AlliedBarton

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AlliedBarton Security Services

Type	Private
Industry	Security
Founded	1957 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Headquarters	Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, USA
Area served	United States of America
Owner(s)	Blackstone Private Equity [1]
Website	www.alliedbarton.com

AlliedBarton Security Services is a security officer company based in the United States. It is composed of a series of former companies - Barton Protective Services, Spectaguard, Initial and Allied Security. It is the largest American-owned security company in the United States, employing approximately 50,000 people throughout the country, and its headquarters are located in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

Timeline

• 1957
  • Allied Security, Inc. was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• 1977
  • Barton Protective Services was founded in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 1980
  • Spectaguard was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1999
  • Spectaguard acquires Effective Security Systems and Effective Management Services, of White Plains, NY.
• 2000
  • Spectaguard acquires Allied and combines to form Allied Security - the third largest security company in the United States.
• 2003
  • Allied acquires Professional Security Bureau (PSB).
• 2004
  • Allied acquires Security Systems Inc. (SSI) of Malden, MA.
  • Allied acquires Barton Protective Services to form AlliedBarton Security Services - creating the largest American-owned contract security services company in the United States.
• 2006
  • AlliedBarton acquires Initial Security.

Industries Served

• Chemical & Petrochemical
• Colleges & Universities
• Commercial Real Estate
• Government Services
• Higher Education
• Healthcare
• Residential Communities
• Manufacturing and Industrial
• Financial Institutions
• Shopping Centers and other Retail Facilities

News Articles

AlliedBarton is named to the "G.I. Jobs Top 100 Military Employers List".^[2]

Edmund Skrodzki, a 22 year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service and current Executive Director of Campus Safety and Security at The Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus, uses Allied Barton Security Officers.^[3]

Allied Barton Security Services was rated #3 out of the "Top 20 Military Spouse Friendly Employers 2012" by Military Spouse Magazine.^[4]

On 9 January 2012, AlliedBarton Security Services was named to the "2011 Leadership 500" by Leadership Excellence Magazine.^[5]

AlliedBarton Security Services teams up with the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces to represent the Army Reserve during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Week.^[6]

In November 2011, Security Magazine reported that Bill Whitmore, Chairman and CEO of AlliedBarton, released his book, "Potential, Workplace Violence Prevention and Your Organization’s Success".^[7]

18 April 2011, A drunk driver struck an Allied Barton patrol officer while on he was on duty.^[8]

On 6 January 2011, an Allied Barton Security Officer, Mahmoud Jaaa, chased down and captured a knife-wielding suspect in Philadelphia.^[9]

November 2009, Pennsylvania Police Chief Mark Dorsey said the crime rates on campus over the holidays have remained relatively low in recent years because of the large presence of Allied Barton Security Officers.^[10]

Controversy occurred at the University of Pennsylvania when labor union SEIU attempted to unionize AlliedBarton guards at Penn in 2006, but the union met with resistance. Since then, AlliedBarton employees have remained without a union and have been working with Jobs with Justice to help get benefits and higher pay from the University. The SEIU agreed not to unionize the guards in return for Allied Barton agreeing to be neutral during labor strikes Pennsylvania.^[11] AlliedBarton also employs guards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, who have been unable to organize, in part because federal labor law has provisions permitting an employer not to recognize a union that represents both security officers and other workers.^[12]

AlliedBarton has also been accused of discrimination. In Abdul-Rahman v. AlliedBarton, AlliedBarton agreed to pay $7,000 to Mr. Abdul-Rahman over a discrimination claim.^[13] There is also a pending lawsuit (Braithwaite v. AlliedBarton) in New York federal district court over discrimination.^[14]

A lawsuit was filed on 24 June 2011 in Ohio for unfair labor practices by AlliedBarton.^[15]

A security guard allegedly exposed himself to a student at the University of Pennsylvania and was subsequently fired.^[16]

