Thursday, Oct. 18, 2001 | 9:57 a.m.
Uniformed guards outside this dusty Las Vegas construction site are not carrying weapons, nor are they prepared to arrest anyone.
Some of them, admittedly, are better prepared to serve dinner to tourists than scope for bad guys. Some of them would rather be driving a taxi or dealing blackjack than securing the premises.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, demand for security guards nationwide has increased as businesses and government agencies turn to private security companies to ease the public's fear of further trouble.
"We are seeing an increase in demand for uniformed guards in metropolitan areas nationwide -- from 15 to 30 percent," Jim McNulty, executive vice president of Pinkerton-Burns Security, the largest private security firm in the nation and in Las Vegas, said from his office in Chicago.
"In most places, there is not an endless supply of security guards. We are hiring. We're just doing the best we can to keep up," McNulty said.
But the situation is different in Las Vegas. The dip in tourism that resulted in casino layoffs produced a quick supply of applicants for the open security guard positions, turning casino workers overnight into officers.
"Demand and supply are both up," Jeff Sellers, owner of Green Valley Security Inc., said. "In some cities, it's just demand. But here, we've got people applying.
"Yesterday we had 15 calls for people wanting our services, and we signed up with eight of those. Usually, we might take on one guard job per week...
"The U.S. Army even called for a bid recently. They wanted an officer to patrol a gate because their officers are being called up," Sellers said.
"And on the supply side, we're getting casino guards and dealers and waiters and waitresses and taxi drivers. I cut my advertising back after the casino layoffs and my response has been four times what it was a month ago," said Sellers, whose company employs 345 people.
More than 13,000 tourism industry employees were laid off in September.
While patrolling a westside apartment complex, security guard Jon Chavez -- sporting an ill-fitted beige uniform -- said he does not plan to be a security guard for long. Chavez worked in an MGM MIRAGE restaurant until last month.
"It's not hard to guard. But I don't like it really. You work alone so much. But I need the money," he said. "I'm applying for a restaurant job still. This is just to hold me and my family until then."
After filling out his employment application at Green Valley Security, Aaron Dalton, who worked at the Venetian Resort until mid-September, said he would be happy to guard anything.
"They've done a lot of cutbacks on the Strip since Sept. 11," Dalton said.
Up until last month, Dalton monitored the Venetian's entrances via security cameras. But, he said, the private firm that employed him trimmed forces when the resort's action slowed.
"If nobody's going in and out, you don't need as many people to watch the doors," Dalton said.
"But I like it (security work). So now I've moved to a different company, where I'll be a guard somewhere else," Dalton said. With his experience, Dalton was hired immediately by Green Valley Security.
Sellers said he has hired more than 60 security guards in the last month, and about 20 people a day are applying.
Anti-ethnic backlash resulting from the Sept. 11 attacks also has affected the security business.
"I have some sites where I don't feel comfortable putting my guards who come from Sri Lanka," Jack Swarts, operations manager for International Total Services Inc., a local company that employs 86 guards. "I feel like they might get hassled because of the way they look or talk."
Although their purpose is to ensure safety, security guards often are not trained in law enforcement. Prior to employment, guards must get a Sheriff's card, pass an FBI background check, and submit a clean drug test -- but most have little or no peace officer experience, Sellers said.
"Almost anybody can do security. That's why I get mad when I see people on unemployment," Sellers said. "We're always hiring.
"The job is to be visible, observe and report. We don't wear bullet-proof vests. Our guards carry radios to call the dispatcher so that Metro can be notified if there is a problem. They usually are not armed," Sellers said.
Although some enjoy lengthy careers as guards, generally it is a high-turnover field that pays little and frequently offers no health benefits. Starting salaries range from about $6 an hour to $8 an hour.
The most recent statistics from the U.S. Labor Department report that in 1999 more than 30 percent of guards were in their jobs less than a year.
Nationwide, there are almost 1 million security guards.
However, as layoffs decline and some hotels begin to re-hire, Las Vegas security companies are preparing to lose their supply of workers.
"The bottom line is our end user will only pay 'x' amount of dollars for our service, so naturally our salaries are lower than the casino could offer these people," Ed Napier, director of security operations at Green Valley Security, said.
"We're getting a lot of people from the food and beverage side of the house right now, but we're competing with the IHOPs (International House of Pancakes) and what have you -- places where they have the ability to pick up tips."
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