New Mexico Security Blog by Robb Hamic

Readers: is there anything new happening in Albuquerque or New Mexico Security?

October 14, 2009- Albuquerque, NM-  I haven't gotten many new reports from anyone for awhile.  I haven't heard anything new.  Is everyone 'playing nice' or are there still some problems?  Send me e-mails and information that you want published that can be verified.  As always, I appreciate your information and feedback.  If you want to write your own post and link it to you company website/ numbers- do so and e-mail it to me: robb@callsummit.com.  Be safe. 

Another Albuquerque security company owner speaks of business ethics.

To be or not to be Ethical is the question in the New Mexico Security Industry. As listed in and outlined in this blog; their are many companies and owners in New Mexico that choose “NOT TO BE”. I am concerned that these “NOT TO BE” Security companies are tarnishing the security industry here in our great state of NEW MEXICO. 

Consumers of the New Mexico Security Industry must check out the companies they hire. There are the “NOT TO BE” companies that are ripping off the consumers in New Mexico and there are a few “To Be” companies in New Mexico who care about the consumers of the New Mexico Security Industry. The client is number one and is paying for a product; the product should and must be top notch. The business that is producing the product must be ethical. Its sad to say, but some companies need to get back to the basics.

Below is a ethics course for those of you who need a refresher.............

The study of ethics helps us study the goodness in human action or the good life. As a “normative” field of study, it helps us study how we “ought” to act. Applying this to business, we find that ethics helps decipher the ethical and unethical decisions business make everyday. Interestingly, the decisions made by business affect not only themselves, but employees, customers, prospects, and the community. So establishing moral standards for a company, and even on an individual basis, is essential for leading the good life or in this case a good business.

What are Moral Standards?

1. Moral standards concern behavior that is of serious consequence to human welfare, that can profoundly injure or benefit people

2. Moral standards take priority over other standards, including self interest

3. The soundness of moral standards depends on the adequacy of the reasons that support or justify them

Establishing a “Code for Moral Standards” is a great way to keep a business and all of its components working towards a common goal. Integrating the standards on both a company-wide and individual basis will ensure success, maybe not immediately, but in the long run.

In addition, I would like to introduce the …

Eight Rules for Ethical Thinking in Business:

• Rule Number 1: Consider other people’s well-being, including the well-being of nonparticipant

◦ Make contributions where it is reasonable to do so and avoid consequences that are harmful to others

• Rule Number 2: Think as a member of the business community and not as an isolated individual

◦ Respect for contracts, paying one’s debts, and selling decent products at a reasonable price are not only to one’s own advantage; they are necessary for the very existence of the business community (leading a good life, good business, and good community)

• Rule Number 3: Obey, but do not depend solely on the law

◦ Business and business people ought to obey the law. But what needs to be added is that ethical thinking is not limited to legal obedience. “Law is the floor of moral conduct.”

• Rule Number 4: Think of yourself–and your company–as part of society

◦ Business people and businesses are citizens in society. It exists and thrives because it services and does not harm society. Thus, business is subject to the same ethical rules as everyone else.

• Rule Number 5: Obey moral rules

◦ This is the most obvious and unavoidable rule of ethical thinking. Moral rules are the heart of ethics, and there can be no ethics–and no business–without them.

• Rule Number 6: Think objectively

◦ The rules apply equally to everyone, and being able to be “disinterested”–to think for a moment from other people’s perspective–is essential. Why? b/c business affects everyone (from employees to innocent bystanders)

• Rule Number 7: Ask the question “What sort of person would do such a thing?”

◦ Our word “ethics” comes from the Greek word “ethos” meaning “character.” Accordingly, ethics is not just obedience to rules so much as it is concern for your personal (and company) character–your reputation and good name. Business ethics is “being able to look at your face in the mirror in the morning.”

• Rule Number 8: Respect the customs of others, but not at the expense of your own ethics

  ◦ In general, one should follow the customers and ethics of the community. But depending on the severity and moral standard, one should look to their own moral principles to take priority.

Business ethics is also being able to practice the…

“The Three C’s of Business Ethics”

1. Compliance: the need for compliance with the rules, including the laws of land, the principles of morality, the customers and expectations of the community, the policies of the company, and such general concerns as fairness

  2. Contributions: the contributions of business can make to society, through the value and quality of one’s products or services, by way of the jobs one provides for workers, through prosperity, and usefulness of one’s activities to the surrounding community

3. Consequences: the consequences of business activity, both inside and outside the company, both intended and unintended, including the reputation of one’s own company and industry

What have I learned? Thinking ethically…

  • is essential in creating a strategic plan

• helps create products/services that satisfy the needs of customers without hurting the surrounding community

• builds long term relationships with customers, which will lead to repeat business

• requires the consideration for the well-being of others and respect for oneself and one’s character (individually and as a whole business)

Just remember… unethical thinking isn’t just “bad business;” it is an invitation to disaster in business! There is nothing unethical about making money, but money is not the currency of ethical thinking in business. 

