Thursday, July 17, 2014

Security Guard Horror Stories: Refusing To Show I.D.

I have had many conflicts when dealing with the public in my job as a security guard. Since Security is viewed as a job for lazy people. Some people believe that we can be abused and just pushed aside.

In this one occasion I was posted in this small office building in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. This woman came in wanting to go upstairs to the Buddhist temple for the meditation. I told her that she would need to show identification and sign in the guest book before she would be granted access to the temple. She got irate immediately.

The argument went like this:

Her: This is ridiculous. I never had to do that before.
Me: That is why they are no longer here. I do not make the rules.
Her: Well I am already running late I do not have time for this.
Me: (suppressing my rage) I am sorry for the delay but I can not allow you access until you sign in.
Her: I don't have to show you anything.
Me: As a condition of entry you must show Id or you will have to leave.
Her: I am going upstairs.
Me: Then please show me Id and sign in the guest book.
Her: I do not have time for you.

She proceeded to walk past me and get on the elevator. I then put my foot to prevent the doors from closing and keeping the elevator from going up.

Her: Are you really going to keep me from going upstairs?
Me: Yes Please sign in and you will be allowed access ma'am.
Her: You are an @$$hole.
Me: Thank you for the compliment. I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Her: I will have you arrested for kidnapping.
Me: You can leave at anytime I am not keeping you from leaving. You are just not granted access into the building because you refuse to comply to the conditions of entering this building. In fact you are trespassing and I am doing my job preventing you from going up.
Her: I want to speaking to your *&()ing supervisor.
Me: Yes Ma'am please get out of the elevator and I will call him.

She gets out. Cursing me out. I called my supervisor and tell him the situation and put him on the phone with her.

Her: I don't want to show him my ID. He might be a criminal. (seriously holding my rage from this racist lovely lady) I come here all the time and I never had to sign in. He never showed me his id. (my id badge is on my shirt. I show it to her) No I do not want to see your id you @$$hole! I am already late and this fat %^&* is making me later. (seriously wanting to unleash on her but kept my composure)

At this point my Supervisor tells her she will not be allowed access until she shows id. That she is the making herself later and that she could be arrested if she tries to come onto the property unless she signs in. That we do this in case of an emergency to know who is in the building to coordinate efforts with emergency personnel.

She was like okay I will just show him my credit card it has my name on it. She takes out her debit card but since it doesn't have a photo I refuse it as proper identification. My supervisor backs me up. Impressed that after her verbal abuse I am firm and polite despite her talking to me like an animal. She takes out her state id and signs in after 15 minutes calls me an @$$hole one more time. I say thank you and please have a blessed day. She goes up annoyed but no further conflict.


My supervisor came to the site to commend me on keeping my cool and professionalism. Also to laugh when I showed her my Id when she asked for it immediately. And that is how I dealt with conflict. I stayed calm and firm and contacted a supervisor to back me up.

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