How to Deal with Hostile Security

[Max Penn]

"Leo Lichtman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
>
> <[email protected]> wrote: (clip) Today I parked and didn't
> specifically see any security and so I walked down to the lobby of my
> building and entered. At which point I was told by the Security guard in
> the lobby to "freeze" and I was told to identify myself and state my
> business in the building. (clip)
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> How is this consistent with their claim that they are doing this to
prevent
> the racks from being used by CTA riders?
>
> "Freeze?" That's even too corny for today's TV scripts. Did they make
you
> "Spread 'em?"
>
>

Some of these guys want to be real cops but they're not allowed. I worked
in a building with this type and it concerned me that they were armed.

 

[Bob]

[email protected] wrote:

> I have been commuting to work for many years. I recently relocated my
> office to a new complex. And the hassles for security have reached an
> all-time level. I park the bicycle at the only racks in the complex
> (two buildings away in the garage) and as soon as I get off the bicycle
> I am surrounded by security questioning whether I actually work in the
> building. Today I parked and didn't specifically see any security and
> so I walked down to the lobby of my building and entered. At which
> point I was told by the Security guard in the lobby to "freeze" and I
> was told to identify myself and state my business in the building. It
> took 15 minutes before they allowed me to go up to my office.

I could be wrong of course but I sure do get the feeling that you're
simply trolling. I mean, "surrounded by security", "Freeze!", and 15
minutes to gain entry just doesn't coincide with any building security
I have ever encountered. Most do little more than give you a quick
visual once over, ask your business, and tell you which elevator to
use. Some go a little further and call up to your stated destination.
Others simply nod and wave as you walk past. Furthermore, every large
security building I'm aware of that houses multiple businesses (we have
a few in Chicago) issues their tenants ID cards. The individual
business don't, the building people do simply to avoid a mishmash of
IDs that anyone can make. Finally, how is it that *your* building's
security guards are patrolling a parking deck *two buildings away*?
Complexes that are that big almost always have either a zoned security
force (Q- "Where do you work?" A- "The garage") or contract separate
security companies for different areas.

All in all, not a bad troll although if you had mentioned race,
politics, or helmets it would have been better.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

 

[Sorni]

Bob wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
>> I have been commuting to work for many years. I recently relocated
>> my office to a new complex. And the hassles for security have
>> reached an all-time level. I park the bicycle at the only racks in
>> the complex (two buildings away in the garage) and as soon as I get
>> off the bicycle I am surrounded by security questioning whether I
>> actually work in the building. Today I parked and didn't
>> specifically see any security and so I walked down to the lobby of
>> my building and entered. At which point I was told by the Security
>> guard in the lobby to "freeze" and I was told to identify myself and
>> state my business in the building. It took 15 minutes before they
>> allowed me to go up to my office.
>
> I could be wrong of course but I sure do get the feeling that you're
> simply trolling. I mean, "surrounded by security", "Freeze!", and 15
> minutes to gain entry just doesn't coincide with any building security
> I have ever encountered. Most do little more than give you a quick
> visual once over, ask your business, and tell you which elevator to
> use. Some go a little further and call up to your stated destination.
> Others simply nod and wave as you walk past. Furthermore, every large
> security building I'm aware of that houses multiple businesses (we
> have a few in Chicago) issues their tenants ID cards. The individual
> business don't, the building people do simply to avoid a mishmash of
> IDs that anyone can make. Finally, how is it that *your* building's
> security guards are patrolling a parking deck *two buildings away*?
> Complexes that are that big almost always have either a zoned security
> force (Q- "Where do you work?" A- "The garage") or contract separate
> security companies for different areas.
>
> All in all, not a bad troll although if you had mentioned race,
> politics, or helmets it would have been better.

Or hairdos and Congressional pins?

Bill "by George, Bob, I think you've cracked the case" S.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"Bob" <[email protected]> writes:

> I could be wrong of course but I sure do get the feeling that you're
> simply trolling. I mean, "surrounded by security", "Freeze!", and 15
> minutes to gain entry just doesn't coincide with any building security
> I have ever encountered.

I dunno, I've undergone some fairly rigourous security checks
while going to day labour jobs at the Port of Vancouver (federal
jurisdiction.) I've never been told to "freeze," and as far as I
know I've never had guns pointed at me (although my ugly mug
probably graces a number of video tapes from security cameras.)

