Another example of security work which was very questionable under Pa. laws

My time involved with Search and Rescue Team. That was Barely Legal I have come to find out and now I try to get these and similar individuals and groups put out of business

I meet the team chief  when I belonged to Allegheny Valley React  one of his search members joined our group and as it turned out was a thief and we immediately removed him . Thieves and con artists and other assorted criminals love non profit groups because they join become officers and then loot them and disappear and are ever hardly prosecuted and if they are hardly ever punished. Happens in volunteer fire company's all the time  and they will keep taking them back as members remember my saying the fire service is its own worst enemy better believe it.
As I found out more about this individual after couple years of no positive answers from him I got the hell out glad I did. 

Well any ways I helped  the chief get rid of this individual from his team the proper way  and he asked me to join sure I said I always wanted to be a fireman or other wise be involved in rescue  and by that time the React teams where becoming irrelevant .

At the time the group was known as Medsar having evolved from the name from a defunct ambulance company South Hills Medical Rescue  or some similar such name.
They where located at the then small airport now industrial park in Cabot Pa. which was once  Pittsburgh Independent Drag-way  known as PID  off Pa. 50 in Washington county .A one time dragster strip.

I helped with several small electrical needs of theirs as my body was healing from crushing my right ankle . Got me out of house and chance to see if I was going to be able to work again.
But the owner closed the airport and the team had to move .
  ends up the section 8 apartment complex in Crafton heights section of Pittsburgh  where he lived and worked as a guard in the evening had a water damaged apartment we could move the team into  and clean up and use for free and with the move and all the expense of getting rid of the thief who stole from the team they had to file bankruptcy and reorganize after losing many disillusioned members  including a part time cop who stole climbing equipment from the team and paid the bill back before he was prosecuted like I said all these volunteer groups get some real losers in them thats why hard working volunteers like myself get disgusted and leave.
so with the newly formed team a new name - Search ,Rescue and Recovery of  Western Pa.
I was made deputy chief and allowed a red light and sirens which I never would have put on my vehicle as I later found out the team did not have the required permission from Penndot to have lights on vehicles. I could have gotten a major fine if ever challenged.
 This among other reasons is why I quit when I could not get straight answers from the chief.
The team raised money by providing   over night and show time security and crowd and traffic control assistance at Airshows  thru out Western Pa for Air Shows Unlimited   with offices at Beaver Airport where our group had a sub headquarters run by a Beaver County Commissioner .  But after asking how much we made and told we did not after a couple shows  at Beaver, Jefferson county and Akron Ohio I said this is bull shit the group not getting paid that's when I got serious about looking at the books and how the chief was getting paid. Seems if show did not make money we got nothing or so I thought.
It was after this and I joined the fire company and started reading articles on Fire police and fire dept rules I realized something was very wrong with this group.  My god the trouble we could have gotten into operating over state lines with air shows unlimited.  But because the group had a good probono lawyer  we never had problems they where always taken care of in effect we where operating above the law with no permits no license and no insurance to speak of. 
All because of a couple powerful individuals who kept it that way. But thats common practice around here just look in recent months how Pittsburgh Police chief  has resigned and facing serious federal felony's for stealing off duty officer  funds ,. the beaver county sheriff was indicted and arrested for harassment and several other chiefs fired over HIPPA violations and inappropriate conduct.
My god the corruption around here is everywhere and right in your face and constant one scandal gets uncovered corrected and uncovered again.

http://thesecuritygame.blogspot.com/2013/03/off-duty-officers-as-security-guards.html

It was during this time the chief started the MACC center Multi Agency Communications Center  .

because myself and several others where amateur radio operators and we had a mini dispatch center set up to handle our own rescue calls we went on occasionally when called ,we started handling radio calls from crime prevention groups patrol units who had 2 way radios .

and other such groups. We even helped with a search for a man who disappeared after getting into trouble with Russian mob supposedly   when asked to help by the Squirrel  Hill block watch group who we dispatched thru the macc center .

