Not only are posters in this forum, et al saying that Zimmerman is guilty because he left his truck when he was ordered by the dispatcher not to, but so are pundits all over the TV cable news stations.
EARTH TO IGNORANT COMMENTATORS: The police dispatcher has no authority whatsoever to tell George Zimmerman what to do. As it was, the dispatcher only said "we don't need you to do that". OK. And at the same time, George Zimmerman (or anyone else doing security work) doesn't need the dispatcher to tell him what the dispatcher does or doesn't need. The only thing the dispatcher (or other police spokesman) might usefully tell a security person is to not do anything illegal. Great. But we all already know that. That's understood.
And George Zimmerman certainly was not doing anything illegal by leaving his truck, and following Trayvon Martin. Quite the contrary, he was acting in accordance with the standard procedures prescribed by the state of Florida, in the 40 hour course that the state gives, to get applicants qualified to receive the state's Security Officer Class D license.
The basic idea prescribed by the state is for guards (or anyone doing security) to OBSERVE & REPORT. In the case of suspects who are moving about, this requires a security person to follow that suspect so as to continue to observe him/her. If the trial prosecution tries to villianize Zimmerman for following Martin, it will be one of the dumbest tactics ever employed by a prosecution. A prosecution team entitled "Florida" using information that the state of Florida officially refutes, in its licensing procedure. If they don't try to employ it, it will mean they have a bit more brains than some of the TV cable news big mouths.
As for the police dispatchers, they are not to be regarded as authorities or even knowledgeble when it comes to security. The cops on the beat know far less about security than security professionals do, and they have very little knowledge of individual sites where guards do their work, compared to the guards (or neighborhood watch folks) who usually know their sites inside out. Guards are defenders of stationary posts, whereas cops are mobile responders who respond to radio calls. If there would be any advice handed out, it might be from the guards to the police, not the other way around.
(Protectionist is a 38 year veteran of professional security work, a current holder of a Florida Security Officer Class D license, a Florida Concealed weapon license, and a former holder of other Florida Security licenses)
EARTH TO IGNORANT COMMENTATORS: The police dispatcher has no authority whatsoever to tell George Zimmerman what to do. As it was, the dispatcher only said "we don't need you to do that". OK. And at the same time, George Zimmerman (or anyone else doing security work) doesn't need the dispatcher to tell him what the dispatcher does or doesn't need. The only thing the dispatcher (or other police spokesman) might usefully tell a security person is to not do anything illegal. Great. But we all already know that. That's understood.
And George Zimmerman certainly was not doing anything illegal by leaving his truck, and following Trayvon Martin. Quite the contrary, he was acting in accordance with the standard procedures prescribed by the state of Florida, in the 40 hour course that the state gives, to get applicants qualified to receive the state's Security Officer Class D license.
The basic idea prescribed by the state is for guards (or anyone doing security) to OBSERVE & REPORT. In the case of suspects who are moving about, this requires a security person to follow that suspect so as to continue to observe him/her. If the trial prosecution tries to villianize Zimmerman for following Martin, it will be one of the dumbest tactics ever employed by a prosecution. A prosecution team entitled "Florida" using information that the state of Florida officially refutes, in its licensing procedure. If they don't try to employ it, it will mean they have a bit more brains than some of the TV cable news big mouths.
As for the police dispatchers, they are not to be regarded as authorities or even knowledgeble when it comes to security. The cops on the beat know far less about security than security professionals do, and they have very little knowledge of individual sites where guards do their work, compared to the guards (or neighborhood watch folks) who usually know their sites inside out. Guards are defenders of stationary posts, whereas cops are mobile responders who respond to radio calls. If there would be any advice handed out, it might be from the guards to the police, not the other way around.
(Protectionist is a 38 year veteran of professional security work, a current holder of a Florida Security Officer Class D license, a Florida Concealed weapon license, and a former holder of other Florida Security licenses)