Thank You for your time!!

An Security Company owner shows businesses how to stay away from scams.

Safeguard your company from those who claim to safeguard your property.

The Security Industry is somewhat confusing to people not regularly involved. Most people do not know the laws that regulate the industry, or the law that regulates the power that Security Guards have. While both are interesting subjects one of the most important aspects of a Security company are the policies in which it acts.

During my involvement with the Security industry I have worked for several security companies. Most good, but several were very unethical. I have conducted interviews with guards of very large companies in which I have heard and seen all sorts of scams. Read on to see if any of this sounds familiar.

The biggest scams are those of licensure and insurance matters, however it does not stop at an administrative level. Many times the scams continue through the duration of the account.

Ghost Hitting as affectionately known by the industry is the practice in which a Security guard either by his own free will or under order of an unethical employer essentially defrauds the consumer by stating he provided a service that was not provided. This occurs when the officers are either too busy, or too lazy to patrol your property. Indications of ghost hitting would be an excessive and unrealistic number of patrols, or contradictory report indicators “Patrolled building 5503 at 04:15. No issues to report” when at 04:01 the Fire Department was on site for a fire in which the building burnt down. Short of GPS tracking which several companies have implemented or plan to implement there is no way to “prove” the notorious scam.

Recently I heard an unconfirmed story of a certain security company who was ghost hitting in Santa Fe. A woman had a medical episode and passed out. The patrol officers who were supposed to be patrolling did not find this woman until 7 hours after she had passed out.

Billing Practices If the guard is on time every day and there has NEVER been an instance of a late guard or a guard that did not show up, quite honestly that is a suspicious practice. Everyone is a few minutes late once in a while and to say otherwise would imply that the guard stationed at your property has never lost track of time, got stuck in a traffic jam, forgot something in which he needed for duty and had to return home. In every company in which I have worked there have been issues of “no call no show” which means the officer scheduled for duty did not show up and did not call in to give notice. In many cases the officer can be replaced with another in a reasonable amount of time; however in some cases the post goes uncovered due to the lack of notice and lack of available officers or their unwillingness to come in on their days off. Are you being billed when no one is there? Are you being billed when the officer is late?

Monetary Sorting: While conducting patrol there will come a time when two calls come in at the same time. I believe this is an excellent way to judge the ethics of a potential firm. If two calls come in at near the same time (say the exact same time) how does the company decide which call to go to first? It is the policy of several companies to respond quickest to the account that pays the most. It is our company policy to respond to calls in the same way that Police do-by priority. We respond to physical fights before we respond to loud music. If the call is the same at both (multiple) properties we respond to the place we are nearest first, most people deem this fair policy. Monetary sorting is bad for you in any case as if you are the highest paying account you will already have multiple officers on site. If you are on a patrol contract it is safe to say that the Security Company has more lucrative accounts than yours.

The trick to dealing with Security companies is simply to be very upfront about your expectations from the beginning. If there are problems with service immediately contact the company and demand correction. Security companies should offer a real solution to your issue or you should take your business elsewhere. Remember that all security companies hire from the same market and there will be problems with service that is not at question. What is at question is how the company will resolve these problems and attempt to prevent them from happening again. I believe within a few years the Security Industry will be policed by electronic tracking devices and look forward to this. Until the transition occurs being alert to your provider’s actions can help to identify common issues that leave your business unprotected.

 

By: Anthony J. Landavazo

Member of OverWatch Security, LLC in Albuquerque, NM

 505-265-0581

http://www.GoOverWatch.com

The NM PI Board meets... Still no actions on complaints.

REGULAR BOARD MEETING - DECEMBER 10, 2008

 

VI. Board Administrator update on compliance activities and new compliance officer.

Board Administrator Steve Herrera explained to the board that there has been a backlog of complaints that were being focused on primarily since the last board meeting. He explained that there was some confusion between the Attorney Generals office and the Regulation and Licensing Department surrounding these complaints. The confusion has since been cleared and the cases were moving forward with the Attorney Generals office. Mr. Herrera went on to assert that a new compliance officer had been selected and was pending DFA approval before hiring. It was also stated that a contract investigator was coming on board within the next week or so to handle some of the higher profile cases that the board had.

Mr. Herrera also explained that he would continue to handle the compliance issues until the new compliance person was hired and assured the board that he would help with the case load transition and would still be actively involved with the compliance for the board.

Deliberation/Action on adjudications, complaints and licensing matters.

