Do security managers continue to be recruited from the military and law enforcement?

The tradition is certainly not as strong as it once was. The change is based on enterprise level security systems all moving to the company network. Originally, traditional law enforcement and military personnel were not up to speed technically and were overlooked in favour of IT-savvy candidates. This has improved, however, as law enforcement and the military have both done great jobs training their personnel on IT. Ex-government security personnel are still in demand for the larger corporations that have internal IT security on staff.

The recruitment of many law enforcement officials or military communities has been as a result of experience in this niche market of security. Significant experience in their respective fields makes the transition from the public to the private sectors quick and easy. Additional experience in investigations and management lead many of these professionals into the security marketplace. Regardless of techniques used for an investigation, whether technology-based or traditional human resource-type investigations, the individual responsible for the overall investigation must be able to put all the pieces together from all the sources to form a complete picture and take appropriate actions. This is usually done by a trained investigator with years of experience, which is why the recruitment of former law enforcement officials will continue. I still see the tradition continuing, but with a caveat that private sector security companies need individuals who are tech-savvy.

More recent security leaders coming from law enforcement and/or military communities are taking their new employers far beyond a traditional loss prevention-centric view of security to an increased focus on overall enterprise security that integrates conventional access control, cyber-security and video, and supplements them with more advanced integrated intrusion, vehicle control and other anti-terrorist security agendas. They understand that malls and other retail outlets, banks, hotels, hospitals and similar soft targets must additionally be able to deflect attacks by terrorists. By having defended hard targets in their past positions, they already understand and are as experienced in creating anti-terrorist threats as they are in protecting people and property from civil thieves and threats.

Historically, the skills and mindset needed by security directors have aligned well with candidates coming from law enforcement and the military. That’s still true, but security’s changing role in today’s enterprise is also shifting emphasis to other skillsets, such as management and technology expertise. Incumbent security directors are having to adapt, and recruitment of top security talent today tends to cast a wider net. However, military and law enforcement experience can also reflect well on a candidate’s ability to adapt. Like any job in 2015, technology is playing a larger role (especially given the emphasis on disciplines like cyber-security and IP networking), so being tech-savvy can help.

The entrance of former law enforcement and military professionals into the security industry has been positive, as many have a higher knowledge base about security and safety issues, and they are known for being hard workers. Ex-military people are often ideal for technical positions. Former law enforcement [professionals] understand security more than having it just be a part of their job description. They are often a natural fit for corporate security director positions.