security officer

armed security officer

site supervisor

utility worker

bank officer

Walden Security

A typical day for me involved a 12 hour patrol shift around a muddy, wet, exposed construction site for three days of the week. This grew into four and then five days of the week as people burnt out on the long hours. In spite of the long hours, there were no authorized break times or meal periods. The site was very large, and only had one patrol officer for most of the time I was there. Only when the work was 90% completed and conditions improved somewhat did a second officer start working there.

I learned that there are few things as unpleasant as slogging through the mud in the rain and dark with minimal equipment and limited support. I also learned that the client was not happy with the overtime being paid out. There were three contradictory chains of command to be followed. The client company, Walden, and the construction company all had their own sets of instructions for us, which contrasted and conflicted. Reporting the conflicts to any of the three chains of command was seen as complaining and basically ignored. You could, however, be fired for following the 'wrong' set of instructions at the 'wrong' time, which was mostly a matter of luck.

With three management chains above you, there was little hope for any discovered issues to be fixed and one's instructions and assignments would all be mutually contradictory. We were required to do them anyways. Of the three, the Walden chain was the most sympathetic and tried to help, but they had to answer to the same client management as the rest of us. This hampered their efforts at best, and completely stopped them at worst. 

Workplace culture didn't exist. You were simply there to walk around in a circle for 12 hours and visually deter theft. It is worth noting that it worked - all the theft reports we got were during day shift, when security was prohibited from being inside the construction site. The construction management still held us accountable for the thefts, even when we weren't allowed on site for safety and insurance reasons. 

The hardest part of the job was staying awake and functional, especially in the late stages, when there was some shelter from the weather and the guards were pulling five consecutive twelve-hour shifts. At least once they added a second guard, the two could check on each other and help keep each other awake.

The most enjoyable part of the job? The fact that there were two days off most weeks, and that the construction site was out in the middle of nowhere, so nothing suspicious ever happened at night, and wildlife was readily transiting the site. Skunks, foxes, coyotes, and all sorts of other critters would pass through. It was pretty cool. Note that I don't consider the overtime pay an enjoyable part of the job, because I was in no condition to enjoy it.

No offense to security officers in general, or even some of the better ones I met at Walden.  But this company is very "rent-a-cop".  Lots of poorly dressed, barely awake security guards who don't know what they're doing.  And they resent you if you do know what you're doing.

It's an easy job to get.  You pretty much just have to have a pulse, no recent criminal history, and be barely literate.  They will provide your training for the security license (which then belongs to you regardless of whether you stay with Walden).  They slowly take the license fee from your checks and a small amount you barely notice.

They didn't technically do me wrong.  I got paid for every hour, I even got my uniform deposit back.  But despite what they say, there is no opportunity for advancement based on work performance.  It's all about who you know.  Despite 5 years of security experience, despite completing their extra classes online on supervisory skills and other things, they wouldn't even consider me for a supervisor position.  But they hired some girl barely out of high school to be a shift supervisor.  I think it's because her boyfriend had been with them for years and was well liked by management.

Doing an exceptional job, as they say, doesn't actually matter.  I tried to make the site I covered more organized, I tidied things up, I put new signs on the door, I did anything I could think of to make us look professional.  They just laughed about how I took the job "so seriously".  Then, they pretended to promote me.  Offered me more money, more responsibility.  But what they didn't tell me is that the site I was already at was getting a $2.50 hour raise.  They moved me to another site where I earned $1 more, and later notice on my paystubbs.  I thought it was a mistake at first, but I spoke to others at that site and they did get that raise.  

I got out of Walden at the first opportunity.  My wife thinks I should have talked to them, but even if I'd gotten my old post back, that's not the kind of company I want to make a career with.  Besides, you have to have a cousin and uncle or somebody in upper management to get anything decent with them anyway.

I loved the team I worked with. I hated having to leave but the pay was so poor I had to find another job. I had to drive there, which costed me way too much money. I was hired at a higher rate, but a race hating security manager, which they would not corral, would not let me work where I was supposed to work. He kept stalling and then he thought he got rid of me on his day off. I was still there because his assistant didn't know. This man was surprised I was still there, called HR, right in my face and begged them to tell me he didn't want me at that facility! I told him "I am right here, you can tell me yourself!". What a dud. Being that I am perfectly capable of doing his job, it really rubbed me in the wrong place. That place is a shambles because of this wreck... But Walden doesn't seem to care...

Anyway, I went to another post, but was paid about a dollar less because instead of paying guards on a scale, they are paid by post - silly. Now, that being said the team I worked with was great. Very professional, yet very nice and helpful. The Security Supervisor was a wise and fair person. Just the pay was awful. It also didn't help that we worked with the in-house security who was making twice our salary and was no help whatsoever... Just gallivanting around like they were bosses, getting in the way and never there when they were really needed for something. Even so, that was a funny part of the job.

HR was great, bent over backwards to find something I could do after the racist Supervisor incident - just wasn't anything near the salary at the time. If they were a better paying company, I could retire from them a happy worker - but that's just wishful thinking. Too bad.

I put down a 13.10 per hour salary for myself - but they had some guards making 8.00 an hour - as if their job is easy and they live in a third world country. I felt very sad upon hearing that.