A lawsuit claims that the city of Atlanta wasn’t playing fair when it turned down a contract worth about $3.5 million to handle security at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The suit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, contends that city officials colluded with Allied Barton Security Services LLC of Conshohocken, Pa., to shut out competition — even after the new company was told it won the bid.^[17]

A negligence lawsuit was filed in November 2010 by the fiancée of Otis Beckford, who was killed in the 6 November 2009, shooting in downtown Orlando, Florida. The lawsuit states that Beckford's employer and AlliedBarton, the security firm at the Gateway Center office building where the shooting occurred, should have anticipated an attack by shooting suspect Jason Rodriguez one year ago and been better prepared for his violent return. The claim further says that an AlliedBarton guard spotted Rodriguez in the parking garage on the day of the shootings and left his station to look for the man. "It is unknown if this security guard notified [RS&H] that Jason Rodriguez was again on the property", the claim says.

It goes on to say Rodriguez then passed an empty security desk that should have been occupied, entered an elevator and went up to the RS&H office, shooting six and killing Beckford. The claim says AlliedBarton "had a duty to place the entire building on notice" that Rodriguez was on the premises.

"Despite their knowledge of Jason Rodriguez's violent propensities and dangerous nature, Allied Barton failed to properly communicate his presence to Reynolds and failed to maintain their security position ... thereby allowing Jason Rodriguez to reach the elevators and the defendant, Reynolds', office," the claim states.

Because of the security firm's negligence, the lawsuit says, Beckford "was injured and killed.".^[18]

In July 2011, Nkosi Thandiwe, a security guard employed by Allied Barton was arrested for the shootings of three Atlanta women, one of whom died.^[19]

References

1. ^ http://www.blackstone.com/news/press_releases%5C7-28-2008.pdf
2. ^ http://www.gijobs.com/2012Top100.aspx?rank=59&year=2012
3. ^ http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/people/2012/01/social-security
4. ^ http://www.milspouse.com/article_careers.aspx?id=23233
5. ^ http://www.marketwatch.com/story/alliedbarton-security-services-named-to-the-2011-leadership-500-by-leadership-excellence-magazine-2012-01-09
6. ^ http://www.marketwatch.com/story/alliedbarton-security-services-teams-up-with-the-employer-partnership-of-the-armed-forces-to-represent-the-army-reserve-during-the-us-army-all-american-bowl-week-2012-01-03
7. ^ http://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/82473-leadership-trust-key-to-workplace-violence-prevention
8. ^ http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/04/allied_barton_patrol_guard_struck_by_car
9. ^ http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/breaking/64-Year-Old-Man-Robbed-Stabbed-Six-Times-113014014.html
10. ^ http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2009/11/penn_police_conduct_thanksgiving_checks
11. ^ Juliette Mullin (31 July 2008). "Blackstone buys AlliedBarton". The Daily Pennsylvanian.
12. ^ Daniel Denver (22 April 2009). "Labor Limbo". [In These Times].
13. ^ "Legal Action Center's Leading Cases". Legal Action Center.
14. ^ "Braithwaite v. Alliedbarton Security Services, LLC". Justia Dockets & Filings. Justia.com. Filed: 22 December 2008.
15. ^ "Howison v. AlliedBarton Security Services, LLC et al". Justia Dockets & Filings. Justia.com. Filed: 24 June 2011.
16. ^ Emily Schulthies (8 September 2008). "More feedback for DPS after guard exposed self to student". The Daily Pennsylvanian.
17. ^ "City Of Atlanta – Allied-Barton Security sued over contract collusion". Private Officer News Network. 4 October 2010.
18. ^ "Lawsuit claims RS&H should have anticipated downtown shooter attack". Orlando Sentinel. 10 November 2010.
19. ^ "Triple shooting suspect waives first appearance". cbsatlanta.com. 15 July 2011.

External links

• AlliedBarton launches strategic partnership program