Security officers still lack PPE, some infected by Covid19 several times
Charlotte NC January 30, 2022
Almost two years into the Covid19 pandemic you would hope that most people would have access to personal protective equipment such as face masks, gloves, gowns, eye protection, and hand sanitizer.
Especially those who were and in many cases still are, considered essential workers especially our public safety and security folks.
Carlos Melendez and Charlie Grimes thought so too. They both work for one of the largest private security contractors in the world and they both tell the same story.
Neither one has ever received anything other than an occasional face mask during the initial few months when the pandemic began and neither one got vaccinated until they both caught Covid19 for the second time.
Both said that although they work around hundreds of people every day at a large Amazon distribution center, there has never been any urgency shown by their employer or Amazon officials to provide the proper guidance about health safety or to issue the proper PPE regularly.
Kevin Hartwell, a former G4S supervisor has also spoken out about the lack of concern for the frontline security officers who have been working amidst the ongoing virus since it was first discovered in early 2020.
The Transportation Security Administration recently announced that they have lost 34 security personnel to the Coronavirus and have had more than 16,000 employees test positive for the virus though the report did not indicate if some of the employees have contracted the virus more than once.
While Private Officer International, a private security and law enforcement association has spent many manhours tracking national security officer Covid19 related deaths and confirming more than 500 of them, it has been difficult to accurately gather the information because of the lack of reporting by local media and health departments.
According to The Officer Down Memorial Page, more than 600 police officers have died from the virus since 2020.
The Coronavirus continues to rage in many parts of our country and the world with new variants manifesting themselves every few months.
The CDC and medical professionals now agree that even if we get the disease under control, it’s not going away anytime soon.
Thus, PPE, must be a standard issue for all of our frontline protectors with options for each to become vaccinated and to have access to frequent testing.
Michael Jon Thomas has worked in the security field for more than thirty years and now owns a small security firm in Colorado and he says that he has witnessed firsthand the lack of concern by both clients and the general public who often act like that Covid is a myth or that it is no longer a medical concern. His security officers have been assaulted, yelled at, and threatened in grocery stores and convenience stores as they tried to enforce the mask rules.
As a security professional and an Emergency Medical Technician, I try to be professional and explain to people about this virus has killed millions of people worldwide but many people are just not listening and that includes many business owners Thomas said.
