RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Recent mass shootings across the country have brought the topic of safety to the forefront.
Not only is it keeping law enforcement busy but private security companies as well.
These days security guards with Capitol Special Police are busy.
“We’ve seen a lot of violence, a lot of robberies, a lot of smash and grabs at stores and so proactive business people and proactive homeowner’s associations are trying to help prevent that,” said Roy Taylor, Chief of Capitol Special Police.
He says the company is seeing an increase in the Raleigh and Charlotte areas by about 20 percent.
“We’re a victim of the hiring shortages as well and we could’ve grown more than 20 percent had we had the resources.”
But he’s making do with what he has.
“Just within the last month we put on three homeowner’s associations that were plagued with break-ins,” Taylor added.
Violent crime continues to make headlines across the country and locally.
The Raleigh Police Department says so far this year they’ve seen 24 homicides, 258 robberies and 648 aggravated assaults.
With many agencies dealing with staffing shortages, Taylor says security companies are stepping in.
“Unfortunately, people are afraid, and the difficult part is that local law-enforcement, the city police and the sheriff’s office, they’re down hundreds of employees each and they simply don’t have the ability to respond with the timeliness that they would like an offering the services that the citizens would like.”
Taylor also says his company is taking on summer camps as clients following the shooting in Uvalde.