No motion was made by Chair Jochem to enter into Executive Session as there were no cases to discuss.

-NM Truthteller

Who are the blog authors?

They don't work for my company.  The authors are generally security or investigation company owners. I understand that there are a few employees of security or private investigation companies who assist with the gathering of information or videos.

These are people who have come to me and offered to assist in exposing some of the problems they see. Some authors only write a post about their perspective.  I don't tell them what to write or what to do.  I needed help with the blog, its time commitment and other effected people were also outraged so I decided to open it up to many new authors.   

Retired cops, active law enforcement, Veterans, investigators, company owners, licensed employees, upstanding citizens who want a change in the New Mexico Security Industry are writing for the New Mexico Security Blog.

Is it OK for alarm installation and monitoring companies in Albuquerque to have FELON owners?

By: Anthony Landavazo

Alarm Monitoring/installation Companies: Do you really want them protecting your home or business? 

I’d like to start off by saying that Alarm Monitoring companies play a great role in protecting their clients from burglary, fire and even carbon monoxide. Due to NM’s “lax” regulations it seems that anyone could own an alarm company.  A person charged with Arson and plead guilty to Criminal damage to property, manufacturing a controlled substance wants to protect your home or business!  Is that OK?

Bradford Waits, who is listed as the “Registered Agent” of 2^nd Sight Security, LLC. By the Registered agent address being the same as the business address, it appears as though Mr. Waits is part owner of 2^nd Sight Security, LLC.  If this is not bad enough... 

New Mexico Department of Corrections

Offender Information:

Name: BRADFORD WAITS

Names Associated with Subject:

Address:

DOC Number: 56420

Party Status:

DOB:  Race: WHITE Height:

SSN: Sex: Male Weight:

Place of Birth:  Eyes:

Offenses:

Case Number: CR-01-02720 Offense Date: 09/18/2001 Offense: TRAFFICKING CNTRLD SUBST 2ND OFF Count:	Convicted County:  Sentence Date:  Adjudication Withheld: Unknown Sentence:
Case Number: D-0202-CR-01-02720 Offense Date: 09/18/2001 Offense: TRAFFICKING CNTRLD SUBST 1ST OFF Count:	Convicted County:  Sentence Date:  Adjudication Withheld: Unknown Sentence:
Case Number: D-202-CR-2001-02720 Offense Date: 09/18/2001 Offense: TRAFFICKING CNTRLD SUBST 2ND OFF Count:	Convicted County:  Sentence Date:  Adjudication Withheld: Unknown Sentence:
Case Number: CR-00-04635 Offense Date: 03/29/2000 Offense: CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY >1000 Count:	Convicted County:  Sentence Date:  Adjudication Withheld: Unknown Sentence:
Case Number: D-202-CR-2000-04635 Offense Date: 03/29/2000 Offense: CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY >1000 Count:	Convicted County:  Sentence Date:  Adjudication Withheld: Unknown Sentence:

The person listed as “organizer” in the PRC paperwork is Heather Naugle. Naugle has a less than perfect record with pleas of “No Contest” to felony crimes such as Possession of a Controlled Substance and Distribution of a Controlled Substance.

New Mexico Department of Corrections

Offender Information:

Name: HEATHER NAUGLE

Names Associated with Subject:

Address:

DOC Number: 51527

Party Status:

DOB: 07/29/1971 Race: WHITE Height:

SSN: 585-45-xxxx Sex: Female Weight:

Place of Birth:  Eyes:

Offenses:

Case Number: CR-99-605 Offense Date: 04/06/1999 Offense: POSSESSION OF CNTRLD SUBST - FELONY Count:	Convicted County:  Sentence Date:  Adjudication Withheld: Unknown Sentence:
Case Number: CR-97-439 Offense Date: 10/01/1997 Offense: POSSESSION OF CNTRLD SUBST - FELONY Count:	Convicted County:  Sentence Date:  Adjudication Withheld: Unknown Sentence:

2^nd sight security does not hold an ES-03 (ES3) license which is required by law to install or service security or fire alarms directly.

There you have it, two felons with a history of drug abuse who are in the business of protecting people and property; I sure hope they don’t have a relapse while monitoring your alarm!

To quote Robb Hamic “Only In New Mexico.” 

It's time to get rid of the corrupt companies in New Mexico

By: NM TruthTeller

Rob asked me to blog and I am behind his efforts to legitimize the industry.  We haven't always agreed on everything but he is an honest man and he believes in doing what it takes to clean up the security industry.  He is the only person man enough to tell you how he feels without using a fake name or blog.  We have several of us now writing and there will be more to come.  We all want to follow the rules, regulations and the laws.  The fact is, our companies already do that.  I am sick and tired of these other crooked companies who operate unchecked.  I have seen more and more come in over the years and it is not right.  They are doing harm to our industry and they make it more dangerous for every New Mexican.

