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Ashley Tatum ENGL 1102 Ms. Hinnant 2/22/14

David M: Fix heading

Respect of Security Officers: Ethnography of Security Officers Working at the Epicentre The Epicentre is like the unofficial town square of Uptown Charlotte. Towering into the sky with over four floors, the Epicentre provides the people of Uptown Charlotte epic dining, entertainment, and events throughout the year and all day long. With all of the hustle and bustle going on and the fact that Charlotte has one of the highest crime rates in America (according to security officer Mike Darnell) it is important for the safety of the public for the Epicentre to be patrolled by security officers. Security officers have limitations to their authorities compared to police officers, which causes them to be less respected by the public. Interview with Security Officer Joe Fullerton
David M: Re-do interview. Dont use the whole interview, just talk about the most relevant parts.

It was a cold Monday evening in mid-January when Joe and I casually indulged in burgers and fries at Five Guys at the Epicentre while I asked him questions about working as an Epicentre security officer. I noticed when we ordered our food the cashier didnt charge him for his fries because of his job as security personnel there. Are you allowed to arrest people? I asked while taking a bite of my burger. I cant arrest. I can detain in handcuffs in certain situations until proper authority arrives. He answered.

Do you carry anything like pepper spray or any other kind of self-defense items on you? Some officers do. You have to take a class and get certified to carry it. There is a big liability if it has to be used on someone. I havent taken the class, so I dont carry it. Oh ok. Can you tell me what your training was like? Two days of classes. We were told about what the risks of work were: Proper procedures when talking to people and dealing with situations; how to observe peoples behavior and assess their demeanor. We are supposed to counteract and make it seem like was their idea to leave the property to get them to do what we want. We also face the liabilities of having to act with disgruntled or disorderly guests. Cool. Was there any physical training required? I asked. No. In training for the job we are taught to be non-physical and non-confrontational. However, that is for indoor mall security. With the property we are on and the people we are to deal with, physical confrontations do occur and training for that is continues and day to day. All defense and subduing until police arrives to arrest. How many guards secure the Epicentre each shift? Between three and eight depending on the shift. What do you think the Epicentre would be like without security? Chaos. A lot more youths causing problems. Property damage, theft, and assaults. He answered in a serious tone. Do you feel less respected than a regular police officer?

He put down his food and obtained a serious nature about him before answering this question. Yes, there is always a stigma that were rent-a-cops or mall cops. Most people agree with what we have to say when we use our authority, but there are others that when they get intoxicated or something, have no respect for anyone. And we cannot allow ourselves to escalate the situation any further. Wow you guys are under appreciated. I said sympathetically. Yeah it pretty much sucks most of the time. But it has its perks; I got two girls phone numbers last night. He said with a devilish grin. From what I observed during our interview, from the discount he received, the businesses respect the security there. Habits It was a cold Friday night during my first observation of Epicentre security guards. As I entered the main entrance to the Epicentre there were four guards standing in the center talking, laughing, and carrying on. They didnt seem to be paying much attention to the surrounding people like their job requires. There was a fifth guard standing to the right of the entrance. He appeared to be in his late forties to early fifties and about six foot tall. He was observing everyone that walked by intently as if he took his job seriously. I would say his maturity had a lot to do with it, since his companions that were chatting away in the center, appeared to be about in their twenties and thirties. The Epicentre is a four story tower of restaurants, bars, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a hotel, and a CVS Pharmacy in open space. As I went on through the entrance and came to the center where the elevator is, I noticed another guard standing there. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties but a little shorter than the other man. Just like the other man, he looked like

he took his job seriously. I made my way all around the first, second, and third floor. I observed that there was a security officer in each corner and in the center of every floor. Most of them were doing their job well in keeping an eye on the busy crowd except for the guard on the second floor standing in the corner next to Whisky River. He seemed more interested in his cell phone. I observed the guards on another day. It was a Tuesday, on February fourth, and on this day the guards were walking around instead of being stationary as they had been on Friday night. There were two guards on each floor and they made routes back and forth across the floors in opposite directions of each other. These guards were older than the ones I saw on Friday. Most of them appeared to be in their forties and fifties. I even saw one guard that looked like he was in his mid-sixties. My assumption is that since the week days are much less crowded than the weekend nights, which is the reason for not keeping the officers stationary. Also, it is better for the older gentlemen to work on less crowded shifts. Interactions Fortunately, I was able to be present during two exciting interactions with the guards and the public. The first occasion occurred on a very busy Saturday night. The Epicentre was crowded with young adults hanging out in the bars. I was on the first floor when I heard someone yell Yeah! Woo! at the top of their lungs. It was a drunken guy, and after he yelled he slowly sank to the ground and laid flat on his back with his arms and legs sprawled out. He was laughing his head off as some of his friends were taking pictures of him with their phone; others were trying to get him up. A security guard from somewhere in the corner of CVS Pharmacy walked over and tried to get him up. The officer had to keep being

