October 28, 2009- Albuquerque, NM- There will be a lot of press regarding Gil Baca and his legal troubles but it is important for me to point out that the overall security industry is still plagued with problems. The industry has received a lot of notice from the general public and the news media over the last couple of years but we have yet to see any substantial changes.
We haven't seen much leadership or policy/ discussion that positively effects the security industry from the NM Private Investigator's Board. Take a look at the news on the STATE WEBSITE. The previous Board Superintendent was Mr. Steve Herrera and he seemed to be getting acclimated but he was replaced with a new Administrator a few weeks ago. The Board was using an outside investigative service and a former APD Investigator to investigate complaints but I was told by license clerk Michelle Medina that the Board no longer uses this firm. She said that Steve Herrera is now investigating complaints. Each month, I see many dismissals of complaints and we never hear about any actions taken against illegal or non-compliant companies.
RLD Superintendent Kelly O'Donnell told a few news reporters that a good handful of companies were being investigated and that RLD had referred a number of cases to the Attorney General but I unaware of any cases that have been adjudicated.
Unlicensed activity is rampant and still very obvious to licensed companies. Unlicensed or illegal companies advertise freely in the open in directories across the Internet. Look at a few below (unlicensed companies are more prevalent than the licensed firms):
The list of illegal companies is long and they create many problems, just like Gil Baca's companies. Think about the potentially unpaid employees, scammed clients and vendors, etc.
Security consumers must beware of the problems in this industry and understand that they need to do diligence when choosing a security company that, at minimum, should include a state security license check. CLICK HERE for the state website. There are plenty of good companies out there that operate under all laws and comply with regulations. Please take the time to find one and report unlicensed activity.
Seriously. I own a good security company in Albuquerque. I can't compete with these illegal companies coming in and underbidding me at $11-12 pre guard hour. It would be nice if new customers even cared if the bidding security companies are licensed.
Posted by: John | October 28, 2009 at 12:10 PM