonly, businesses which can document a practical approach to security and have responded to increased levels of exposure fare better with juries than those who have taken a more informal or casual approach.
If you are a business owner, you have certain other responsibilities to the public in general. For example, if you own a business and someone comes into your premises to purchase something and is injured on your premises that person would be considered a business invitee. The duty owed to a business invitee is of the highest responsibility. The reason for this is, if you operate a business and a welcomed customer comes into your business, you have an absolute obligation to make sure your premises is free of defects and is safe for the public as a whole. If there are any defects on your property you not only have an absolute duty to warn the public of the defect but you also have a duty to repair any dangerous conditions which exist on your premises.

Statewide Protection Associates, LLC is a licensed & insured professional security agency (Florida License B1100007) based in Palmetto, FL. Contact Statewide Protection Associates, LLC 24/7: 941-322-7233 or http://www.statewideprotection.net