Pleasant surprise when I came across a bunch of the CPP Security figurines at a Fleatique.

 I have always loved Flea markets and 2nd hand stores. I love looking for old tools and electronics I can fix up .

So to my surprise while walking thru  Millers Crossing Fleatique on Sawmill Run blvd in Pittsburgh   when I cam across a bunch of the CPP Security figurines  they would give clients . Made of ceramic they where comical and just fun to have on a desk or end table in the clients lobby. 

also to my surprise it appears Pinkerton's who bought CPP Security kept the tradition up replacing the CPP logo with theirs until Pinkerton s was Purchased by Securitas.

I acquired several of them and their where over a dozen different ones to choose from 

I never thought I would ever see these again let alone have the opportunity to purchase them.

When I explained to kind sales clerk that I worked for CPP Security she said she was told they belonged to one of the local company's partners who had passed. 

Maurice Dispennett Started CPP Security and  as far as I knew he did not have a partner but apparently he did. because you had to have law Enforcement experience above rank of patrolmen to get a Detectives License 

so Maurice must of had a partner who was a LEO  But who it was I do not know.For as far as I know he did not have experience . he had Firefighter background having been a Paid member of Mt Lebanon Fire Dept. and then a volunteer chief for Zelienople  But last I heard he was working as a constable in Zelienople and has he passed away from Brain Cancer in 2017 at age of 68 

Hate to say bad things about the dead but he was not a good boss he was a liar a back stabber and put peoples lives at risk.

Strange Industrial Ruins with a Bizzare Mystery in E. Carnegie.

 E. Carnegie a forgotten neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh which Borders Scott Twp and Carnegie  Pa.

Its a mix of residential and Commercial structures and one of its main streets is Idelwood Ave.

and as you leave the residential area and start up around the bend you pass a set of  cyclone fence gates and mini guard shack that have been abandoned for man years and if you further explore you will find some strange concrete structures. 

It closed around 40 years ago but at one time it was a very active place.

It was owned and operated by Browning Ferris who had a contract with the city of Pittsburgh to handle its refuse and for many years trucks came down Idelwood and came to this transfer facility where they would offload garbage to large hoppers which where then taken by tractor trailer to browning Ferris dump some where in west hills.  when they lost the contract  it was locked up and closed. but shortly before it permanently closed a bizarre incident happened. 

Across the valley from the transfer facility is a plant which makes vegetable Oil  mallet Industries and in 1980  while I was working there as a guard for CPP security on a patrol as I was rounding the oil tanks that stored fuel oil for the large boiler system   I heard a loud shot ring out and bullet hit one of the tanks.

I looked across the valley to see an individual in a white jump suit with a riffle in his hands aiming at the tanks.  I immediately ran for a phone and called police  as did some neighbors who also heard the shots and Pittsburgh and Carnegie police responded but where not able to find the individual he had fled.   Police thought maybe was a disgruntled employee present or former but why wear a white jump suit which made him stand out?

Luckily that was only time he tried it and never heard of another incident involving the plant, which still operates to this day.

it could have been catastrophic to environment had he succeeded in puncturing the tanks or even possibly caused an explosion. But he was far enough away bullets just bounced. as far as I and police know he was not aiming for me .

 

 

 

AT&T Causing major headaches with Transition from GSM 2G to GSM 3G/4G Service and putting lives and property in jeopardy

On January1st 2017 AT&T Nationwide shut down its old 2G GSM data Network

In doing so they required all Burglar and Fire Alarm company's to upgrade their  existing 2G units to the new 3G/4G units.

Everything was going fine I like many company's put in the new 3G/4G communicators and where getting good solid signals on 3G/4G  but then when AT&T shit down 2G all of a sudden  now the good solid 3G/4G signals are no longer there or extremely low causing a mad dash to add on external antennas, re-position the units  etc. to try and capture a signal. 
The end result many Burglar and Fire Alarm customers are being left without protection if the Cellular Communicators are the sole means how the signal from their systems are being sent out.

It appears AT&T  has not properly deployed the new service and no one is getting answers from them in the mean time millions of homes and business have spotty to no coverage should their alarms activate.

Not a good situation to be in. Most of my customers cellular is used for back up incase the internet or hone line fails so signals are getting good and as i get a fail to communicate signal I can go and fix it
but large company's do not have this luxury and are scrambling to get things done becuse of the many thousands of accounts they have.

We had similar issues when AT&T transitioned from Amps Analog to GSM Digital a few years back but nothing like we are currently seeing. what ever they are doing to get things optimized in their network I hope they get it done soon so people can get a good nights sleep because myself and many other alarm company owners are not.