I recently left this company after working there for a second time. The first time I worked for them back in the 1990's. The company was much smaller then and you actually interacted with ownership every day. I worked as a Field Supervisor at that time. 
Fast forward to 2013 and I came back to work a post. I worked a large hospital account. We dealt with some really difficult situations/people on a regular basis.
From day one I encountered nothing but lies from management. Lies about scheduling, advancement opportunities, etc. The  sad part was that by this time, I had a lot of management experience, generally more than any of the bosses/supervision. Most of the time I held my tongue when I witnessed the incompetence but sometimes it was too much to take. 
One of the bosses only did scheduling and couldn't even do that correctly. It was constantly screwed up. For example, he would put people on the schedule that he knew were on vacation. Then he would leave the mess for someone else to clean up. His boss wasn't really any better, either. He tried to walk around yelling and trying to impress everyone with his knowledge and importance. Unfortunately, he is a doddering old fool.
Most of my coworkers were really good to work with. Sadly, the turnover increased markedly by the time I left. The lying was so bad that it became an open joke. 
At this point any time someone mentions hiring a security company, I advise them to steer clear of this one. It has become a poorly-run imitation of its' former self.

A typical day at work:
Work generally runs smoothly, largely thanks to the knowledge and training acquired from the U.S. Marshals Service, rather than from Walden Security.

What I believe I learned:
Most of what I have learned comes from my experience with the U.S. Marshals Service, rather than from training or guidance provided by Walden.

Management:
Management could be improved. I believe an audit of hours and time management over the past several years would be beneficial.

Workplace culture:
The workplace culture is very collegial and supportive, as most of us are current or former law enforcement officers and understand how to handle situations professionally.

The hardest part of the job:
Navigating the administrative side of Walden Security, as it can sometimes be challenging to align with employee-focused practices. I would also note that the salary in Puerto Rico is very low, which is quite discouraging and could be seen as something the company might want to address.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
Working under the supervision of the morning Lead CSO and during periods when the District Supervisor is not present, which allows for a smoother workflow.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Weekly pay, and the insurance. This is literally the only reason I still work here. It's definitely NOT the money or coworkers. It's weekly pay, of which there is t much of, and the benefits, of which I need

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The management and coworkers if your really unlucky. There isn't a hiring standard here so they hire anyone who isn't a felon and who wants the job, which breads questionable employees 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
As long as the clients happy, then that's the only goal for the management. The employees don't matter

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Show up. Hope the client isn't  going to be a hinderence to the job that they hired you to do, or complain about you doing said job how they wrote the instructions for you to follow, and act accordingly. While also hoping that whatever mental patient who somehow achieved a supervisor role took their meds that day, so they act like a normal human being, or if they didn't, they won't get in the way of you doing your abc level of complication job. And if neither of these factors infringe on your day at all, then you can end the day on a non-eventfull note and go home

For the almost two years that I worked at Walden security I thoroughly enjoyed my responsibilities that were given to me. The only problem that I could speak of is the lack of support from the local management team. Corporate was always sure to have your back and answer your phone calls when you needed assistance. Compensation was close to par. To anyone who accepts a role on a local level as a manager, I would recommend taking a time on a weekly basis to ask if you personally are falling behind on any tasks or if there are any concerns. If the individual answering your questions is honest then this will help you succeed. In my experience you will rarely be spoken to about your flaws if you have any. Without knowing where you may be missstepping you can potentially fail and not even know it, this will likely lead to a sudden loss of your job and you not knowing that there was a concern or what the concern was.

The account I was assigned to was great...very easy shifts, but it just didn't pay as much. However,  I did negotiate my pay up to 2 dollars more for securing that particular site. 

I was located in a office building, so I interacted with so many people and built great relationships with guests and tenants over the span of almost 3 years. Everyone loved me.

My operations managers were approachable, but they lacked communication and professionalism in some instances.

I pursued supervisory roles, but was given the run arround. Up until my departure in November 2025, I had received no raises or a promotion, only excuses. In fact, a month before my resignation, they cut my pay due to an "audit." 

After that, I felt no sense of belonging or worth with Walden Security. I was literally going backwards. 

All in all, I learned many things about security industry that I can apply to my future endeavors. Unfortunately, I don't think Walden Security is a place that values their employees'  hard work.




This review is mostly about the daily work schedule.
As a full time guard you are required to work holidays and weekends, I knew this coming in, however a select few guards get frequent weekends off and frequent Holidays off without any type of rotation. It seems these few guards were treated like friends/buddies to the one in charge of making the schedule. Time off request never goes through the proper channels and that buddy/friend gets the time off whenever they want, so other guards have to work unexpectedly. Thus the many daily changes (up to 5 times a day!) which also creates unnecessary overtime. One guard was hired to fill a full time position, but when the guard started the scheduler only worked them as a part time employee because other part-timers who were buddies were working taking up a full time slot. Also when there is overtime available because of the high turn over rate (because of work predictability) most of the time it's the person scheduling the overtime that gets first dibs at the overtime pay, no one else is offered the hours it goes to the greedy scheduler and their buddies first.

Maybe it was just the account that I was assigned to work.  Maybe it was just the petty in house Security Director that we were assigned to.  Maybe it was just the local offices decision to prioritize the client demands over officer feedback, concerns, or welfare.  The place was just a revolving door.  You had a great trainer but classes were 25+ people and you were just an expendable quantity.  Even training was done at your expense for low industry pay.  The management was a revolving door when I was there as well.  The in house guy was a bully who kept making the contract company (us) look bad so that he could keep his job as a "consultant."  He used his position to benefit himself while firing all the in-house long term employees.  He had a buddy in upper museum management that I think both used the system to get themselves bonuses while claiming they streamlined operations.  It had the illusion of a well run business but was always in flex.  They hired a new office general manager but even he was a victim of the client in the end.  Do not trust these people--they will promise you anything to get you in the door and then take advantage of you every chance they get

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Security officer 1 salary reported	$24.81 per hour
Armed security officer 8 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
Site supervisor 44 salaries reported	$17.61 per hour
Utility worker 34 salaries reported	$15.15 per hour
Bank officer 30 salaries reported	$15.77 per hour

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