Threats To A Security Guard; But Police Did Nothing

[rockin_cj]

I work as a security guard, and I was working at an RV site a few weekends ago and was told at the start of the night by management that one site was particularily noisy and to keep an eye on them, so I did. Right at the start of the night I told them after quiet time that its now after quiet time, its good that your being quiet but I have to let you know that the noise has to stay down from this point on. Instantly there was minor conflicts, mainly misunderstanding it as me saying they were being noisy as opposed to me telling them they need to stay quiet. I do this with EVERY site after quiet time, just in case they don't know the rules and so that they know that I am watching. Nothing big. Also note, there are three people there, all over 30, 2 males and one female. One male rather big and wearing a red sweater, the other wearing just a white fire department shirt.

An hour later I come back and wait about 200 m away from the site to see if their still being noisy, and I can hear them laughing and talking really loudly. So I walked up to the site and said EXACTLY this: "Hey again guys. Still a little bit noisy, I'm going to have to ask you to quiet it down a bit for me." All said in a calm, faceless expression. As soon as I said that the guy in the red sweater starts freaking out saying we arn't doing anything wrong and what justification do I have to tell them this. I then proceded to tell them that as I was patrolling through the park that I heard them a good distance away still and that I just wanted to let them know. So after about 3 minutes of the guy arguing with me and me simply telling him calmly why I came over I had enough and said "I'm sorry, those are just the rules." He then got up out of his chair, said "I'll show you my rules" and came walking to me. I deemed it as a threat and him coming at me to try and assault me possibly. So I told him to stay back, he keeps coming, I get a hand up on his shoulder and said stay back. He argues a bit more, backs off and I told them to go to bed or I'm calling the police.

Of course they don't, so I call the cops, they show up 2 hours later (three of them) and talk with me at the front and I tell them what happend and that I want them to know that what he did was wrong and they need to go to bed now because they obviously arn't listening to me. They get over there, talk for a while, the people on the site obviously lie about everything, saying I was a real jerk and threatend the guy in the hoodie when all I said was stay back and then told them to go to bed. The cops actually side with them, start saying that they agree and the call was a waste of time, the guy in the hoodie starts squaring off with me and threatens to beat me up, the three cops do nothing. The guy in the red sweater then continues to make a mockary out of me and the three cops again proceed to do nothing as I sit there and just ask him to calm down. He finally sits down, the cops take my info and leave, next day I get a call saying that I delt with the situation poorly both before they arrived and after and that the people on the site had asked for them to give me a warning on this.

What I want to know, is why the hell the cops did nothing to stop this guy from trying to blatently start a fight with me and let him harass me when all I was doing was telling him to settle down. I know they have no obligation to act unless something happens, but you would think that instead of siding with the people that the security guard is having issues with, that they would listen to my story.

So who was wrong here? Me or the cops? I delt with everything calmly, never threatened and kept a proffessional demeanor just like I was taught. Why would the cops listen to their story, which obviously conflicts with mine, and watch as the guy tries to start a fight. They would NEVER put up with that if someone did that to them.

[Maxima Lover]

Quick question eh? J/K

That guy actually didn't commit 3rd degree assault on you. He verbally threatened and came at you. You honestly he was going to attack you. That is assault on they should have been arrested.

As soon as they got hostile, you should have backed out and left instead of arguing. Then you should have asked them to leave in front of the officers. If they didn't comply, they should be arrested for trespassing.

[rockin_cj]

We don't go off of assault 1-3, more of generally a fine line between active resistance and assault. Basically the same thing, and like you said, it was only verbal, which is the reason I didn't put him on the ground, and personally, I'll avoid physical confrontations if I can.

As for asking him to leave while the cops where there, evictions, unless the situation is serrious enough, generally happen in the morning when the staff gets in, I just wanted them out of my hair for the night so they could evict them in the morning, which the cops didn't listen to when I said that at the gates....

I understand there would have been better alterrnatives to the situation, but what the police told me was that I delt with the situation with a poor attitude, and that I was only trying to egg them on. Sorry, I don't preceive telling him to calm down and simply stating the facts egging him on, if he dosn't like the rules thats his problem, which is why he is no longer in the park. I just didn't appriciate how the police literally made fun of me while they were there, if they want to talk dealing with a situation poorly, look at that.

[cdwjava]

First, what state did this happen in? Laws vary by state, and it may well be that coming up to you and trying to provoke a fight is not a crime in your state. Coming toward, angrily, is not assault in my state.

Second, it might also be possible that absent complaints from other tenants/guests there was no legal ground to intervene in the noise.

Why the officers didn't at least intervene to break up the confrontation, I can't say. if you felt their actions were inappropriate, you can certainly complain to their supervisor. It's also possible they were told an entirely different version of events from the people that were at the site.

I certainly can't say that what the officers did was completely correct or what *I* would have done, but there does not appear to be anything improper on its face. Though, I think a call back to you the next day scolding you for how you did your job was out of place and peculiar.

- Carl

[rockin_cj]

First, what state did this happen in? Laws vary by state, and it may well be that coming up to you and trying to provoke a fight is not a crime in your state. Coming toward, angrily, is not assault in my state.

I don't live in the US, I live in Canada, its definatly not really a crime but more looked at as intimidation and it was my call at that point that he wanted to start a fight, but I wanted to give him a chance to smarten up. I never looked at him coming at me angrily as assault though.

Second, it might also be possible that absent complaints from other tenants/guests there was no legal ground to intervene in the noise.

Were told that after quiet time, if we hear noise from a site we deem as too loud, we need to tell them to quiet it down.

I certainly can't say that what the officers did was completely correct or what *I* would have done, but there does not appear to be anything improper on its face. Though, I think a call back to you the next day scolding you for how you did your job was out of place and peculiar.

Thats my whole point here though, is the fact that I didn't really screw up. Sure the situation could have been dealt with better, and I didn't stay and argue after he came at me, I told them what was going to happen and left, they just chose not to listen. I just find it odd why I got in trouble for something that I really didn't muck up. Like if I put him on the ground and arrested him or started trying to pick fights with them, then yeah I can understand a scolding but not over what I did.

[Another Demise]

so what became of the guys threatning you? reguardless of the police not being serious, I'm sure theymighthad broken the RV park or whatever's rules.

[Yo_samety_sam]

I don't live in the US, I live in Canada.

It actually depends by province and city By-laws, this might be personal, but what province do you live in? In Alberta, its Attempted Assault if there is evidence (Security Camera) or if there was an officer at the scene.

[rockin_cj]

Well the RV park manager goes off of what we say and I told her that it would be in her best interests to evict him permanantly. Apparantly he has a long history of trouble anyways so the guy who came at me is gone. As for the guy who apparently knows the owner, he just comes and goes as he likes and hasn't been back for a while.