Security Guards: In-house vs. Outside Agency

Security Guards: In-House vs. Outside Agency

The need for security guards in the cannabis industry is essential to the smooth operation of your business. Security officers are a deterrent for crime and serve as customer service representatives to your customers. Assisting with directions, crowd control, and checking IDs are some of the job functions security guards conduct at cannabis facilities.

The question that arises is – “why should I hire an outside agency to do security at my facility when I can do the security in-house?”

Maybe you know some retired Law Enforcement officers who want to do your security, so why should you hire a company?

The Importance of Security Guards

Hiring an outside company is the best route to go for the following reasons:

  1. Hiring good security officers may seem easy but when it comes to oversight, management, and scheduling of the officers, it becomes a headache. For small businesses with limited resources and staffing, it becomes a nightmare. By hiring an outside agency, it allows you to focus on running your facility and the outside agency will handle all the technical details of the guards.
  2. Most national insurance carriers aren’t currently insuring cannabis businesses. The ones that are generally shy away from insuring cannabis businesses that have in house security due to the extra liability involved. On the other hand, outside security agencies have several million dollars of liability insurance that you are covered under if you use an outside agency.
  3. Microbusinesses are limited on the number of employees that they can hire. Having security in house will eliminate open spots that you can use for other key positions that you will need to fill.
  4. Having security in house means that you have to offer benefits to full time employees, as well as eat the cost of overtime when guards call out or you need additional officers. By using an outside agency, you don’t have to worry about filling shifts and paying benefits and overtime. 
  5. An outside agency offers more than just security guards. They also offer consulting services to provide comprehensive risk assessments to further enhance the security at your facility. 
  6. In NJ, security agencies are regulated by the NJSP Private Detective Unit, whose task is to ensure compliance with the laws pertaining to security officers and agencies in the State. Even when hiring in house guards, armed guards MUST still be in full compliance with all the pertinent laws for security guards. The right outside security agency will ensure that the guards always comply. In addition, although unarmed officers that are in house are exempt from the requirements of SORA, an outside agency has the upper hand in ensuring that your officers aren’t committing crimes outside of work and still coming to work without you knowing that they have committed a crime. All licensed security guards that are employed by an agency are registered to that agency. That means that should an officer be charged with a crime; the State Police will notify that agency so they can terminate the officer. 

Author

Joseph Rodriguez

Joseph Rodriguez is the founder and CEO of 5S Security, LLC. He has an extensive background in law enforcement, military, security, and management experience. He served in the air force providing security for more than 5 years and did 20 years with the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department serving in various units, including but not limited to patrol, court security, crime scene investigations, and retired as a supervisor. He is a 2-time recipient of distinguished unit citations and holds certifications in crime scene investigations and hazardous materials. 

How can we help? 5S Security is a fully insured, licensed, and bonded security guard agency in NJ. We have several options of services for cannabis facilities, including but not limited to: armed and unarmed security officers, armed cash transports, security consulting, and our one-of-a-kind security management program. For more info or to set up a free consultation to determine the right plan for you, please visit our website at and submit the quote request so we can set up a free consultation with you.

How Can Sapphire Risk Help?

Tony Gallo and the team of experts and consultants at Sapphire Risk Advisory Group have worked to secure medical marijuana and recreational cannabis businesses in 36 states. Follow us on social media to stay up to date with more security best practices and cannabis industry updates!