A major jewelry store burglary in Wexford that went unsolved : from the dark matters & mysteries blog

You would not think Pittsburgh was a big place for diamond and jewelry business but you would be mistaken. Not only does Pittsburgh have a Office building dedicated to high end jewelers known as The Clark Building on liberty ave but it has also had some high profile Jewel Burglaries as well .

One such story involves the David Weiss Company they where popular catalog stores back in 1970s and 80's  along with Basco's and Dele Kenpers  all 3 long since out of business it sat Katy corner  across from popular shopping center and down off road which made it a perfect target being isolated.  Especially since the front of the store faced the rear of the highway .

One night while working for Holmes Protection as an alarm runner repairman   in 1980 my runner Partner  the late Stanley Churma and I were sent to fix the Alarm at the David Weiss catalog showroom in Wexford on US 19. Stanley goes on to tell me this store was the reason Holmes had to install  the Wells Fargo Line Security  Unit on their McCullough Loop system .Which was used to transmit alarm signals to Holmes Downtown Pittsburgh Offices. After they suffered a major loss at this store in the 70's 

https://www.google.com/patents/US3794991

A McCullough loop is basically a large single loop of telephone wire which starts at the central office and is starts out then goes to the individual clients panel and on to the next as many as 100 alarms could be monitored on this loop  each control had a small dc motor which would punch out a unique code in the office to tell when it was turned on and off or was in alarm and Holmes had McCullough loops which went all the way up to to Meadville Pa which monitored fire alarms at Amway feed mills 100 miles away. Of course McCullough loops had there problems as well and this is where burglars took advantage and why the line security unit needed installed.

Certain times of days when business where opening and closing multiple transmitters coming into the office could confuse the pen which made the marks on the tape and overlap each other  a real mess you could not tell some times of all alarm panels had closed properly.

Another problem which was exploited and allowed the David Weiss in Wexford to be burglarized in late 70's  and  tens of thousands in Jewelry stolen was the loop had  no way of knowing if it was going thru a customers
 panel or not, a smart burglar just had to know where to place a jumper on the McCullough loop after measuring phone line voltages and determining which pair to jump and could bypass the panel which happened in Wexford.
To combat this high risk customers after this major burglary had modules placed in there panels and the line security unit looked to see that each panel was sending a special code to it if it did not see the code coming from the panels every 90 seconds an alarm went off and  armed runners like myself where dispatched to see what was going on. This technology worked excellent for many years but eventually burglars with computers where able to emulate it with another computer . McCullough loops have almost completely gone away with private secure 2 way radio and encrypted cellular and internet communicators now in use. Holmes Protection which was based out of NYC no longer exsists and was merged with one of the big national alarm companys.

Now for just such a burglary to go down  takes a burglary crew and many times big burglary where often thought to be pulled off by the local mafia crime family since they where  military precise. and left few clues . To my knowledge no one was ever arrested .


Of course with security getting harder to beat at night this has lead thieves to use the much ore risky tactic of day lite armed robberies where several armed thieves hit the place and break into show cases with sledge hammers and clean them out while holding employees hostage. 

Has anything changed with the way guard companys are run and employess treatd in the 30+ years since I worked as a Security Guard ? NO

Even thous I have not worked as a guard since 1980's I still run across plenty of them in my work and in that time period absolutly nothing has changed as to how gurds are paid and treated .
its still minimum or just above minimum wages poor and inadequate training  and confusing laws and rules which govern them.

 Pa Act 235 which certifies guards to carry fire arms has not been updated since I took the course in 78 . and training is still a joke.

Is it any better in other states ?  no and in some cases no training at all is need for a guard to carry a gun.

In fact City of Pittsburgh reticently passed a law which is now being appealed which would set minimum training for guards and maintenance staff to handle emergencys in buildings downtown.

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/8898637-74/pittsburgh-training-ordinance#axzz3kIfV5AWK

No it seems nothing ever changes when it comes to guards and how they are treated. Security company's come and go so fast you have to have a score card  peoples rights are abused and no one bats an eye  and security company's get sued and file bankruptcy and start next day under a new name. 

Security really is a game but really it is nothing more than a joke.

The Alarm Subcontractor game how National Alarm Servicing Company's take advantage of small contractors and screw there national clients Do you really know who is servicng your alarm?

Yes it amazes me how little background checking and Vetting  is done by alarm company's who supply nationwide alarm service to there clients.

Here is how it works
You open up a chain of discount  stores and become successful and want the same company that is doing your alarm and security services to handle all your stores in several states.

No problem they tell you we can do that for you.

So starts the  Alarm Sub Contractor Game

I get a Phone call. Hi is this Nick?

