Guilford County plans to enter into a contract with Weiser Security Services, Inc. that will be effective Sunday, Feb. 20, and that calls for both armed and unarmed security services at various locations in county buildings and on county properties.
The new contract, which will cost the county more, is slated to be adopted by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners this week.
The contract calls for one year of service with an option to extend that contract for two one-year renewals at the same pricing, terms and conditions – as long as there’s a mutual written agreement signed by both parties.
Guilford County has a hybrid security model. The county has full-time security staff that protects county property, employees and commissioners – but the county also outsources a lot of that work to a private company each year.
In recent years, the county has done things like beef up security for social services and other county operations and has increased the number of armed officers working county locations.
Due to COVID-19, and more people in society choosing not to work, the security industry, like many others, has faced major personnel issues over the last two years.
According to information that Guilford County staff has provided to the commissioners, over the past six months, Weiser has seen heavy turnover and has had difficulty filling their vacancies at the existing pay rates.
“Under the current contract,” the information states, “unarmed security officers are receiving $11 per hour, armed officers are receiving $14 per hour, supervisors are receiving $12.50 per hour, and the account manager is receiving $16.50 per hour. Many of their officers who have resigned cite the low pay rate as their reason for leaving, as their pay is below current market value.”
In an attempt to recruit and retain security officers, the new contract – if adopted by the Board of Commissioners as planned – will honor Weiser’s new requested rates: $16 per hour for unarmed security officers, $19 per hour for armed security officers, and $17.50 for supervisors. The account manager would get $21.50 per hour under the new agreement.
Guilford County Security Department officials stated to the commissioners this week that an increase to $16 per hour would help Weiser be more competitive and therefore limit “the turnover they are currently experiencing.”
They went on to state that Weiser does an “outstanding job” for Guilford County, and provides the service at “a significantly lower price point than we could otherwise absorb with County security positions.”
The increased compensation for Weiser employees would result in a total contract increase of $331,342 per year. The contract for the coming 12 months would amount to an estimated $1,226,879 if county needs remain as predicted.
Don’t do it. They’re law enforcement rejects!
You do realize that there are over 700,000 security guards in the country, according to the US Bureau of Labor or and Statistics…and you think that every last one of them is a “law enforcement reject?” Wow…I am really glad your assessment was not sought by the board…
You think I’d risk life or limb for $19/hr? What a cop-out. We can’t hire police at a living raise, but we have (a lot) LESS money avail for temps?
These are not cushy govt jobs with plush bennies, insurance, retirement, etc. How could a person live on $16-19/ for temp work with no bennies or prospects?
Logic does not apply in govt. How they waste money is a primer.
Wonder how many campaign contributions and other perks Weiser offers to Commissioners?
Greensboro Police starting pay = $41,513 per year. 52 weeks X 40 hours a week = 2080 hours.
$41,513/2080 = $19.95 per hour.
That’s what a fully sworn GPD officer makes to start. That’s how little City Council wants to attract new police officers. They are barely offering more to have to run calls and deal with nonsense all day than a security guard at a county building.
Shameful Greensboro.
You forgot to add in the benefit package which equates to 20-25% of the salary.
I did not forget. Benefits don’t buy bread. In fact, Greensbori’s benefit of health insurance comes with its own price tag if you want to partake of it. Might be cheaper than going private, might not, but it isn’t free. So not all benefits are money makers for the employee.
My point is that $20 an hour is a joke for what we expect of cops. However, if you want to talk benefits that do equate to buying bread, how about getting GPD take home cars. How about an educational incentive that actually says “We value your education?” Military service incentive? “What’s that?” says Greensboro. Longevity/retention incentive? They took that away years ago. Greensboro’s benefits just do not stack up to most other cities in NC, much like their starting pay. We are the middle of the road at best.
Sorry Don but you’re a little out of touch with the benefit package for police officers for Greensboro.
Goggle and you’ll see for yourself. It may not put bread on the table but it’s sure better than what a lot of people have.
Puts “goggles” on. Takes a look.
Nope, their benefits are still sub par compared to the rest of NC policing. Maybe middle of the road at best.
As far as pay itself goes, several NC agencies just bumped starting pay over $50k. Greensboro is subpar in that category too.
Prove me wrong.
I agree Don that the starting salary of 41,500 is low but when the benefit package is added to the equation then the salary goes 50,000 to 52,000 That said I still don’t want the job. God bless our men in blue
Don I can’t prove you wrong I really don’t have the time to even try. You are one of those people who are always right you’re never wrong gosh, it must be a true delight living in your house
Yeah, I look stuff up before I post. It’s called research. Helps you post actual facts and to not be wrong. Crazy.
I like how you have time to make fun, but not to post anything useful. Interesting.
Es verdad. Bennies like health insurance mean more to the employees than a higher rate of pay. Govt & business knows this.
On a side note, my first job paid $500/mo. I got health insurance & a company car.
It was enough to live on, barely.
Of course that was muchos anos ago, so you can see what inflation has done to us. Inflation is the most cruel tax of all. It is wiping out the lower & middle classes presto quicko. Immediate signs are far worse than now. All I can do is buy up things that I will need in the future – it will cost more soon.
Why are we paying more than ever for them to guard empty commissioners offices and the old courthouse when our brilliant commissioners are sitting at home in pajama pants meeting online via Zoom? In who’s nightmare does this make sense? At least we haven’t had a toobin with Toobin moment yet I suppose.
You do realize they also work the courthouse. The same courthouse that last year a security guard saved lives by returning fire to a suspect who was firing at someone going to court.
it was not a security guard, it was a police officer. security guards cannot carry guns in a state building like a courthouse
Judging from the comments section, it looks like Weiser Security folks will be mainly protecting county offices from RT readers.
Or socialist inbreds like you