But with all the good we did it had to end I had enough of the double talk and bull shit with the funds the lights and everything else I was really worried about liability as more and more  search and rescue teams where getting set up wrongly  busted by the state and one of our groups medical bills where not paid when he injured his leg. It seemed every story the chief told about his life where phony or exaggerated as well. One day my chief at Penn Hills 4#  called me and needed the teams help a man was missing along   Pa. Rt.910 they found his car but not him. The team arrived and right away the chief who had no authority in the area tried taking over the search with that I told him to take a fucking hike and quit and started making phone calls  and inquiries 

Ends up they had no permission for red or blue revolving  lights ,no insurance I could find no nothing but a barely legal  paper organization.

By that time he had sweet talked a dear friend of mine to locate the team on her cousins old  farm in O'Hara Twp. off Skonojin Road.and give him an old pick up truck she spent a fortune on restoring which is anther story.

The team left after couple years  back to chiefs residence and was finally put out of business by state police when they had there lights  and emergency vehicle license plates confiscated.

But everyday you see all kinds of group's and businesses started around here an not worth the paper there written on. Its not till there is a serious incident are they put out of business like the . Pa. State Police of Erie & Crawford county  who where legally charted to track down horse thieves in 1800's  and mainly helped at parades etc. but had some rouge members cause problems and where shut down by state couple years ago because they wore uniforms exactly like state police  and public could be easily confused.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Police_of_Crawford_and_Erie_Counties

I have made it a mission in the last decade to shut down and challenge many groups  and people I know who have no authority doing what there doing often times illegally collectible funds  and operating under names of defunct groups. I find illegal guard outfits as well .When  I find them I turn them into police and attorney generals office for investigation. If I do not do it there are others as well helping to stop this problem in Pa. before more people get hurt.
This above the law mentality has to go away I thought the days of the Coal and iron police in pa. which where nothing more than legal commissioned thugs went away guess it never did as long as groups like this are allowed to operate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_and_Iron_Police

I spent plenty of time and money to make sure I have a business license , Insurance and any permits, training etc. I need to operate properly  in the alarm and electrical field and so should they as a non profit organization.
I feel bad for anyone duped by these people and groups.

Guarding the Gold& Silver Scam of the 80's and working for the Sheriffs son

All the Gold and Silver buying places you see are nothing new it happen back in 80's to as the economy went into the shiter during the carter administration.

After leaving Holmes Protection out of total and complete disgust I still worked as a guard till I got married and was making enough with the business I could run it full time .'
I saw an add one day for a Commonwealth Security who had offices in Mckeesport  who are no longer in business and had me go up to this old Tailor shop which believe it or not is still in business to get my uniforms.
this was an armed assignment .
I would work several of these set up over-nite gone the next Gold and Silver exchanges this was back when the Hunt Brothers where trying to corner the market.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Bunker_Hunt

 I even had one of these places the now closed Eagle Gold & Silver exchange  in Dormont  on W. Liberty ave. the building was demolished while back for car dealer lot. One of the guys who worked for him and rented his back room space was busted for child pornography.   The guy is still in business as a jeweler in south hills his son runs the place for him now .He got stung by the IRS for not paying taxes I found everyone this guy knew or worked with just slimmy and I dropped him as a customer who needs this kind of work . I first meet him with a partner when they  re opened a long closed  coin laundry in carrick and I put an alarm in for him.  .

My first assignment was at the Sheratan Hotel on Fort couch Road in Upper St Clair   making sure the man who was collecting and weighing the jewelry was safe because he had a large amount of cash with him. We never had a problem other than couple mouthy people upset they where not offered more. After talking to this guy who was nothing more than a fraud making money off unfortunate people hawking there jewelery I decided I wanted nothing to do with this other than guard it.
I would do a couple more places one in a store front in carrick on Brownsville road where I knew the guy I grew up with him  Farrel was his last name. He explained the whole deal and who you could or could not trust in the industry what an eye full it was next to the now closed Ravittas Market  he was there until the bust in prices all of 1  1/2 years.
The next place I guarded was a store front in north hills same outfit which set up in the hotel.
It was on McKnight road in the shopping plaza where the new bottom dollar store is now.  I decided enough of guarding people who where unethical in my eyes and quit this company after this was all they had in the way of contracts and I was having severe knee problems.

