this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023
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Depending on the state, security guards do have some power. In Tennessee, guards can be bonded, which effectively makes them cops.

In Virginia, security guards have powers of arrest, so they're not cops, but can legally arrest and detail you, to include handcuffing and up to lethal force in certain situations.

But to your larger point, it's a power trip. I worked security for 10 years. Most guards do not give a fuck, they don't want to do anything more than the bare minimum, and will passively just sit there while people steal and shit.

But occasionally you get a power tripper. Someone who went into security because they couldn't hack being a real cop, so they decided to become a rent-a-pig. This is usually seen in people 60+ or under 25.