Many law enforcement officers retire and start a new life working in the security industry. Police officers often retire at an age that modern society considers too young for daily rounds of golf, senior community living, and collecting social security—thus the security field provides a convenient offramp to a second career accompanied by supplemental income to their police retirement check. While many of these former officers have had distinguished careers in federal, state, and local agencies, police and security are two different fields, requiring different skill sets. Law enforcement serves the community or society, whereas security’s focus is on serving the client.

This client focus aligns the security industry more closely with the field of business rather than criminal justice. Private security is concerned with preventing crime, including reducing opportunities for retail and employee theft, burglary detection, making detailed recommendations to clients for their exterior and interior building security, electronic security systems, and operational security. Patrol officers, police chiefs, and FBI agents do none of these things. Police officers arrive at the scene after the 911 call. The role of security is to prevent the 911 call.

Law enforcement officers receive training in criminal law, criminal procedure, arrest, motor vehicle code, and the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. When do security professionals need training in these areas? Almost never. Security is mostly concerned with civil law, and detention in very specific and limited circumstances within retail loss prevention.

Evidence of the need for dedicated security professionals is in the emergence of security as an academic discipline with various specialized branches, such as cybersecurity, loss prevention, and emergency management. The expectation that security professionals hold security credentials, most notably ASIS International’s Certified Protection Professional (CPP) program, which requires continuing security education, will ensure the client is hiring a true security professional.