Seriously- does anyone think it is OK for a Felon to be a security guard?  Why are there so many working for different companies in town and why can't the state do anything about it?  What do we pay all of the licensing fees and background check fees for?

Its past time for the state to get real and get off of their asses to fix this problem before someone really gets hurt or killed.  

The NM Security Blog accepted 3 new authors today! We have 8 authors at this time..

I have been contacted by hundreds of employees and about a dozen reputable company owners.  We decided to move forward with the security association and the company owners will meet next month.  We will make plans to open up lines of communication, training opportunities and solidify plans to target unlicensed and illegitimate companies conducting illegal activity.  It came as a surprise that a number of these companies are already deploying tactics to expose corruption, unlicensed activity and illegal conduct.  We will coordinate our efforts with law enforcement and media  to continue the efforts of the New Mexico Security Blog.   

There are many unlicensed "investigators" in New Mexico. It's time to check them out too!

By: NM Truth

Check out this website for an unlicensed investigation company who operates in Albuquerque.  CLICK HERE  "Impulse Investigations and Monaco J. Armijo" don't have any license that I can find in New Mexico.  

But, they do have a City of Albuquerque business license, which is more than some state licensed companies.  Just because a company gets a city business license it is not permitted to do investigative work!  A state Private Investigator's license is required!  This is a common trick that unlicensed companies use...

Business Information Details Below are the detailed results for the business you have chosen. Click the business name to view additional information. If you need a map to this business, just click the Business Location button. New Search Return to Results List Main Page   Business: IMPULSE INVESTIGATION Owner:   MONACO ARMIJO  9205 PETRONAS AV SW 9205  PETRONAS  AV   ALBUQUERQUE, NM  87121 ALBUQUERQUE, NM  87121 (505) 730-1209 Locate this business using Mapquest. You will leave the City of Albuquerque Website. Business Start Date: 6/1/2007 More Information On... Permit From Date Permit To Date BUSINESS REGISTRATION 6/1/2008 5/31/2009

This company charges around $65 hr. for its work and I took this quote from its website, 

"So many times customers are reluctant to spend the money on this sort of thing.  Once they have, and they see the results, they are VERY thankful to have done so and found out the truth. I get "thank you's" all the time, and see first hand how KNOWING can change the course of a relationship or business decision.  Just like the saying goes,Knowledge is power.."

I guess the word is now getting out in the community of people who want to investigate but don't have licenses.  Come to New Mexico where you can work without a license and make good money!

The NM Security Blog has several other authors...

I have invited a number of respected and ethical industry employees, company owners or investigators to write about issues of their choosing.  Below is the fist posting by Anthony Landavazo, co-owner of Overwatch Security.  He obviously did his homework- read below.

The New Mexico Security BLOG epidemic

by Anthony Landavazo

After surfing the web and being referred to several anonymous blogs it is apparent that Robb Hamic is the only person who believes in what is he saying or at least the one with enough mettle to put his name behind it. There are blogs out there maintained by “anonymous” authors. These authors are very biased and seem to promote the companies that Mr. Hamic spotlights on his page while bashing Mr. Hamic.

These blogs attempt to discredit Robb by listing lawsuits that he has been involved in regardless of if he was the plaintiff or defendant. On a sensitive subject to many New Mexicans they even use bible verses in their bashings of Mr. Hamic and use terms like “Great job Legit….I know GOD is on your side”.

These blogs criticize Mr. Hamic for promoting his company through his blog entitled the New Mexico Security Blog. In the purest demonstration of hypocrisy these authors then make announcements for Legit Security including listing a phone number for training services.

These blogs represent allegations as facts, and continuously and childishly bash Mr. Hamic with absolutely no evidence.

In addition to the above these authors continuously “borrow” content from other sites and represent them as their own work with no credit to the original author.

Examples of this are as follows:

In an article posted on this website  which isn’t going to be promoted by me about keeping your kids safe on Halloween the “Anti NM-Security Blog- BLOG” posts the works of http://halloweenguide.blogspot.com/

Followed by an article titled “Talking with kids about drugs”. The original work was published at http://www.ncpc.org/publications/brochures/children/chdrug.pdf

Followed by a few posts that bash Robb Hamic.

Then another example of the authors desire to appear as though he or she knows what they’re talking about.

In an article about “How to decrease your chances of home burglary” the works of http://www.crimedoctor.com/home.htm

They also had an article of “apartment security” that again took the works of

http://www.crimedoctor.com/apartment-security.htm

 

It seems like the “author” of this cowardly blog is incapable of thought that doesn’t revolve around Mr. Hamic.