persistent with the man before the man finally staggered up with the officer assisting him. Then the officer walked with him to the sidewalk and made sure he got a taxi. The second occasion also occurred on a busy Saturday night with a homeless man in which the guards nick-named Skunk Beard. The security officers nick-named the man this because he is a black man with a long beard with a gray streak going right down the center of it. Someone reported to them that night that they had seen a homeless man crouched down and sleeping in a hollow, ditch-like place in the Epicentre parking garage. It was Skunk Beard. This is not the first time they had dealt with him. He had been caught another time before, trying to sleep overnight in that same spot. The security guards kindly asked him to leave but warned him if they caught him there again he would be arrested by the police. There was a third incident that happened on a weekend night when I was not around. I found this out from a security officer named Sean the next time I came to observe them. A drunken man became hostile towards people around him. The security officers tried to get him to leave but he would not. Then the man became violent towards the guards, and they had to detain him in handcuffs until police arrived to arrest him. Uniqueness I had the opportunity of speaking with a security officer by the name of Mike Darnell during my fifth observation of the guards. He had noticed my visits of coming to the Epicentre and sitting there observing them while taking notes, so he politely came up to me and started talking. He started off with introducing his self and asked me how I was doing. Then he informed me of seeing there on frequent occasions taking notes, and asked me if he could help me with anything. Personally, I think he was just doing his job and finding out

what in the world I was doing without directly asking it. I explained to him about my research and ethnography I am working on, on the topic of respect of security officers at the Epicentre. Then, Mike informed me of much useful and unique information about the Epicentre that I did not know before. He told me how the Epicentre is technically private property and how anyone can be arrested by the police for trespassing if they are asked to leave by the guards and refuse to do so. Also, because it is private property, they can patrol the main floors of the Epicentre but they cannot patrol the inside of the businesses unless a business owner asks them to do so. Even then, if an incident breaks out inside a business all the security officer can do is ask them to leave. No one can be detained unless they are outside of a business. According to Mike, some people that know this information will try and take advantage of it. They push their limits with the guards as much as they can, knowing that the security cant do much about it. Overall, in Mikes opinion, security officers at the Epicentre are not respected as much as a police officer. They are taken for granted. He said if the security officers were not there, the whole place would be overrun with thefts and violence, even possibly gang violence. After this statement is when he informed me that Charlotte has one of the highest crime rates in America. Language The language from the security officers at the Epicentre to the public is polite. People come up to them asking them for directions to certain places, how late a certain restaurant stays open, and things of that nature as if they were information kiosks. From my observations, the guards answer their questions nicely. They are assertive in their language

when need be, but like Joe mentioned during our interview, they try to avoid any hostility as much as possible. The security officers language with each other seems to be pleasant. I usually see them chatting and laughing. They appear to all get along with each other well. Reflection/Conclusion From my observations throughout my research in how much security guards at the Epicentre are respected, I can conclude that they are not respected enough by the public. They are respected by each other and by the businesses at the Epicentre. Joe and Mike share the same opinion in not feeling as respected as they should. From my observations of the interactions between the public and the security officers I would have to agree with them. During any of the incidences of the drunken men or Skunk Beard, the security officers were not taken seriously. Also, if the public knows that the guards have limitations to their authority, as was explained to me by Joe and Mike, they will not respect them as much as a police officer. I have seen where the security guards can bring it upon themselves to not be respected. When they are talking and cutting up with each other instead of watching the crowd, flirting with the ladies, or texting on their phone excessively it will show the public that they dont take their job seriously. If the public sees the guards not taking their jobs seriously, then they wont take them seriously either. Watching how the language is between the security officers and the public and with other officers showed me that they respect the public and each other. I definitely can conclude that the businesses at the Epicentre appreciate having the officers around by the discount Joe was given for his food during our interview. Im also sure they are thankful for the guards keeping the chaos at a minimum because otherwise, their businesses would not thrive.
Matthew: Work on your overall argument a little more.