At the time I carried an old German 25 caliber  semi automatic hand gun my grandfather gave me  very quick fast effective gun  not realizing  that 38 caliber was the minimum you needed to carry on job.  I stopped doing armed work  shortly after this. Because I got married.

But before quitting for good I did one ,more guard job for another outfit run by the sheriffs son but think his dad was one with license.
who was an arrogant SOB  and had the contract at one time for big mall thats how I meet him at a scouting event there. I was assigned to a shop n save store in shopping center along route 51 next to the mall. I liked the owner but his wife was a total bitch . One day when my knee went out I had to sit down for a minute and rub it and she told me I was not a real man. I told her to go fuck off  and the owner and told the owner of the company no more of his horse shit either if he was not going to back me up and left .
His dad would leave office a drunken disgrace and make news over it several times because of his drinking and the super market closed after the owners father gambled away all kinds of money and went bankrupt and lost all kinds of property. the guard company no longer in business either. Yes I ran across some real losers as a guard.
The market has re opened  but under new owners and management.

 Let me tell you something had the ADA and OSHA codes been in effect back then there would have been several people in serous trouble because  of what I had run into in my Career as a guard  I got married couple weeks later and gave all my guard stuff to a dearly departed friend Grizzly who worked as a guard in his retirement.

Being the Hotel Bouncer

One of the assignments I worked was from 9 PM to 5AM at the Holiday Inn in West Mifflin across from the old Allegheny county airport   for CPP   from 8 PM-2AM I was the door guy at the lounge making sure people had proper ID  before they entered the lounge. Then  from 2-5 AM I would check the floors and if a driver came in down at Nichols Trucking run down with the hotels suburban and bring them to the hotel. Not a bad job and I got to meet all kind of interesting people .
with more bullshit story's than one ever needs to hear.

Checking ID's was always fun back then people had either a state drivers license with Picture or at one time  the Pa. Liquor Control Board actually issued photo id's for those over 21 with out a license they have been done away with now that state issues non drivers license ID . At one time everyone over 21 who wanted to drink needed the LCB card as drivers liscense dd not have pictures neither did gun carry permits .

Of course even back in 70's there where fake Ids some good most not too god and always some guy or gal trying to sneak in . Some times when busy a girl would show me a fake ID to get in bar  but then the bartenders who where more experienced at checking them out would have me show them the door.  Now remember I was not 21 at the time I was doing this I was 19 .

Then you always had the older guys in business  suits trying to get lucky some times I would deliberately stop them for there ID so they could flirt with a good looking girl It was a fun game  and some girls would fall for it  lets face it we all know why young single women came to this lounge it was no neighborhood dive bar. All as groups like Sebastian 79 played in the lounge

One night while working the door the 2 principals from Connely Skill Center show up at the door . Bellioti and Giovanni Little old for the bar scene are you not ? They said they where there on business to see another person about a criminal matter at the school but did not elaborate asked me to keep it quiet which I did. They where in the lounge about 20 minutes and I had to remove a guest the hard way. that shook them up when they saw that and after talking to a couple of younger ladys they left. Never did ever find out what that was about.

Then you had to love all the story's guys gave girls when they asked what thy did for a living .
I knew a couple where cops and gave phony story's for a reason but the other guys wearing suits where all steel workers or worked at the fisher body plant but up there they where salesman and business owners .

One night late a couple drunk guys walked into lobby looking for an individual he told them they where closed for evening and to check an after hours joint down the street as I see them walking away one had a set of brass knuckles we quickly called west mifflin police who apprehended them and took them for questioning. 

Other than that incident it was quiet and shortly there after it closed when the mills went down and trucking company went out of business as well it was several things including a personnel care home but has now been remodeled and turned back into a Holiday in Express. 