Yes this is Nick how can I help you  ?

Im with  ABC  Alarm company where a national alarm servicing company and we need a service / installing company to service our customers discount store are you interested?

Yes I am instrested.

Fine I will email you the details and can you do it tomorrow we are under a tight deadline to get this done.

Yes I can move couple things around send me what you have.


So it goes

No subcontractors agreement no proof of insurance, no proof of my skills and knowledge of codes and rules no check to see if I have or need a license  nothing just word of a supply house recommendation  or look up on internet and your hired .

Yes no background check at all and I am sent to work at a check cashing store where thousands of dollars are being handled. 

Why you ask?
Because these national servicing networks are so overburdened with work they do not have the time to deal with the paper work and if they do its sevral months and several jobs down the road before its taken care of.

It is also because many of these company's do not want to pay enough  or do not want to pay at all.
most want to pay you $35 and hour and no travel time . thats OK if you have several  and they are in close and it is worth it otherwise it is not. then on Installs they want you to wait 90 days to get paid.

Which has resulted in my having to shame them before their customer to finally get paid when it started going on 160 days and then never do work for them again and I am talking big name well known national security company's who play this game. who handles  cash checking and dollar stores

 I recently had to do this with a well known  big regional company based out of Atlanta Georgia
when I was not paid for installing Camera systems at 2 books a Million Stores.

in fact the one company I stopped working for has been begging me to come back and work for them they can get no help in the area and when I told them I was not interested  and they asked why I told them about not paying me and taking forever and they stopped bugging me.

At this point I will no longer do any sub work for any national servicing company out of all the ones I sub work for one was really nice to work for but they no longer have the contracts in my area which is a shame. 3 others I did work for no longer exist who where decent. thats the problems when it comes to national servicing company's who do a good job get fired because national retail chains are interested in one thing only the almighty dollar and will stab any one in the back to get it and this results in slob work with no permits and midnight installs and if there is a loss who cares they either absorb it or turn in an insurance claim. Sad but true.

List of Guard jobs and assignments I worked in my young adult years

  #- Denotes  high crime area

 * denotes hazardous material  site requiring clean up when closed
 + Superfund clean up site

Burns international detective agency  Security- Unarmed Position 1978-79

CM American Forge - Mckeesrocks Pa- closed *#
Parkway Center West- Building 7#  assignment and 1 thru 6 assignment  - Green tree
Pittsburgh Annealing Box - Pittsburgh North side- closed and demolished-# *
Duquesne Light project south side Mary Jane street- completed
Duquesne light project 2nd ave Pittsburgh - closed -demolished *
LTL Trucking - McKeesrocks - closed -  worked trucker strike
Chatham Village  apartments- mt Washington

CPP Security- Unarmed Position

Affordable Furniture - West Mifflin - closed -demolished- strike *
Walsworth Valve -Greensburg - closed demolished- work stoppage- *
Holiday Inn - West Mifflin - closed  now reopened after several other things as holiday Inn express
Dravo corp.- catwalk plant neville island - closed *
Dravo corp offices - closed demolished *
Vulcan materials/AMG resources- neville island -closed demolished *
Sewickly bridge project- completed area now a park
Hepenstall steel- Pittsburgh Lawrenceville- closed demolished # *
Reliance steel products - Mckeesport - closed demolished -  now rite aide drug store # *
Caste Village Shopping center construction & remodel
Kaufman's dept store Sale - Downtown Pittsburgh- merged may company
The bank Center wood street downtown Pittsburgh -closed #
Mallet company -Carnegie
Sauer Bros-Pittsburgh  Lawrenceville - moved  #
AMO Pollution Services - Cecil twp. - strike - closed - demolished-superfund site  * +

Mcglennon  Detective agency - armed  and unarmed position

McDonald's McKeesport  closed #
Mcdonalds  Olympia Plaza Mckeesport #
McDonalds  Wexford rt 19
McDonalds Northern Pike Monroeville
Keystone Plumbing - East Liberty Pittsburgh - closed #
Rite aide ? Drug E. Liberty Pittsburgh- Closed #
Rite Aide  ? drug wind gap plaza -Pittsburgh closed plaza demolished #
Private home - Munhall
Lil general /Unimart C store -shady side Pittsburgh
Winkys-Carrick-closed #
Sweet Williams restaurant- Penn Hills - closed- demolished

Pa Certified police -  armed Position
- Holiday house new years eve party   1980-original  buck ram  platters played

Pa professional Security unarmed position

 - Shop n save -  south land shopping center Pleasant hills- closed

Commonwealth security armed position

carrick gold n silver- brownsville rd Pittsburgh -closed
gold n silver temp exchange  set up - Sheridan hotel - rt 19 upper st clair-closed
gold n silver  exchange - mckight road plaza- closed  now a bottom dollar-closed

