Some North Texas school districts fail to meet new Texas state safety standards and turn to private security companies
Dallas, Texas – In a sweeping legislative response to the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, the state has now mandated that every school district must be equipped with an armed security officer on each of its campuses. This significant shift in policy has led to an influx of requests from school districts to private security firms, with one company in Dallas at the heart of the sudden demand.
L&P Global Security now faces shortage of employees
L&P Global Security, a company specialized in providing licensed and armed security for a variety of establishments such as banks, credit unions, construction sites, and private businesses, has been in operation since 2018 in Texas. Recently, their phone lines have been inundated with calls from school districts, caught without adequate numbers of school resource officers, seeking their expertise.
“Yes. We knew that actually that could happen,” said Lalit Sharma, Managing Partner of L&P Global Security, to WFAA.
“First of all, Wylie was superb,” said Charlie Hollis, Director of Operations for L&P Global Security. “They were so proactive with everything they did,” he said of Wylie ISD. which was the first north Texas school district to enlist L&P for assistance.
L&P Global Security has established successful collaboration with Wylie ISD
Previously, while Wylie ISD partnered with the Wylie Police Department and the Sachse Police Department for resource officers at high schools and junior highs, the intermediate and elementary campuses typically lacked armed security. This will now change, thanks to House Bill 3, which not only requires an armed presence but also mandates licensing and specialized training on every campus.
As the clock ticks toward the start of the new school year, Wylie ISD has already begun coordinating with L&P Global Security for the deployment of 13 additional security personnel, gearing up for classes beginning next Thursday. Similarly, Allen ISD is actively engaging with the company to position 17 L&P security personnel by their school year’s commencement on August 10th.
However, the process is far from complete, as Hollis disclosed ongoing negotiations with at least half a dozen other North Texas school districts, all of which are seeking the same assistance. The urgency of these negotiations is underscored by the stringent deadline imposed by HB 3, which mandates that these vital security additions must be in place no later than September 1st.
“They’re all interested in it. A little late to the party. But they’re all interested in it,” Hollis said of some of the other districts they are trying to assist.
L&P Global Security wants to hire 150 people
L&P, a company boasting 200 employees statewide, is in the process of a rapid recruitment drive, aiming to hire up to 150 more individuals. These new hires must meet stringent criteria, being either qualified ex-military personnel or retired peace officers who can pass strict background checks and adhere to specific training requirements. Hollis, an official with the company, acknowledges that out of every ten candidates, only approximately three are accepted.
“That’s the problem we are trying to fix,” said Sharma of the immediate need for qualified security personnel statewide. L&P operates in DFW, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. “But the good thing is we have very good staff in this office which works tirelessly right now to hire good people, good talented people.”
“Personally, I think the ones we’ve hand-picked are going to be superb,” added Hollis. “The ones we have I have no doubt are going to be there for the long haul and they are going to be very diligent at their workload.”
In related news, school districts are grappling with an additional challenge, that of financial constraints. HB 3 only provides partial funding for the increased security measures, leaving many school districts examining deficit budgets as they attempt to cover the costs associated with the enhanced security.
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