IME, if one is of a smiling, happy-go-lucky demeanour, and
compliant enough to readily show the contents of one's bag o'
bike stuff while going into or out of the building, getting
through security is not a problem. The folks who have probs
seem to be the surly & argumentative, or apparently-intoxicated
ones.

All in all, not a bad troll although if you had mentioned race,
^^^^
In some instances, I /have/ witnessed what I would consider
'profiling' being inflicted on people by security personnel.
Kinda makes one's heart sink when ya see it.

politics, or helmets it would have been better.

I like yer Chi Sox for this baseball season.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[David the Nationals Fan]

Sadly I am not trolling. Its a semi-suburban complex of three
buildings connected by a single associated parking garage on one side
and to the Blue Line on the other side. They certainly have legitimate
concerns about people parking cars (and I guess bicycles) in the
complex and then taking the CTA. Its patrolled by a single set of
rent-a-cops that mostly seem to spend their time riding through the
parking garage checking to see if the cars have the appropriate parking
hang tags. And yes, the dialouge from the guard did seem to be taken
out of a movie. It was, as later confirmed, a new guard that, no
doubt, needed more training. As for ID's, the building has always been
pretty "open" in that even guests are not asked to stop at security and
sign in. And the bank controls security on its own floors with ID's,
not at the lobby. That's why I was so shocked by the treatment.
Its was disproportionate and far beyond that which is given to
virtually any visitor, let alone a tennant. As it was explained to me
at the time (after 15 minutes) they were concerned that I was going to
"pretend" to use an Elevator and then sneak out the back door and use
the CTA. They said that they have this problem all the time.
(Again, I do not believe them. The racks are always empty, they are
old and out of date (1970's style) and the CTA station has new racks.)

Had the building acted in the fashion that you had suggested (as they
did the first two times this happened) I would have been a bit upset,
but certainly not set off the way that I was this time.

 

[[email protected]]

Dear David:
Oh, if you commuted to work in a CAR you'd have plenty of parking ;-)
About four years ago, the operations manager where I worked asked me
why I'd locked my bike to the railing on the front balconey, with a
"wouldn't you rather park it elsewhere?" sort of remark. When pressed,
she couldn't come up with a reason why it was wrong, and didn't discuss
any alternate parking locations either.
Fastforward four years and five operations managers: I've started
locking it to the stair railing in the back because I got sick and
tired, but mostly sick, of watching our client population and my
coworkers trying out the gears, the brakes, the quick=releases [double
:-(]. OUr current operations manager asked it I'd rather park it
elsewhere, but couldn't come up with a suggestion as to where else I
would park and lock the thing....
The current big problem is apparently my use of the storage room for
the Superman act (changing clothes from work/commute to commute/woirk),
but since no one else with keys to that room is in much before 7:30 AM,
half the perceived problem isn't a problem at all. IF you have enough
spare space, and a good route, you might try wheeling your bike ALL THE
WAY ioto your office, or cube (hint -- rolling it in the vertical
positon on the rear wheel makes them fit in elevators a bit easier --
and you can use the rear brake to control it)..
Alternately, try rolling right up to the security office with it and
ask them to watch it for you while you work an eight hour shift because
some low-life's been playing with the QR levers or some other
convenient tall tale.

Robert Leone [email protected]
Robert Leone [email protected]

 

[Mike Kruger]

"David the Nationals Fan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Sadly I am not trolling. Its a semi-suburban complex of three
> buildings connected by a single associated parking garage on one side
> and to the Blue Line on the other side. They certainly have legitimate
> concerns about people parking cars (and I guess bicycles) in the
> complex and then taking the CTA. Its patrolled by a single set of
> rent-a-cops that mostly seem to spend their time riding through the
> parking garage checking to see if the cars have the appropriate parking
> hang tags. And yes, the dialouge from the guard did seem to be taken
> out of a movie. It was, as later confirmed, a new guard that, no
> doubt, needed more training. As for ID's, the building has always been
> pretty "open" in that even guests are not asked to stop at security and
> sign in. And the bank controls security on its own floors with ID's,
> not at the lobby. That's why I was so shocked by the treatment.
> Its was disproportionate and far beyond that which is given to
> virtually any visitor, let alone a tennant. As it was explained to me
> at the time (after 15 minutes) they were concerned that I was going to
> "pretend" to use an Elevator and then sneak out the back door and use
> the CTA. They said that they have this problem all the time.
> (Again, I do not believe them. The racks are always empty, they are
> old and out of date (1970's style) and the CTA station has new racks.)
>
> Had the building acted in the fashion that you had suggested (as they
> did the first two times this happened) I would have been a bit upset,
> but certainly not set off the way that I was this time.
>
They are checking for hang tags, and you can't put a hang tag on a bicycle.
[and have it stay there!]. But ask them if you can get some sort of hang tag
equivalent that you could keep in your wallet and just show them to speed
things up for everybody. If they say they can't or don't know what they'd
use, this would be an easy type of thing to escalate to building management.
After all, while they are wasting time with you they aren't protecting
anything else.

