Unarmed Security Guard Requirements For South Dakota

Secure Your Place in History in the Mt. Rushmore State

It's dead calm in Deadwood as you monitor the screens in your control room. A few gamblers try their luck at the tables as you sip your coffee and wonder whether any of them will beat the house. Then, in the corner of one of the screens you see something starting to brew by the gift shop. A disheveled man whose luck ran out is eyeing the Black Hills gold gracing the counter. In an instant he smashes the counter and grabs what he can before sprinting from the casino. However, before he makes it to the door, you've already picked up the phone and given police a description that they radio to their squad cars in the area. Within an hour they've cornered him in an alley and taken him into custody.

That could be a typical day in South Dakota as you guard people's lives and property from everything from unlucky gamblers to drunken revelers.  However, the reality is that South Dakota is a relatively safe place to live. The state's violent crime rate is only 3.26 per thousand residents, and the property crime rate is only 18.6 per thousand residents. These are well below the national average which makes South Dakota a pretty peaceful posting for security professionals. Of course, you will have the occasional smash and grab, or shoplifter, but serious crime isn't something that most security guards ever encounter. Indeed, with just over 850,000 residents spread throughout the state, there's a strong sense of community where everyone knows everyone in town, and few people ever step out of line. 

South Dakota is an affordable place to live, with most things costing less than they do in other states. Utilities, healthcare, and housing are less than the national average, while groceries tend to be slightly higher given to the fact that South Dakota is still a "boonies" state with fewer options for shopping. However, if you are good at bargain hunting and shopping with coupons, you can easily bring those food costs down to 80-85% of the national average. In fact, many South Dakota residents do their shopping at warehouse clubs where they can buy in bulk and stretch their incomes just a little bit further.

Security guards in South Dakota typically start around $11.50 an hour. That's about 7% higher than the national median. This works out to about $24,000 per year. With this salary it's possible to establish a rather comfortable life in South Dakota. As with all security jobs, the greater your training and experience, the higher the salary you can command from an employer. As you move up the ladder into management, it's possible to earn a salary well into the 40's per year. 

The state's largest employers are Citibank South Dakota, Shaw Industries, IBP Hog Market, John Morrell Food Group, and North Valley Communications. These top tier employers offer excellent career paths that are well worth looking into. You might also take a look at the Regional Health System, Tyson Meats, or the Sanford USD Medical Center. Each of these have significant security needs which means that they are great places to get your foot in the door and show that you have the skills and capabilities to perform as a top notch security professional. There are also numerous casinos and tourist locales looking for professionals that can handle the hectic and fast paced tourist seasons during the summer months. 

South Dakota is a rather chilly state. It has a continental climate which means that it has four distinct seasons. It's cold and dry in the winter, and hot and dusty in the summer. Falls can be brisk, and there's a considerable amount of rain that falls in the spring. Winter temperatures regularly drop well below freezing, and the summers' can be absolutely burning hot. The good news is that the temperatures don't fluctuate much within the season's which means that you will know precisely what to expect when you head into work. 

Sioux Falls and Rapid City are the South Dakota's largest cities. You will find the greatest number of security job positions in these two cities. Sioux Falls has just over 170,00 residents, and Rapid City has about 75,000. Other cities include Waterton, Aberdeen, and Brookings which each have well under 30,000 residents. This gives them a small town appeal that is ideal for someone looking to become part of a community where everyone knows their neighbors. 

Security professionals in South Dakota do not need a license to start work. This makes it easy to enter the field and start building your career. Employers will want to see that you have the skills and training to do the job. This means knowing how to apply the use of force when necessary, detain suspects, and keep an eye on the facilities. It's also important to know First Aid and CPR. In many cases, you will also need to show that you know how to fill out forms and keep accurate records so that should something occur the evidence will stand up in a courtroom. 

You will no doubt want to explore the state when you are off duty. If you love the great outdoors, there is plenty to see and do. You can marvel at Mt. Rushmore and admire the craftsmanship of Gutzon Borglum's masterful workmanship, or take a gander at the still unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial just down the road. You can take a hike through the Black Hills and camp where so many prospectors tried their luck at extracting the precious gold from the ground. Just be careful going through the Badlands because while they are absolutely stunning, they are an easy place to get lost in. If you're looking for history, be sure to visit Custer State Park where you will see monuments to the battle as well as plenty of buffalo roaming the plains as they have for thousands of years. Finally, if you love fishing then you will want to cast a line into the many rivers throughout the state where you will find some of the most scrumptious fish in the country to throw on the grill.