Gun what Gun Working for McGlenon Detective Agency

McGlenon Detective Agency I went to work for part time after leaving CPP heard thru a friend they where nice people to work for and they where I never should have left to go to work for Holmes Protection  when that position came open but Holmes paid much more and looked like a permanent employer. Ya right another Union hack job.
Located in an old office building along Penn Ave in Wilkinsburg it was run by an older retired FBI Agent Robert McGlenon . He had all retail sites we took care of restaurants , drug stores  and such .
My First assignment was Sweet Williams right by where I lived on a late night shift basically to keep an eye on the drunks  nice job and nice people to work with but the Sweet Williams went out of business around Pittsburgh.
Next I worked a Keystone Hardware in E. Liberty which had a notorious reputation for crime. I never had problems there but was suppose to be  an armed guard I had mace and night stick but not a fire arm the supervisor wanted me to carry a gun but since I was not old enough to own one you had to be 21 and they did not provide guns he handed me a BB gun which looked like real thing and he said fake them out. Right I thought store manager never bought it either he said forget the idea  just carry the night stick and mace since I am over 6 ft and 200 pounds no one will bother you. He was right we never had a problem there and couple shoplifters I stopped with no problems. One week I noticed these young black guys all coming in with  pieces of  1/2 "conduit pipe and buying  washers and nuts and screws that fit them. very strange for there size  I thought I told a city cop what was going on good thing I did they where making pipe bombs and where stopped before problems developed.

McGlenon Offices where located on 2nd floor this building

East Liberty Drugstore now a beauty supply

I also guarded 2 chain drug stores one in East liberty and one in Broadhead Manner  which had a very high crime problem but I never had problems either place. In day time these areas where relatively safe but you had to stay on your toes for problems it was after dark when things got bad.
E. Liberty is being redeveloped and turning around slowly and Broad Head manner torn down and section 8 residents relocated.
I also guarded a Winky's hamburger joint in carrick part of the city where I grew up one night 2 idiots I knew came in and started causing problems  and I removed them physically but not before they damaged the place I filed a private criminal complaint against them and magistrate  fined them both and warned them to never go near the place or me again. The good scare they both got lead them to the straight and narrow good thing I am sure by now they both would end up in prison.
I worked a  bunch of McDonalds  as well  mostly Friday and Saturday evenings  to keep kids under control no problems for most part. I worked the McDonald's in McKeesport  in the evenings another high crime area and it was right across from the US Steel tube works. These steel workers I would talk to while things where slow in the place would all tell me I was crazy to start my own business and do electrical and refrigeration work . I should come across the street and put in an application and make $25.00 an hour for doing  nothing. Unfortunately I knew better  I had been at that  Eagle Scout luncheon meeting  at the old Press club downtown  Pittsburgh where David Roderick from US Steel had talked  2 years earlier how jobs would be going overseas shortly. He laid out the whole deal how they would retrain steel workers to take high tech positions   the US would design and develop and 3rd world would produce . I knew this was coming any ways the mills where not spending money on capital improvements to equipment  and that meant they would be gone. No one believed me . I was on duty the night the layoff news  came into the mill at that McDonalds they came in stunned and crying a couple of the guys I knew from there committed suicide it was horrible . The McDonald ended up closing and became the local unemployment office .Its gone now and place was boarded up as arson's, shootings and robbery's go on daily in McKeesport . Dam shame it was a fine town at one time.
One of the last guard shifts I did for McGlenon was at the Drug Store in Broadhead Manor  and the Pharmacist assistant  on duty was telling me how taking a guard job was a bad idea for a young guy trying to find work it says your lazy and worthless  . Really how you suppose to eat while looking for work he said he would rather be on unemployment looking for work than taking a guard or cooking or cleaning job its a loser demeaning job. I disagreed with him lost of people do these jobs as 2nd jobs and fill in till they find permanent work and still do. I ran into him couple years afterwords guess  what he was doing yes that right working as a cleaner as he could not find work and  his benefits ran out he eventually he got hired by a hospital a few years later. where I ran into him again
while being treated for a leg injury.

A couple years after leaving McGlenon   the former supervisor Bob A. called me and asked if I would be interested in doing some detective work for a detective name Don?. I said I was and  took a couple assignments one tailing a divorcee in the south side and another  working undercover at the (unimart) Little general mart  in carrick.  I never directly talked to the detective I supposedly was working for and bob Paid me in cash  . When I started looking further into the matter I could find  no license or any thing  else on this supposed detective. another case of people doing work with out a license. Nothing new around here There was a deputy constable other day involved in a shooting  in home wood who had no carry license  for a weapon

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/04/10/police-investigate-reported-shooting-in-brushton/