For some reason, you seem to have become a source of amusement for these
guys. I can't believe they are worried about people using the bicycle rack.
Nobody cares about bike racks.

 

[amakyonin]

If physical access restriction is so important at this building then
why don't they require mandatory badges (with automated validation) for
everyone that works there? The classic "because of terrorism" line is
such a pathetic straw man. They are discriminating against you simply
because you stand out.

These guards have no legal authority to detain you since you aren't
trespassing and there is no evidence that you represent a threat. If
you simply identify yourself and go about your business they will
either have to let you proceed unimpeded to your office or call the
police. Once the police are involved, they will become rather annoyed
with the security firm if they persist with such false alarms. You will
also have an irrefutable document trail that this activity is going on.
I see this as the easiest way to solve the problem instead of the
fruitless hassling with the management of the building or security firm.

 

[David the Nationals Fan]

I have a hang tag for my car. I asked why they don't have something
for Bicycles. They said that the hang tags would be stolen. I
suggested a "decal". They said that this was not workable because
they could not be returned when people leave. Although right now they
have no way of collecting the hang tags.

 

[[email protected]]

David the Nationals Fan wrote:
> Its a bit more complex than that. Most of the building is the offices
> of a large bank and most of the people work for the Bank. But some of
> the space is rented out to outside tennants. That would be me. In
> fact my name is one of the few names on the Directory. And I believe
> that our society is over-regulated and will not issue ID's to my
> employees. (In addition, real and effective security does not use
> ID's. People get lazy and look at the ID and not the person on the
> conduct.)

If this is building security and you are a tenant, you are paying for
it in your rent. Call the landlord or management company and tell them
to have the security guys get their act together. Even if the security
guys are from the bank, the landlord should set them straight. Or you
could go to the head of security at the building (not at a remote
office!) and introduce yourself and try the "nice guy" approach first
and explain the problem and ask that they make a note of your
existence.

Joseph

 

[Michael]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> I have been commuting to work for many years. I recently relocated my
> office to a new complex. And the hassles for security have reached an
> all-time level. I park the bicycle at the only racks in the complex
> (two buildings away in the garage) and as soon as I get off the bicycle
> I am surrounded by security questioning whether I actually work in the
> building. Today I parked and didn't specifically see any security and
> so I walked down to the lobby of my building and entered. At which
> point I was told by the Security guard in the lobby to "freeze" and I
> was told to identify myself and state my business in the building. It
> took 15 minutes before they allowed me to go up to my office.
>
> I can't keep putting up with this. I need to try to figure out a
> better solution. The head of security said that it was necessary to do
> this as they were concerned that bicyclists might use the building's
> racks and then go and use the Subway next to the building. This
> ignores the fact that the building has lousy old 1960's style racks
> which provide poor locking surfaces and that the CTA station has many
> brand new high tech racks, a number of "bicycle locking bubbles", and
> CTA security personnel next to the racks. I really don't want to
> start parking at the CTA station, but I am thinking that this may be my
> "best option.
>
> BTW. I commute only 12 miles in each direction and my bike of
> preference is a 1970's rebuilt road bike. I have three of them and
> switch off depending on my mood. (a 21 speed, an 18 speed and a 12
> speed... all with different ranges of gears). Its a heck of a lot
> better to commute on one of these than on those horrible things now
> being passed off as "city bikes" and not nearly as expensive and more
> durable than a high tech road bike.

Would it be possible to become familiar to all Security personnel? When I first
started cycling to work (a-way-y-y back n the 80's) I made it a point to catch
the eye of whoever was in the "guard shack" and wave. Didn't take too long
before I was recognized and waved at before I could get my hand up. I did this
routine in the hope that Security would challenge anyone who might mess with my
bike.

--
Michael

 

[Matt O'Toole]

Get your boss to call the landlord, so he can tell his goons to lay off.
By this time they ought to know you. Unfortunately security guards are
often not the sharpest tools in the shed, and neither are the property
managers they work for.

Matt O.