 Don Stettner? detective agency- undercover plain clothes  assignments

Lil genral /Unimart  c store carrick
watch couple going thru divorce tail husband sarah street southside

Holmes Protection- armed position
  Ran alarm calls and investigated  or fixed alarms

McCormick products- strip district
Caldwell forge - strip district-closed *
 ? supply strip district-
Bertner? Kitchens- strip district -
Specialty office supply strip district -closed
AB Smith - art supplies - Monroeville -closed
AB Smith  downtown Pittsburgh-  closed
rubber products - strip district- moved
 Taylor chemicals - strip district *
Patterson machine - north side - closed #*
 ? lithographing  company  north side closed #*
? lithographing company off jacks run road -closed # *
 ? lithographing  company -Crafton industrial park - closed *
? lithographing company northside- closed *
? forge north side by keystone plumbing - closed demolished #*
Joesph Horne warehouse- Crafton - closed'
Joesph Horne company downtown Pittsburgh - closed
Heinz company Cecil twp warehouse - closed
Mellon bank liberty ave - closed demolished'
Mellon bank - Frankstown ave - closed demolished #
Mellon Bank check processing building - closed
giant eagle produce strip district -closed
Jacob gloves 5th ave Pittsburgh- moved #
Jacob gloves warehouse 5th ave - closed - demolished #
? clothing store 5th ave # -closed -demolished
Robinson amusements supply  forbes ave pittsburgh  - closed#
 Hamburg brother strip district - closed
Hamburg brothers stowe twp-  closed
Jason's dept store  Mckeesport- closed #
Plotkin brothers plumbing supply - Glassport -closed
 bataglia recycling - e casron street pittsburgh - moved- demolished *
?recycling  behind bataglia  east carson - closed -demolished *
Cambell barge offices on ohio river Pittsburgh
keystone scrap metals east Carson street -Pittsburgh
ab photo strip district -closed
Behorst food supply- Bridgeville
 Hardy & Hayes jewelry wood street Pittsburgh - closed
max azen furs Pittsburgh- closed
Canadian furs Pittsburgh -closed
Joesph Herman Furs-Downtown Pittsburgh
Roberts Jewelers -Downtown Pittsburgh - Closed
Wester Burlap Hill district Pittsburgh- closed -demolished #
Brooks brothers wood street Pittsburgh- closed
brooks brothers Monroeville mall - closed
Laverty jewelers  north side Pittsburgh- now my customer #
Madison pen north side -  closed  -buildings  owner now my customer #
Library food land - closed- was my customer till they closed
Wacken engineering route 8 rich land - closed
Atlas waste paper - south side Pittsburgh
M. Berger company 6th & Bingham St Pittsburgh -closed
Levinson steel south side Pittsburgh - closed demolished *
? vending - Homestead - closed demolished #
Lipsetts supply - morewood ave  pittsburgh
? auto supply warehouse- oakland pittsburgh - closed demolished
Lessnet supply sheridan - pittsburgh-closed
foodland super market - sheridan - pittsburgh - closed #
swartzs market - 5th ave - pittsburgh- closed #
swartzs market -e carson pittsburgh - closed
buncher scrap yard- herrs island - closed - demolished *
 swisvale auto recycling - Swissvale- closed- demolished- super fund site #*+
Whimco metals  Wilkinsburg #
Duquesne Club - Pittsburgh
Sears dept store- E. Liberty Pittsburgh # Closed demolished
Sears dept Store Warehouse- Lawrenceville Pittsburgh #
comcast warehouse - sheridan -pittsburgh #
crane plumbing supply- sheridan - pittsburgh- closed #
Anchor supply-Carnegie - closed
Winston furnace - Carnegie - closed
ryerston steel- Carnegie - closed
GMC Training center- monroeville- closed
GMC training center Carnegie - closed
Connely promotions - westwood - pittsburgh- closed
Beechman? vending- Mckeesrocks
? tire supply Mckeesrocks - closed
Patent Scaffolding - spring garden - pittsburgh - moved #
Follansbe Steel Mckeesrocks -closed
Ruthraff  mckeesrocks -
Lockhart steel mckeesrocks- closed
Mobil gas terminal - mckeesrocks - closed
sexton foods warehouse - Mckeesrocks
Browdy printing - east liberty - pitsburgh - closed - demolished #
 Williams metals - northside - closed #
Pittsburgh Tag company - northside -#
? tire smallman st strip district - closed
? Bank Freeport road - fox chapel -

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/