On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 14:15:38 -0700, davidthenatfan wrote:

> I have been commuting to work for many years. I recently relocated my
> office to a new complex. And the hassles for security have reached an
> all-time level. I park the bicycle at the only racks in the complex
> (two buildings away in the garage) and as soon as I get off the bicycle
> I am surrounded by security questioning whether I actually work in the
> building. Today I parked and didn't specifically see any security and
> so I walked down to the lobby of my building and entered. At which
> point I was told by the Security guard in the lobby to "freeze" and I
> was told to identify myself and state my business in the building. It
> took 15 minutes before they allowed me to go up to my office.
>
> I can't keep putting up with this. I need to try to figure out a
> better solution. The head of security said that it was necessary to do
> this as they were concerned that bicyclists might use the building's
> racks and then go and use the Subway next to the building. This
> ignores the fact that the building has lousy old 1960's style racks
> which provide poor locking surfaces and that the CTA station has many
> brand new high tech racks, a number of "bicycle locking bubbles", and
> CTA security personnel next to the racks. I really don't want to
> start parking at the CTA station, but I am thinking that this may be my
> "best option.
>
> BTW. I commute only 12 miles in each direction and my bike of
> preference is a 1970's rebuilt road bike. I have three of them and
> switch off depending on my mood. (a 21 speed, an 18 speed and a 12
> speed... all with different ranges of gears). Its a heck of a lot
> better to commute on one of these than on those horrible things now
> being passed off as "city bikes" and not nearly as expensive and more
> durable than a high tech road bike.

 

[Michael Nitabach]

"Cathy Kearns" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

>
> "Kristian M Zoerhoff" <[email protected]> wrote in
> message news:[email protected]...
>> > I can't keep putting up with this. I need to try to figure out
>> > a better solution. The head of security said that it was
>> > necessary to do this as they were concerned that bicyclists
>> > might use the building's racks and then go and use the Subway
>> > next to the building.
>>
>> That doesn't excuse harrassing you *every day*. They should
>> recognize you by now. Remind him of that fact next time this
>> happens.
>
> And you should recognize them by now too. A cheery "Good morning!
> <insert security guard's name here>" would tend to remind them you
> belong there.
>
> Sometimes the little people just like to be recognized.

All people like to be recognized, and knowing and using people's
names is a simple and effective way of demonstrating your recognition
of and respect for them as individuals.

--
Mike Nitabach

 

[dgk]

On 28 Apr 2006 14:15:38 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>I have been commuting to work for many years. I recently relocated my
>office to a new complex. And the hassles for security have reached an
>all-time level. I park the bicycle at the only racks in the complex
>(two buildings away in the garage) and as soon as I get off the bicycle
>I am surrounded by security questioning whether I actually work in the
>building. Today I parked and didn't specifically see any security and
>so I walked down to the lobby of my building and entered. At which
>point I was told by the Security guard in the lobby to "freeze" and I
>was told to identify myself and state my business in the building. It
>took 15 minutes before they allowed me to go up to my office.
>...

Amazing. Our country has really gone nuts.

For a short period of time I commuted to a job one block south of the
New York Stock Exchange. Cops with machine guns watched me come in
each day and lock the bike to a pole. Then they would watch my bike
until I left in the afternoon. No one asked to see anything. I had the
safest bike parking in the world.

How long does it take before your security guards learn what you look
like?

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"dgk" wrote: (clip) How long does it take before your security guards learn
what you look like?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That raises an interesting question in my mind. Is it possible that you did
or said something on your first encounter with these guards that raised
their hackles? They may be "playing" with you.

Not that there is anything *right* with that.

 

[Rob Hughes]

[email protected] wrote:

> I have been commuting to work for many years. I recently relocated my
> office to a new complex. And the hassles for security have reached an
> all-time level. I park the bicycle at the only racks in the complex
> (two buildings away in the garage) and as soon as I get off the bicycle
> I am surrounded by security questioning whether I actually work in the
> building. Today I parked and didn't specifically see any security and
> so I walked down to the lobby of my building and entered. At which
> point I was told by the Security guard in the lobby to "freeze" and I
> was told to identify myself and state my business in the building. It
> took 15 minutes before they allowed me to go up to my office.

My typical response to rent-a-cops that yell "freeze" is "bite me, sparky"
and/or "Hooker was canceled". Of course, I live in a concealed carry state,
so guards are typically very respectful of those not actively causing a
problem.

Other than that, start carrying business cards/ID with your work address on
it, then just flash that at 'em.

--
Ignorance is a condition. Stupidity is a way of life.